How Join It Helps Melius United Simplify Wellness Memberships

Melius United uses Join It to make its wellness membership program easier to administer, with digital membership cards, reports and member emails supporting its day-to-day work. For Travis Grotewiel, co-founder and director of Community Partners, that means less manual administration while connecting members with discounted services from local wellness partners.

Making wellness more accessible through local partnerships

Melius United connects individuals, families and businesses with wellness and fitness providers in Missouri. Its membership model gives members access to participating partners’ discounts through one monthly plan.

Melius United started with something Chris Grotewiel, co-founder and CEO, noticed through her therapeutic work at The HERO Clinic: parents pouring everything into caring for children with disabilities often didn’t have the time or the budget to take care of themselves, too. Travis and Chris saw that gap up close, and what began as a community-focused program grew into Melius United as its own organization.

Today, Melius United is a simple $10/month membership that connects people to a vetted network of about 30 to 32 local wellness partners across nearby Mid-Missouri cities. Savings vary by provider and service, but the goal is always the same: make real care feel doable. For example, a session that might normally run $130 to $150 could be available to members for around $50.

To keep it easy for everyone, the program is built around practical systems: members need a clear, quick way to show they’re active, and the team needs a reliable way to track memberships, communicate benefits, and handle memberships that are sponsored by partners.

Why digital membership cards were a deciding factor

Travis identified digital membership cards as a key reason for choosing Join It. Melius wanted a way to show current membership status without issuing physical cards.

Join It’s digital membership cards connect to membership records and support status verification. For a program built around benefits at participating businesses, a digital card gives members a practical way to carry proof of membership.

Melius’s own member journey reflects that approach: after joining, members receive instructions to add their pass to their phone and present it at participating providers.

The value is closely tied to the way Melius operates. The membership is used across a network of businesses, so proof of membership needs to be easy for members to access when they visit a partner.

Keeping membership administration manageable

Join It reduces the manual work behind Melius’s memberships, helping a lean team run the program alongside other business commitments. Digital cards, membership records, reports and emails support the recurring tasks behind its partner network.

“Join It significantly reduces the manual work required to manage memberships, which is critical when you’re building a growing network with a lean team.”

Travis Grotewiel, co-founder and director of Community Partners, Melius United

The membership database supports the records behind the cards. Reporting and communication tools then help Travis use that information for recurring tasks.

Monthly reports support partner invoicing

Some community partners include a Melius membership within their own membership offering, at no additional cost to the recipient. Travis uses monthly reports, categorized by membership type, to identify how many memberships each partner needs to pay for.

Those reports give Travis the information he needs to prepare partner billing quickly. He also values the monthly overview and the ability to look more closely at new memberships and churn, helping him understand how the program is developing.

Member emails keep benefits visible

About every other month, Travis uses Join It to email current and past members with updates on what is new, what is coming and reminders to use their benefits. Those messages help Melius keep its membership offer in front of the people who can use it.

For a network of wellness providers, communication is part of delivering the membership experience. Members need to know what is available as well as how to show their membership when they arrive.

Human support matters to a small team

Travis values being able to find answers himself or ask a person for help. He described proactive offers from Join It’s support team to assist with batch uploads and said he appreciates knowing the team will follow up when help is not immediately available.

For founders balancing Melius with other businesses, accessible help makes it easier to work through administrative questions and keep the program moving.

That support sits alongside the software’s day-to-day value: digital proof of membership, reporting for partner-funded memberships and a way to communicate with members.

Exploring stronger connections between partners

Melius is also considering how its partners could refer members to one another. Travis saw potential in exploring a member directory as a way to make those connections easier.

Join It offers a member directory, and a strategy consultation is the next step for Melius to assess how it could fit the organization’s partner network.

This remains an opportunity to explore, rather than an implemented result. The current story is grounded in the cards, reporting, communications and administrative support Melius already uses.

What other membership programs can learn from Melius

Melius’s experience shows why membership software should be evaluated against the work a team actually needs to do.

For a program offering benefits through multiple partners, useful questions include:

• Can members easily show their current membership status?
• Can administrators organize reports around who funds each membership?
• Can the team send useful updates from the same platform?
• Is support accessible when a small team needs help?

Organizations considering a similar model can explore membership software for business services. Join It’s practical guide to digital membership cards also explains considerations for introducing cards to members.

If identifying visits to individual partner venues is essential, assess that requirement separately. A digital membership card and a detailed partner-visit reporting system solve different operational needs.

Frequently asked questions

What is Melius United?

Melius United is a Missouri-based membership network that helps people access local wellness and fitness services at a discount. Built around a vetted group of community partners, the membership is designed to make taking care of yourself more affordable and more doable while keeping dollars with local businesses.

Originally inspired by the broader need for accessible self-care and support for busy families and caregivers, Melius United now serves individuals, families, and businesses across Missouri through its public membership offer.

How does Melius United use Join It?

Melius uses Join It for digital membership cards, membership administration, monthly reporting and group emails. Travis uses reports organized by membership type to help prepare invoices for partners that fund memberships.

What has Join It helped Melius United achieve?

Travis says Join It reduces the day-to-day administrative burden, while reports and group emails help him manage the program alongside other business commitments.

Is Melius already using Join It’s member directory?

Melius has not yet set up the directory. Travis wants to explore whether it could help community partners identify other providers in the network and make referrals.

Less administration behind a community-focused membership

Melius United brings together a local wellness offer and a practical way for members to access it. Join It supports the administration behind that offer through digital cards, useful reporting and member communication.

For Travis, the benefit is an easier program to manage, backed by human support when he needs it.

Start a free Join It trial to explore how digital cards and membership management could support your organization.