Building a membership site is one of the most effective ways to generate recurring revenue, foster a loyal community, and deliver ongoing value to your audience. But with so many moving parts involved, it is easy to overlook critical features that determine whether your membership site thrives or struggles to retain members. This comprehensive feature checklist covers every element you need, from user profiles and activity feeds to payment processing and content drip schedules.
Whether you are building a professional community (custom community platform vs SaaS comparison), an online course platform, or a paid content hub, this guide walks through every feature category with practical implementation details. Use it as your planning blueprint before development begins, or as an audit tool for an existing membership site that needs improvements.
Why a Feature Checklist Matters Before You Build
According to the Membership Economy research by Robbie Kellman Baxter, author of The Membership Economy, the average membership site loses 30-40% of its members in the first year if onboarding and engagement features are inadequate. A comprehensive checklist prevents this by ensuring you plan for retention from the start rather than scrambling to add features after members begin leaving.
Many site owners focus exclusively on content and payments while neglecting the community and engagement layers. The result is a site that functions like a static paywall rather than a living community. Members pay once, consume content, and leave. The feature categories below address every dimension of a successful membership experience.
1. Member Profiles and Identity
Every membership site starts with profiles. Members need a digital identity within your community that goes beyond a username and email address. Well-designed profiles encourage participation and help members find others with shared interests.
Essential Profile Features
- Custom profile fields — Collect relevant information like profession, location, interests, and expertise level during registration or profile completion
- Profile photos and cover images — Visual identity increases engagement. Allow members to upload avatars and banner images
- Bio and about sections — Let members describe themselves in their own words, making networking more natural
- Profile visibility controls — Give members the ability to control what information is public, what is visible only to other members, and what remains private
- Social media links — Allow members to connect their LinkedIn, Twitter, and other professional profiles
- Member badges and achievements — Visual indicators of membership level, tenure, or accomplishments within the community
Profile completeness directly correlates with retention. Research from community platforms shows that members who complete 80% or more of their profile are 3x more likely to remain active after 90 days compared to those with minimal profiles.
2. Activity Feeds and Social Engagement
Activity feeds transform a membership site from a content library into a dynamic community. They create a sense of liveliness and encourage members to return regularly to see what is new.
Activity Feed Checklist
- Global activity stream — A central feed showing community-wide activity including new posts, member joins, group discussions, and content updates
- Personal activity feed — A filtered view showing activity relevant to each specific member, including their connections and groups
- Post types — Support for text updates, image sharing, link embeds, and document attachments within the activity feed
- Reactions and comments — Enable liking, emoji reactions, and threaded comments on activity posts
- Mentions and notifications — Allow @mentions to tag other members, triggering notifications that pull them into conversations
- Content sharing — Let members share articles, courses, or resources directly in the activity feed with commentary
“The best membership sites feel alive. When a member logs in, they should immediately see activity, conversation, and reasons to participate. A quiet membership site is a dying membership site.”
— Callie Willows, community strategy consultant
3. Groups and Sub-Communities
Groups allow members to organize around specific topics, projects, or interests within your larger community. If you are building around online courses, see our step-by-step guide on adding forums and groups to online courses. They create focused spaces for discussion and collaboration that would be lost in a general feed.
Group Features Checklist
- Public and private groups — Allow both open groups anyone can join and invitation-only or approval-required groups
- Group activity feeds — Each group needs its own activity stream separate from the global feed
- Group roles — Admin, moderator, and member roles within each group to distribute management responsibilities
- Group content areas — Shared documents, files, and resources specific to each group
- Group messaging — Group-wide announcements and discussion threads within the group context
- Group discovery — A directory or search function so members can find and join groups aligned with their interests
- Nested sub-groups — For larger communities, the ability to create sub-groups within existing groups adds organizational depth
4. Private Messaging and Communication
Direct communication between members is essential for networking, mentorship, and building personal connections that keep people engaged with your community long-term.
Messaging Features
- One-to-one messaging — Private conversations between two members with real-time or near-real-time delivery
- Group conversations — Multi-party messaging threads for project teams, study groups, or informal discussions
- Media attachments — Support for sharing images, documents, and files within messages
- Read receipts and typing indicators — Social presence features that make conversations feel more natural
- Message search — The ability to search through past conversations to find specific information
- Block and report — Essential safety features that allow members to block unwanted contacts and report inappropriate messages
- Email notifications for messages — Configurable email alerts when new messages arrive, especially important for members who do not visit the site daily
5. Payment Processing and Subscription Management
The payment infrastructure is the financial backbone of your membership site. It needs to be flexible enough to support multiple pricing models while being reliable enough that members never experience billing issues.
