# Membership sites

> Membership sites for associations, nonprofits, paid communities, coaches and publishers: membership levels, renewals, member-only content and member email, on Paid Memberships Pro or WooCommerce Memberships.

- Tools: Paid Memberships Pro, WooCommerce Memberships, WooCommerce Subscriptions, WP Mail SMTP
- Provider: Eric Mutema (https://www.designnairobi.agency/)
- Contact: emutema.mutema@gmail.com
- Web page: https://www.designnairobi.agency/services/membership-sites.html

## The Problem

Membership sites tend to grow piece by piece: a membership plugin, a payment add-on, an email tool, a forum or course plugin. Renewals fail, emails don't arrive, and someone spends hours fixing member records by hand.

Members notice before you do. When they can't log in, renew or cancel, they email you, and some of them quietly leave.

## What I Do

I set up or repair Paid Memberships Pro, or WooCommerce Memberships with WooCommerce Subscriptions, depending on what you already use and how you sell: one-time fees, recurring memberships, or both.

I make sure member email goes out through one reliable mailer, lock member-only content to the right levels, and leave you with clear steps for routine tasks.

## Deliverables

- Membership levels, pricing and renewal rules configured.
- Sign-up, renewal and cancellation flows tested end to end.
- Member email sent through one configured mailer and checked for delivery.
- Member-only pages and content restrictions set up.
- A short guide on adding members, handling renewals and exporting member lists.

## Related work

- [Heritage Hills](https://www.designnairobi.agency/case-studies/heritage-hills.md): Membership, email and store work for the nonprofit that protects Oklahoma City's Heritage Hills historic district, plus an MCP server so AI tools can manage the site.
- [Adriana Cowdin](https://www.designnairobi.agency/case-studies/adriana-cowdin.md): Fixed failing subscription renewals and blocked cancellations for an author and coach's WooCommerce store, and built a custom abandoned cart recovery plugin.
- [Global Atlanta](https://www.designnairobi.agency/case-studies/global-atlanta.md): Moved a 30-year-old international business publication off Newspack to a custom GeneratePress build, then stabilized its performance, data and security.

## Related questions

- [Paid Memberships Pro or WooCommerce Memberships: which should I use?](https://www.designnairobi.agency/articles/paid-memberships-pro-vs-woocommerce-memberships.md)

## Questions

### Should we use Paid Memberships Pro or WooCommerce Memberships?

If you already sell through WooCommerce, or want products, tickets and memberships in one checkout, WooCommerce Memberships with Subscriptions fits well. If memberships are the main thing and you don't need a store, Paid Memberships Pro is simpler to run. I'll recommend one after seeing how you sell today.

### Can you build a paid community, course or coaching membership?

Yes. Adriana Cowdin sells The Collective, a group coaching membership, through WooCommerce, and I fixed its renewals and cancellations. Communities and courses follow the same pattern: levels, payments and restricted content.

### Can you fix our existing membership site instead of rebuilding it?

Usually, yes. Most problems are in configuration, email delivery or renewals, not the choice of plugin.

### Why aren't our members getting our emails?

Often two systems are trying to send the same mail, or the site sends through the host's default mailer without authentication. I settle on one mailer, set it up properly and test delivery.

### Can members renew automatically every year?

Yes, with auto-renewing memberships. If your dues run on a calendar year, renewals can also be set to a fixed annual date.

### How much does it cost?

It depends on what you need built or fixed. After a short call about your setup, I send a scope and a quote.