Get started: set up your member database

This tutorial walks you through the core setup steps for your member database. By the end, you’ll have your first member records in MapleGather, custom fields tailored to your organization’s needs, and tags ready to segment your membership.

Time: 30–45 minutes for a basic setup. Longer if you’re importing a large existing contact list.

Who should do this: The admin who is setting up MapleGather for your organization for the first time.

What you’ll do

Add your first member record manually
Set up custom fields for your organization
Create tags to organize your members

Step 1: Add your first member record

You can add members one at a time or import them from a spreadsheet. This tutorial walks through adding one manually to get familiar with the process.

In the left sidebar, select Members.
Select Add member.
Enter the member’s First name and Primary email. These are the only required fields.
Add any other information you have — last name, phone number, or address.
Select Save. The member’s detail page opens.

What you’re seeing: MapleGather created a record with the status contact-only. That’s the starting status for a contact added manually without a membership level assigned. If the person had instead registered through the public signup form, their status would be prospect. Once a membership is set up and active, their status changes to active.

Repeat these steps to add a few more members, or add them from your existing contact list using the Import option.

Step 2: Set up your custom fields

MapleGather includes standard fields (name, email, phone, address, date of birth, pronouns). Custom fields let you capture whatever else matters to your organization — professional credentials, dietary preferences, t-shirt sizes, chapter membership, and so on.

In the left sidebar, select Settings, then select Member fields.
Select Add field.
Enter a Label for the field — this is what admins and members see.
Choose a Type:
- Short text — for codes, identifiers, or short freeform values
- Number — for any numeric value you might want to sort or filter on
- Single choice or Multi-choice — for fixed option lists
- Date — for dates like certification dates or renewal eligibility dates
- Checkbox — for yes/no flags
Set Access options:
- Turn on Member can edit if members should be able to update this field from their own profile.
- Turn on Use in signup form if new members should fill it in when they sign up.
Select Save.

Repeat for each custom field you need. You can always add, change, or reorder fields later.

What you’re seeing: Your new field appears in the field list and is now available on every member record.

Step 3: Create tags to organize members

Tags are labels you apply to member records for segmentation and filtering. You can create as many as you need — for example, “Volunteer,” “Newsletter subscriber,” “Committee: Finance,” or “2026 Gala guest.”

In the left sidebar, select Settings, then select Tags.
Select Create tag.
Enter a Tag name.
Choose a Color from the color grid. The preview shows how the tag chip will look.
Select Save. The tag is ready to apply to member records.

To apply a tag to a member, go to their detail page and select Add tag in the Tags section of the Overview tab.

What’s next

You’ve set up the core building blocks of your member database. Here are some natural next steps:

Import existing members — if you have a spreadsheet of existing members, use the Import button on the member list to bring them in.
Set up statuses — rename MapleGather’s status labels to match your organization’s vocabulary. Go to Settings → Member statuses.
Set up membership levels — define the membership tiers or categories your organization offers. See your org admin or the membership-levels setup guide.
Invite your team — add other admins who need access to the member database.