Case study · Custom development
Steward helped Membes connect its association management system to WordPress, giving associations a more flexible website experience while keeping Membes at the center of their member data.
The challenge
Associations increasingly expect the flexibility and familiarity of WordPress, but their member records, events, directories, and registration workflows still need to live inside their association management system.
Previous outside integration projects were stalling at roughly 30% complete, leaving Membes to absorb the reputational damage.
Membes needed a stronger answer for organizations that wanted both. The solution had to connect the two platforms without duplicating member data or forcing every association into the same front-end presentation.
The real challenge was not simply moving information between systems. It was creating a dependable product that made Membes more competitive while still giving each association control over its website experience.
What we did
Steward designed the plugin around the member experiences associations use most, while keeping the underlying architecture flexible enough to fit different websites and themes.
The work was delivered in two phases: single sign-on and events first, followed by the member directory, filtering, and geolocation. Rather than build another one-off integration, Steward connected WordPress directly to the Membes API so Membes could remain the single source of truth for member data.
The plugin pulls the information a website needs while member records continue to be managed in Membes. That gave associations the presentation freedom of WordPress without creating a second database to maintain.
Members can use their existing Membes credentials for single sign-on, while events, membership options, joining workflows, and searchable directories can be surfaced throughout the site.
The integration was designed so each association can style its own layouts without changing the plugin core, making the product easier for Membes to maintain, support, and deploy again.
Member access
From a member’s perspective, the technology should disappear. Existing Membes credentials carry into WordPress through single sign-on, while Membes continues to control the underlying member record.
That one connection creates multiple points of value across the website. Associations can present upcoming events and full calendar views, searchable member directories, membership types, and registration pathways without making members think about which system is powering the experience.
Single sign-on. Members sign into WordPress using their existing Membes credentials.
Event calendar. Associations can display upcoming events and full calendar views.
Member directory. Searchable, filterable listings respect the configuration in Membes.
Membership joining. Membership types and registration pathways can be presented on the website.
The results
The finished plugin gave Membes a more compelling way to serve associations that wanted WordPress without sacrificing the power of their AMS.
More importantly, it turned a recurring integration problem into a product advantage: Membes could approach mid-market associations with a dependable WordPress option instead of treating each new website as another custom technical risk.
“We needed to move up-market, but our CMS was holding us back. The WordPress plugin didn’t just solve a technical problem, it solved a business problem. Now when mid-sized associations come to us, we can say yes.”
Have a complex integration to solve?
Steward helps organizations connect systems, simplify member experiences, and build custom WordPress tools around real business goals.
