Democrats of the Red Rocks: Membership Admin, Simplified

Organization: Democrats of the Red Rocks (DORR), Sedona, Arizona
Founded: 2003
Program: Membership and donor community
Using Join It since 2021
At a glance: 1,091 memberships recorded in Join It, 2,229 payments processed

Summary

Democrats of the Red Rocks is a grassroots organization working to educate and engage local voters across Sedona and the surrounding areas. After relying on a fragile, custom-built SQL database for years, the team moved to Join It to stabilize renewals, make online joins easier, and reduce manual administration. With Join It in place, DORR has spread renewals across the year, introduced automated reminders, and simplified monthly reporting for a volunteer-led team.

“Join It gives us one place for our members, payments, and renewals. It is simple for us to run, and support is fast when we need it.”
— Shelley Haiken, Board member, Democrats of the Red Rocks

The challenge

By 2020, DORR’s membership lived inside a one-off SQL database created more than a decade earlier. Only a single person knew how to maintain it. That created operational risk and a heavy admin load for volunteers.

Key pain points included:

• Single point of failure. If the original maintainer moved on, the system would be hard to support.
  
  
• Manual renewals. All memberships expired in December, creating a yearly crunch of letters and emails.
  
  
• Reporting effort. Routine reports for the treasurer and new-member outreach took unnecessary time.
  
  
• Member self-service. An older member base often needed phone support to change details or payment cards.
  
  

“We are a nonprofit. We keep dues low and watch costs. The custom system was not sustainable,” says Shelley.

Why DORR chose Join It

DORR evaluated several platforms and picked Join It for a blend of value, simplicity, and support.

• Value for money. A pricing model suited to a small nonprofit with low dues.
  
  
• Ease of use. Clear tools for creating membership types and taking payments online.
  
  
• Automated renewals. Rolling expiry dates tied to the join date, with reminders before and after expiry.
  
  
• Reporting. Built-in reports for payments, member lists and new joiners.
  
  
• Responsive help. Fast, helpful replies from the Join It support team when questions arise.
  
  

“I was very impressed by Mitch (Join It CEO) on the initial call. And support is excellent. I often get a response within an hour, even if I email late,” says Shelley.

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Implementation

DORR set up core membership types for individuals and families, alongside donor-style tiers. The team added clear calls to action on the website so people can join or renew online. Auto-renewals were enabled, and reminder emails were configured to reduce manual chasing.

On the first of each month, DORR now runs three standard reports:

• A payments and transactions report for the treasurer.
  
  
• A full membership list for internal tracking.
  
  
• A new member's extract to support welcome outreach.
  
  

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Results

• Online joining and renewals are now standard. Many members join or renew from the website, reducing paper forms and manual entry.
  
  
• Auto-renew adoption is strong. An estimated 60 to 70% of members are on automatic renewal, which stabilizes income and reduces chasing.
  
  
• The December crunch has gone. Expiry dates now roll from each member’s start date, spreading workload across the year.
  
  
• Reporting is quicker. Routine monthly reports are produced in minutes, not hours.
  
  
• Support keeps volunteers moving. DORR typically receives replies within about an hour, which helps a small team resolve issues quickly.
  
  

“We used to spend December and January on renewals. Now, renewals happen all year and reminders go automatically. It is a huge change,” says Shelley.

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What’s next

DORR is refining its website navigation so Membership and Donations are separate, and plans to simplify donor-plus-member scenarios over time. Join It remains the backbone for membership, renewals, and monthly reporting.

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Data notes

• 1,091 memberships recorded.
  
  
• Auto-renewal rate of 60–70 percent is self-reported by DORR based on their current settings and member behavior.
  
  
• Quotes are taken from an interview with Shelley Haiken on 8 September.

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Just like Democrats of the Red Rocks transformed their renewals and reporting, your organization can too. Get started with Join It today — free for 30 days.