Move your organization to Orgo, with your data and payments intact

How should I plan the switch?

Plan by the order the platform needs things in. Structure comes before people, and people come before payments. Later files can then point at records that earlier files created.

1. Set your organization's country, then connect Stripe. Payments cannot be switched on without both.
2. Add your logos and theme. Optionally, move the platform onto your own domain.
3. Create your chapters and decide where each one sits in the chapter tree.
4. Import roles and chapters, then members, then payment history.
5. Set up membership fees and move recurring payments across.
6. Tell members their account exists. Orgo does not email them on import.

A typical migration takes one to three weeks. The biggest factor is usually how quickly we receive your data exports and answers from your team. Once a file is right, the import itself runs in minutes. With the migration service, preparing the files is our job. Bring a sample export to a demo call and we will plan the switch around your renewal dates.

How does data import work?

Import turns spreadsheets into Orgo records. It lives under Settings, Customization, Import, and an organization admin runs it. Each import type has its own card, with an example CSV that shows exactly what that type reads. Five rules decide whether an import goes cleanly.

• One sheet per CSV. A workbook saved as CSV keeps only the active sheet. Save each tab as its own file. Files can be up to 50 MB.
• A stable identifier per person. Every member row needs your old system's ID. Later files use it to attach roles and payments to the right person. If you have no IDs, a row number works, as long as it never changes between files.
• Dates as YYYY-MM-DD. A blank or unreadable joined date is set to the import day.
• Unknown columns become custom fields. They are not dropped and not treated as errors.
• Nothing is lost on a bad row. Failed rows are listed with the reason. The rest of the file still imports.

The full walkthrough is in how to import your member list. The field-by-field reference is in the data import docs. Once imported, members are ordinary records in the member database.

What happens to our members' payments?

It depends on how members pay today.

Either way, payments in Orgo run through your own Stripe account.

• Money goes to your bank. Orgo never handles card data and takes no commission. You pay Stripe's own processing fee.
• Use the account you have, or create one. Connect an existing Stripe account, or generate a new one in your country from the payment settings.
• Chapters can have their own account. Chapter fees then settle in that chapter's account. Without one, they fall back to the organization account.
• You configure no webhook. Orgo listens for Stripe events itself and updates payment records.

Read how to take card payments with Stripe and how to set up membership fees, or the Stripe integration docs.

How do chapters get set up?

A chapter is a branch of your organization, such as a city, district or region. Each has its own members, events, files, fees and administrators. Setting one up takes three steps.

1. Create the chapter. This needs the Local Centers module switched on.
2. Place it in the chapter tree. There is no two-level limit. National, region, district and branch is a supported structure.
3. Grant chapter-scoped permissions to the people who run it.

For a migration, create chapters before members. Members then join their chapter on import, matched by the chapter's old ID or its name. The chapters themselves can also be imported from a file.

Check one rule before you grant permissions. A parent-scope permission reaches from its holder's own chapter. For an ordinary chapter, that reach starts one level up, which includes sibling chapters. The chapter setup guide explains it with examples. For what chapters can do, see multi-chapter management.

Can the platform carry our brand?

Yes, within set limits. An organization admin controls these:

• Four logo slots: light, dark, square and dark icon. They cover the header, sign-in screens, invoices and favicon.
• A sign-in background image, shown on desktop.
• A default interface theme, chosen from named presets.
• A checkout colour for the pay and ticket buttons.

The primary brand colour, fonts and layout are fixed. They cannot be changed per organization.

Your platform address starts as yourorg.orgo.space. You can move it to a subdomain you own. Setup takes about 10 minutes of your time, plus DNS validation. The old address then redirects to the new one.

See branding and the branding docs.

Do we need to run both platforms during the transition?

Usually not. We time the migration to match your current platform's timeline, such as the end of your contract or your renewal date, if you prefer it that way. You switch over on the agreed day.

If you do want a period with both systems, nothing in Orgo requires you to switch off the old one on the day you import. A few behaviours make that easier.

• Members are not notified on import. Import sends no email. You decide when members hear about the new platform.
• You can import again. Re-running a member file skips people who already exist. A later export picks up new joiners without duplicating anyone.
• Changes need the modify step. Create imports never update existing records. To carry over edits made in the old system, use Modify Users. Empty cells leave fields unchanged.

If you run both, pick one system as the source of truth for each job. Otherwise the same member can be edited in two places.

How do we avoid double billing?

Double billing can happen in two places: your contracts, and your members' dues.

Your own contracts

Time the launch against your current provider's renewal date. Some membership platforms renew automatically unless you give notice a set number of days before the term ends. Check that notice period in your contract first, and give notice in time. We then schedule the switch before the renewal. For what Orgo costs, see Orgo pricing.

Your members' dues

• Agree one switch date for recurring fees. Whether your fees move from Stripe or are set up again, each renewal should be charged by one system only. Stop recurring charges in the old system before the first charge in Orgo.
• Paid members stay paid. After the migration, members who paid in the old system show as up to date with their payments in Orgo. Nobody is asked to pay again for a period they already paid.
• Payment history comes too. Past payments are imported after members. Re-running the same file does not double the payments.
• Spot-check a few members. Before renewal reminders go out, open a handful of profiles. If someone reads as unpaid by mistake, see member paid but shows as unpaid.

Frequently asked questions