How Louisville Artisans Guild Simplified Membership With Join It

Louisville Artisans Guild uses Join It’s membership management software to replace manual Excel tracking with a clearer view of membership status and more control for members. In feedback shared around 45 days after launch, Lisa Wade described a streamlined process, easy member communication, and helpful support. She also reported that 13 new members joined during the first month.

What did Louisville Artisans Guild need from membership software?

For an arts guild, membership connects people to a creative community. Louisville Artisans Guild’s membership benefits include opportunities to meet fellow artists, participate in workshops and discussion groups, and receive Guild updates. Eligible members can also take part in exhibition and showcase opportunities.

Behind those activities sits the practical work of keeping membership records organized.

Before Join It, the Guild tracked membership manually in Excel. Lisa described spreadsheets with “so many tabs” and a process in which people could pay in multiple ways. The team needed a clearer way to understand current membership status.

The Guild went live with Join It on August 1. About 45 days later, Lisa’s feedback focused on what had changed in day-to-day administration.

The Guild’s early experience at a glance

How did Join It help the Guild move beyond Excel?

The biggest change Lisa described was bringing membership management into a more connected process.

“This has streamlined the process immensely!”

Lisa Wade, Louisville Artisans Guild

Instead of relying on a collection of spreadsheet tabs, Lisa said the Guild now had a clear picture of current membership status. She described Join It as a “one stop shop” where members could control their memberships.

A membership database is a central record of who your members are and where their memberships stand. Join It’s membership database lets administrators search and filter records by details such as status and membership type.

For another guild evaluating a move from spreadsheets, that provides a useful test: can the person handling membership quickly find a member’s current status and the information needed to help them?

What changed for members and administrators?

Lisa highlighted two sides of the experience: members had more control, and administrative tasks felt easier to handle.

More control for members

A member portal gives members access to their own membership information. Join It’s member portal allows members to update their details and view information such as membership status, renewal dates, and payment history.

That capability fits the change Lisa described: members taking a more active role in managing their memberships while the Guild maintains a clearer overview.

Accessible reports and easier communication

Lisa found the software user-friendly from an administrator’s perspective. She said the reports she needed were available and that communication with members was easy and useful.

“The reports I need are available, the communication with members is easy and useful.”

Her feedback points to a practical buying criterion: check whether a platform makes your regular tasks easier. During an evaluation, try finding the reports you use, reviewing membership statuses, and preparing a member message.

What results did the Guild report in its first month?

Lisa reported 13 new members in the first month after going live, alongside renewals from existing members.

“In just the first month after GO LIVE, we had 13 new members join LAG and many renew.”

That is a useful early snapshot of membership activity. The feedback does not establish how much of that activity was attributable to Join It, and it does not provide a renewal count or a before-and-after growth rate.

The clearest reported improvement was operational: Lisa described a much more streamlined membership process and better visibility of current status.

How did support help during the first weeks?

When Lisa needed assistance or clarification, she first looked for answers in the online help guide. If she could not find what she needed, she used online chat.

Her feedback was especially positive about the people helping her. At around the 45-day mark, she said she felt comfortable reaching out and described everyone she had dealt with as wonderful.

“It is doing exactly what we need it to do and is user friendly.”

For a team learning a new membership system, support is part of the evaluation. Alongside testing the software, bring the questions that matter to your organization and assess whether the answers help you complete your work.

What was the Guild planning next?

The Guild started with membership management. At the time of Lisa’s feedback, it was preparing to expand its use of Join It by creating an event.

Lisa had researched the next step with help from the support team and was hopeful about what it could offer the Guild. Event use was still a plan at that point; the feedback did not report a completed event or event results.

The approach is useful for other organizations considering a switch: start with the membership process you need to improve, then assess additional workflows once that foundation is working.

Is Join It a good fit for another arts guild?

Join It is worth evaluating if your guild wants a central membership database, member self-service, and a clearer way to handle everyday membership administration. Louisville Artisans Guild’s experience is particularly relevant to teams managing records manually across spreadsheet tabs.

Use these questions during your evaluation:

• Member records: Can we quickly find current statuses and the details we need?
• Member access: Can members view and update the information they regularly ask us about?
• Reports and communication: Can we produce our usual reports and send the messages our members need?
• Payments and renewals: Does the workflow accommodate our payment methods, renewal rules, and exceptions?
• Support: Can we get clear help with our actual administrative questions?

A spreadsheet may still suit an organization with straightforward tracking needs and a manageable manual process. If that describes your group, this guide to creating a membership database in Excel offers a starting point.

If your organization needs specialist exhibition management, jury review, or complex event production, evaluate those requirements separately. Lisa’s feedback addresses membership administration and does not demonstrate those specialist capabilities.

For another creative community’s perspective, read Cannon Valley Makers’ membership management story.

Frequently asked questions

How does Louisville Artisans Guild use Join It?

The Guild uses Join It for membership management. Lisa Wade reported easier administration, useful member communication, available reports, and a clearer view of current membership status.

How many new members joined after launch?

Lisa reported 13 new members in the first month after the Guild went live. She also reported renewals, without specifying a count. These figures do not establish a growth rate or prove that the software caused the new memberships.

Was the Guild already using Join It for events?

At the time of the feedback, the Guild was planning to create an event in Join It. No event outcomes were reported.

A clearer membership process for a creative community

Louisville Artisans Guild’s early experience centers on a practical improvement: moving from manual spreadsheets and multiple payment methods to a membership process Lisa found easier to manage.

Members had more control, the Guild had clearer status information, and Lisa knew where to turn for help.

If your arts organization faces similar administrative challenges, explore membership management for arts organizations and use the checklist above to assess how Join It could fit your day-to-day work.