How CiviCRM Works

In CiviCRM, there are contacts, which are a separate type of object from a membership.

Contacts

A contact is any individual, organization, or household in your database. Contacts store basic information such as name, email, address, and phone number. Every member is first a contact.

Memberships

A membership links a contact to a membership type (such as "Annual Member" or "Lifetime Member"). Memberships track start and end dates, status (active, expired, etc.), and other relevant details. A contact can have zero, one, or multiple memberships.

• Memberships are assigned to contacts, not the other way around.
• Memberships can be managed, renewed, or upgraded independently of the contact record.

How They Work Together

• When you add a new member, you first create a contact, then assign a membership to that contact.
• Membership status and details are managed in the membership record, while contact information is managed in the contact record.

Example Workflow

1. Add a new contact (person or organization).
2. Assign a membership to that contact.
3. Except under rare circumstances, contacts should not be deleted. Their status will automatically convert to expired when the membership expires.

How CiviCRM Interacts with WordPress Member Sync

CiviCRM synchronizes its member records with WordPress user accounts using the Member Sync extension. This integration ensures that:

• When a new membership is added in CiviCRM, a corresponding WordPress user account can be created automatically (or manually, if needed).
• Membership status in CiviCRM can control WordPress user roles and thus access to members-only content.
• Updates to contact or membership information in CiviCRM can be reflected in the associated WordPress user account.
• The sync process can be run automatically (daily) or manually via the CiviCRM → Member Sync → Manual Synchronize menu in the WordPress admin dashboard.