Payment Features Checklist
| Feature | Priority | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Recurring billing (monthly/annual) | Critical | Must support automatic renewal with prorated upgrades |
| Multiple payment gateways | High | Stripe + PayPal at minimum; regional options for global audience |
| Free trial periods | High | 7-14 day trials convert 25-40% of users to paid members |
| Coupon and discount codes | Medium | Promotional pricing for launches, partnerships, and seasonal offers |
| Failed payment recovery | Critical | Dunning emails for declined cards can recover 15-30% of failed payments |
| Invoice generation | Medium | Automatic PDF invoices for members who need business expense records |
| Refund processing | High | Self-service or admin-managed refund capability |
| Multiple currency support | Medium | Automatically display pricing in the visitor local currency |
Failed payment recovery alone can save your membership site thousands of dollars annually. According to Baremetrics data, involuntary churn from payment failures accounts for 20-40% of all membership cancellations. Implementing dunning management with automated retry attempts and member notifications is not optional for serious membership businesses.
6. Content Drip and Delivery Schedules
Content drip controls when and how members access your content. Rather than overwhelming new members with everything at once, drip schedules create a structured learning or discovery path that increases perceived value and reduces overwhelm.
Content Delivery Features
- Time-based drip — Release content on a schedule after a member joins (Day 1, Day 7, Day 14, etc.)
- Date-based release — Publish new content on specific calendar dates for all members simultaneously
- Prerequisite-based access — Unlock content only after a member completes previous modules or requirements
- Tier-based content — Different content libraries for different membership levels (Basic, Pro, Premium)
- Evergreen content library — A core content set available to all members immediately upon joining
- Content completion tracking — Progress indicators showing members how far they have advanced through courses or content paths
7. Access Levels and Membership Tiers
Multiple membership tiers allow you to serve different segments of your audience at different price points while creating a natural upgrade path that increases lifetime member value.
Access Level Checklist
- Free tier — Limited access that demonstrates value and encourages upgrades. Include enough to hook members but not so much that paid tiers seem unnecessary
- Standard tier — Core content and community access. This should feel complete and valuable on its own
- Premium tier — Everything in Standard plus advanced content, direct access to experts, exclusive groups, and priority support
- VIP or Lifetime tier — One-time payment option for loyal members who prefer to pay once rather than subscribe
- Corporate or Team plans — Multi-seat licenses for companies that want to enroll multiple team members
- Role-based permissions — Fine-grained control over what each tier can see, access, and do within the site
8. Notification Systems
Notifications bring members back to your site. Without effective notification systems, even the most engaged members will gradually forget about your community as other priorities take over their attention.
Notification Types
- On-site notifications — Bell icon or notification center within the membership site showing activity relevant to the member
- Email digests — Daily or weekly summary emails highlighting new content, discussions, and community activity
- Push notifications — Browser or mobile push alerts for time-sensitive updates like live events or new messages
- SMS notifications — For critical alerts like payment failures, expiring subscriptions, or exclusive time-limited offers
- Notification preferences — Allow members to customize which notifications they receive and through which channels
- Onboarding sequences — Automated email series for new members guiding them through profile setup, group joining, and content exploration
9. Moderation and Community Safety
A thriving community requires active moderation. Without safeguards, a single bad actor can drive away dozens of valuable members. Your moderation tools need to be efficient enough that managing the community does not consume all your time.
Moderation Features
- Content reporting system — Easy one-click reporting for posts, comments, messages, and profiles that violate community guidelines
- Automated word filters — Block or flag posts containing specific keywords, slurs, or spam patterns
- Member warnings and strikes — A graduated response system where members receive warnings before suspension or ban
- Temporary and permanent bans — The ability to suspend members for a set period or permanently remove them
- Moderation queue — A centralized dashboard where moderators can review flagged content and take action
- Community guidelines — A visible, accessible document outlining expected behavior and consequences for violations
- Moderator roles — Distributed moderation where trusted members help manage specific groups or topic areas
10. Analytics and Reporting
Data drives decisions. Your membership site analytics should tell you not just how many members you have but how engaged they are, where they drop off, and what content or features drive the most value.
Analytics Dashboard Features
| Metric Category | Key Metrics | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Membership Growth | New signups, cancellations, net growth, churn rate | Track overall health and growth trajectory |
| Engagement | Active members, login frequency, time on site, posts per member | Identify at-risk members before they cancel |
| Revenue | MRR, ARPU, LTV, failed payments, refund rate | Financial health and forecasting |
| Content Performance | Views, completion rates, ratings, comments per article | Guide content creation strategy |
| Community Health | Active discussions, response times, group participation rates | Measure community vibrancy and moderator effectiveness |
Pay particular attention to leading indicators of churn. A member who has not logged in for 14 days, has not opened email digests in a month, or whose engagement has dropped by 50% compared to their first month is at high risk of cancellation. Proactive outreach to these members through personalized emails or check-in messages can reduce churn significantly.
