CiviCRM Tutorials

When adding a new member in the back end (aka admin interface), it involves three major steps:

I. Enter a new contact

1. On the main CiviCRM menu click on Contacts >> New Individual
2. Fill out all fields you have information for
3. Click on the Check for Matching Contact(s) button to find out if the contact is in the database already
4. If a matching contact already exists, you will receive a warning; please follow the displayed instructions
5. Expand and fill out the Address section
6. If desired, expand and fill out the Notes section
7. Click on the Save button
8. The contact view will display, including multiple tabs, which house various pieces of information about this individual

II. Enter additional information for the contact

1. In the contact view click on the tab you wish to add information for
2. Click on the Edit... button
3. Fill out the fields as appropriate
4. Click on the Save button
5. Repeat steps 1-4 for remaining tabs/information

III. Add membership to the contact

1. On the main CiviCRM menu click on Memberships >> New Membership
2. In the 'Select Contact' field start entering the newly created contact name
3. One or more matching records will appear right below the 'Select Contact' field
4. Select the contact you've just created
5. In the 'Membership Organization and Type' field select the appropriate membership type from the drop-down menu
6. Enter the 'Join Date', 'Start Date' and 'End Date' fields as appropriate (follow the tip text below these fields - in most cases you will simply keep the default dates)
7. If the payment has been submitted, check off the 'Record Membership Payment?' check-box and fill out the newly displayed fields
8. You may wish to check off the 'Send Confirmation and Receipt?' check-box and enter an intro paragraph or two (e.g. "Nice to speak with you on the phone today and thank you for your membership.")
9. Click on the Save button