INDIE YORK
A WEBSITE THAT DOES IT ALL
SERVICES
Web design
Development
Membership system
Payments
Data migration
Client
Indie York, a not-for profit organisation
Indie York champions York’s independent businesses, making it easier for the city’s visitors to support local enterprises and boost tourism. We built them a website that not only looked good, but made it immeasurably easier for staff to manage new member applications and payments.
At a glance: 250+ live member profiles · 290 members migrated · 6 unique sectors · Direct debits for each member
Indie York is a not-for-profit community association, established in 2016. Its members span a wide range of industries, including retail, food and drink, health and wellness and more.
The old website ran on a different platform, which made it more difficult for Indie York’s team to manage new member applications thanks to several manual steps. Someone had to approve the application, then manually send the direct debit. Setting up the new member’s profile was a separate job.
A SMALL ASSOCIATION WITH A BIG JOB
A directory the public would use, a membership process the team could run without a developer and a site the association could maage independently.
THE BRIEF
ONE SYSTEM, START TO FINISH
We built the membership system inside the website, with every process in one place. A business joins, the team approves, the member pays and builds their own profile, finally appearing in the directory.
A HOMEPAGE WITH A SENSE OF PLACE
An illustrated map of York sets the tone: “Over 250 independent businesses. One unforgettable city.”
A red dot follows the cursor around the page, mimicking the logo design and showing Indie York is always by your side as you explore the city.
The illustration and sector icons were created by local designer, Emily Hayes. Each of the six sectors has its own icon alongside its name, so the directory reads at a glance.
A DIRECTORY PEOPLE CAN EASILY USE
Over 250 businesses in one place. Search by name or street, filter by sector, or switch to the map and tap a pin to see the address, phone and website, with a link leading to the full profile.
Six colour-coded sectors - food and drink, retail, services, health and wellbeing, experiences and stay.
Featured businesses on the homepage reshuffle on every visit, so no member is ranked above another.
MEMBERS LOOK AFTER THEIR OWN LISTINGS
Every member gets their own login automatically when they apply, and access to a self-service Members’ Area once they’re approved. They write their own description, set their opening hours, add photos and even fine-tune their map pin. Hence, the Indie York team stop being the bottleneck every time a member wanted to edit their profile.
STAFF RUN IT FROM ONE SCREEN
A CRM built into the website. Staff approve or reject, confirm payment and publish from a single panel, which also shows payment status and the last payment date.
PAYMENTS THAT LOOK AFTER THEMSELVES
Membership payments are collected by a direct debit through GoCardless, with a pro-rata first payment, then the yearly subscription.
A payment webhook updates the member record when money comes through, so nobody reconciles by hand.
We also built a tool for changing a member’s bank details, which replaces the old direct debit, and set up data exports so reports match the original member records.
EVERY PAYING MEMBER, MOVED ACROSS
We migrated 290 members from the old site and checked their payment records against GoCardless so nobody started with a wrong balance. Indie York’s team then went through the list with members. Some chose not to continue, so they’re migrated but hidden. More than 250 profiles are live today.
BUILT SO THE TEAM CAN RUN IT WITHOUT US
Everything was tested on a staging copy with the payment sandbox before launch. Hosting, caching and automatic backups are set up on SiteGround, with Google Analytics reporting and a CookieYes cookie banner in place.
We also wrote a 23-page back-office guide, helping staff find and complete any job by following simple steps.
290 MEMBERS MIGRATED.
250+ LIVE…
One system and payments that update themselves.
Applications, payments and profile updates now happen in one place. The team has an in-depth guide to help them easily run their new website.
Do you run a similar business?
If your members still join by email, pay in a separate system and update their details by asking a a member of staff, there’s a better way. Tell us how your business works today and we’ll tell you honestly what can be fixed to make your life easier.
No commitment on the first call / Work with our founders / We reply within 24 hours