11. Onboarding and Member Experience
The first 48 hours after a member joins are the most critical period for long-term retention. Your onboarding flow should guide new members through the site, help them connect with others, and deliver a quick win that validates their decision to join.
Onboarding Checklist
- Welcome sequence — Automated email series introducing the community, key features, and suggested first steps
- Profile completion wizard — A guided process that walks new members through filling out their profile, uploading a photo, and adding interests
- Recommended connections — Suggest other members to connect with based on shared interests or professional background
- Quick-start guide — A visible, accessible resource showing members how to navigate the site and get the most from their membership
- First-week challenges — Gamified activities that encourage new members to explore features: introduce yourself, join a group, complete a lesson
- Progress milestones — Visual indicators showing onboarding progress that create a sense of accomplishment
12. Search and Content Discovery
As your content library grows, search and discovery become essential. Members who cannot find what they need will disengage regardless of how valuable the content is.
- Full-text search — Search across posts, discussions, files, member profiles, and group content
- Content categories and tags — Organized taxonomy that makes browsing intuitive
- Recommended content — AI or algorithm-driven suggestions based on member behavior, preferences, and progress
- Bookmark and save — Let members save content for later, creating personal libraries within the site
- Recently viewed — Quick access to content members have recently interacted with
- Trending content — Surface popular or highly-engaged content to drive discovery
13. Mobile Responsiveness and Accessibility
Over 60% of web traffic now comes from mobile devices. Your membership site must work flawlessly on phones and tablets, not as a degraded experience but as a fully functional one.
- Responsive design — All features, content, and navigation must adapt seamlessly to screen sizes from phones to desktops
- Touch-friendly interface — Buttons, links, and interactive elements sized appropriately for finger navigation
- Progressive Web App (PWA) — Consider offering an installable web app experience for mobile users without building native apps
- Accessibility compliance — WCAG 2.1 AA standards: keyboard navigation, screen reader support, color contrast, alt text for images
- Offline access — Allow members to download content for offline consumption on mobile devices
14. Integration and Extensibility
No membership site exists in isolation. It needs to connect with your existing tools for email marketing, CRM, payment processing, and analytics.
Key Integrations
- Email marketing — Mailchimp, ConvertKit, ActiveCampaign, or similar platforms for list management and automated campaigns
- CRM integration — Sync member data with HubSpot, Salesforce, or other CRM tools for relationship management
- Zapier or webhook support — Connect with hundreds of third-party tools through automation platforms
- SSO (Single Sign-On) — Allow members to log in with Google, Facebook, or corporate SSO providers
- LMS integration — If offering courses, integrate with learning management systems like LearnDash or Tutor LMS
- Video hosting — Integration with Vimeo, Wistia, or Bunny.net for protected video content
- API access — REST API or GraphQL endpoint for custom integrations and mobile app development
How to Prioritize Your Feature Rollout
You do not need every feature on this checklist at launch. A phased rollout strategy keeps development manageable while delivering value from day one.
Launch Phase (Month 1)
Focus on the core loop: member registration, profiles, content delivery, payment processing, and basic community features (activity feed, groups, messaging). This gives members enough to justify their subscription and start engaging.
Growth Phase (Months 2-3)
Add engagement layers: notification systems, onboarding sequences, content drip, search improvements, and analytics. These features improve retention and help you understand member behavior.
Maturity Phase (Months 4-6)
Refine and extend: advanced moderation tools, integrations, mobile optimization, premium tiers, corporate plans, and API access. At this stage, you are optimizing an established community rather than building the foundation.
Download the Complete Checklist
We have compiled every feature from this guide into a downloadable PDF checklist that you can use during your planning and development process. Check off items as you implement them and track your progress toward a complete membership site.
Ready to Build Your Membership Site?
Planning a membership site involves dozens of decisions across technology, design, content strategy, and community management. Getting these decisions right from the start saves months of rework and prevents costly mistakes that lead to member churn. Understanding the real cost of building a custom community platform helps you budget accurately from day one.
At BPCustomDev, we specialize in building custom membership and community sites on WordPress using BuddyPress, BuddyBoss, and related technologies. We have built membership platforms for professional associations, course creators, coaching businesses, and SaaS communities. Every project starts with a feature audit exactly like this one, tailored to your specific audience and business model.
Book a free consultation to discuss your membership site requirements. We will review your feature needs, recommend the right technology stack, and provide a realistic timeline and budget for your project. No obligations, just honest advice from a team that has built dozens of successful membership communities.
