A useful member directory does more than display names. It helps members find colleagues, organizations, chapters, and professional connections without forcing them to leave your WordPress website.
PI WP Suite for MemberClicks Professional turns supported MC Professional profile data into a directory your team can configure from WordPress. MemberClicks remains the membership system of record. WordPress becomes the member-facing experience.
The Member Directory is available with the Business and Developer licenses.
Before You Start
Complete these steps first:
- Activate the plugin license.
- Enter the organization ID, API client ID, and API client secret under API Settings.
- Run Test API.
- Run Profile Attribute Check and confirm that the profile fields you need are visible.
- Review attribute security in MC Professional before exposing email, phone, or address information.
The plugin cannot display an attribute that the connected API client is not permitted to read.
Choose Live or Synchronized Data
Open PI WP Suite → Member Directory → Data Source.
The plugin offers two directory modes.
Live API With Caching
Live mode reads supported profile information from MC Professional and caches the response in WordPress.
It is a good starting point for smaller directories, especially those with fewer than approximately 200 members. Changes made in MC Professional appear after the relevant cache expires.
Choose live mode when:
- The directory is relatively small.
- You want MC Professional changes to appear quickly.
- Your API connection is reliable.
- You do not need the fastest possible local search across a large index.
Synchronized WordPress Index
Synchronized mode copies supported profile records into a private WordPress index using scheduled background jobs. It is designed for faster searching and larger directories.
Choose synchronized mode when:
- The directory contains hundreds or thousands of profiles.
- Search speed is important.
- You want the public directory to remain available during a temporary API interruption.
- A controlled synchronization schedule is acceptable.
The API can return profiles in pages, so large directories may require multiple synchronization passes. Developer includes incremental synchronization, a saved cursor, retry queues, and a health report.
Select the Directory Layout
Under Member Directory → Layout & Fields, choose:
- Grid for visual profile cards.
- List for more information per row.
- Compact for a dense directory or sidebar-friendly presentation.
Grid view supports two or three columns. You can also set the number of profiles shown per page.
Then choose the visible profile information. Typical public directory fields include:
- Member name
- Organization
- Member type
- Group
- Phone
- Address
- Map
Start conservatively. Name, organization, and member type are usually enough for the first launch. Add personal contact information only after reviewing your organization’s privacy policy and MemberClicks attribute-security rules.
Make Search Optional
Directory search can be shown or hidden.
When enabled, members can search using configured labels for:
- Keyword
- Organization
- Group
- Member type
You can rename these labels so they match the language used by your association. For example, “Group” could become “Chapter,” “Committee,” or “Special Interest Group.”
If your directory is small or intended as a curated list, hide the search form and let members browse.
Configure Profile Detail Pages
Enable individual profile detail pages when members need more information than a directory card can show.
The plugin can use:
- A virtual directory route managed by the plugin.
- An assigned WordPress directory page.
- Virtual profile-detail URLs for individual records.
Test at least three profile types before launch: a normal individual member, an organization-linked member, and a profile with optional fields missing.
Match the Directory to Your Brand
Use the built-in controls for:
- Accent color
- Card background
- Text color
- Border color
The preview shows how grid, list, and compact choices will look before you publish. Choose colors with sufficient contrast and verify the result on mobile.
Synchronize and Verify
For synchronized mode, open Member Directory → Synchronization.
Choose an hourly, twice-daily, or daily schedule, set the synchronization limit, and click Synchronize Now for the first index.
Verify:
- The “Last sync” message shows a recent time.
- The profile count is reasonable.
- Active-only filtering behaves as expected.
- Search returns the correct groups and member types.
- Private fields remain hidden.
- Pagination works on desktop and mobile.
Recommended Screenshots
- Directory data source — Capture the Live API and Synchronized WordPress Index choices.
- Layout and privacy settings — Show Grid selected, three columns, search enabled, and visible-field controls.
- Frontend grid — Show six realistic member cards without private information.
- Synchronization health — Developer screenshot showing cursor, created, updated, failed, and retry information.
Alt text: “Choose live or synchronized MemberClicks directory data in PI WP Suite.”
Alt text: “Configure MemberClicks directory layout, search, colors, and visible profile fields.”
Alt text: “Searchable MemberClicks member directory displayed as a WordPress grid.”
Alt text: “Incremental MemberClicks directory synchronization health report.”
Final Checklist
- API connection tested
- Attribute security checked
- Live or synchronized mode selected
- Search shown or hidden intentionally
- Privacy-sensitive fields reviewed
- Layout and colors tested
- Detail pages verified
- Initial synchronization completed when applicable
- Mobile directory tested
With those decisions made, WordPress becomes a useful member-discovery destination while MC Professional continues to hold the authoritative membership record.
