What the Member Directory Is
The Member Directory is a searchable space where your members can find and connect with each other — by name, class year, location, industry, employer, or any field you choose to make searchable.
For many members, it's the first time they'll realise who else is in your network. A classmate who's now in their city. A fellow alumnus working at the company where they want to intern. A parent who's in the same region. That moment of discovery is what the directory is designed to create — and unlike a campaign or event, it's always on.
How the Directory is Built
The directory is built automatically from constituent data already in Almabase. You don't populate it manually. Four sources contribute to your member base:
Records synced from your CRM — pulled from Raiser's Edge NXT, Blackbaud CRM, or another integrated system
Records imported through Excel upload — for institutions without a CRM integration
Profiles created by members when they sign up — organic sign-ups through your platform
Profiles added manually by admins — individual records created directly in Almabase
Not every record appears in the directory. Only records marked as Listed are visible to other members. Records that are Unlisted or Archived exist in your database but are not discoverable. You control who appears.
How Members Join
Members enter the directory through one of two routes.
Route A — Organic sign-up
They discover your platform on their own and navigate to your community site to create an account.
Route B — Invite email (recommended)
They receive a personalised invitation email containing a unique link tied to their record in Almabase. Clicking that link takes them directly to the sign-up form.
Why the invite route is recommended: The unique link connects the sign-up to the correct record, regardless of which email address the member uses. If they receive the invite at their work email but sign up with their personal Gmail, the system still matches them. This reduces manual verification significantly and prevents duplicate records from being created.
The Member Journey
Once a member signs up, they go through five steps:
Arrives at sign-up — via your community site or an invite email link
Completes the sign-up form — fills in the fields you configured and creates an account
Account is verified — automatically if their email matches a record in the system, or manually reviewed if no match is found
Accesses the directory — searches, filters, and explores other member profiles
Engages — discovers classmates, sends messages, connects with peers, updates their own profile, invites others to join
Who Can Access the Directory
Verified members | Full directory access. Can search, filter, browse profiles, and connect with others. Verification is the gate — until a member is verified, they cannot access the directory. |
Admins and managers | Full access at all times, including all profile fields regardless of visibility settings. |
Public visitors | No access. The directory is only accessible to users who are signed in and verified. This is not configurable. |
FAQs
What happens if a member signs up but doesn't match any existing record?
Their sign-up goes into a manual verification queue. An admin receives a notification and can approve access, block access, or request more information before the member gains directory access.
Do I need to add members to the directory one by one?
No. The directory populates automatically from records already in Almabase — whether they came from a CRM sync, an Excel upload, or members signing up themselves. You don't manually add people to the directory.
Can I launch the directory for just one group first?
Yes. You control which records are Listed. You can start with a specific segment — one graduating class, a geographic region, or a specific affiliation — and expand over time.
How do members find each other in the directory?
Through search and filters. Members can search by name, class year, location, industry, employer, and any other field you've made searchable. The specific filters available depend on how you configure the directory.
Can members update their own profiles after signing up?
Yes — for any field where the edit permission is set to "Admin + Profile Owner." Fields set to "Admin Only" can only be edited by admins. What members can and cannot edit is entirely within your control.
Is there a way to see the directory exactly as a member would see it?
Yes — create a test member account. Sign up using an email that doesn't have admin access, approve the account, and log in as that user. You can also go to Tools → Member Directory → View on Platform to see the member-facing directory, or navigate to the /search URL on your platform.