The following Frequently Asked Questions are intended to provide clarity and context around AJLI’s tiered support structure for Member Essentials Plus. These FAQs explain what is included in your current $1,400 annual subscription, what is new with the Essential Tier, and what additional benefits are available through optional Enhanced and Premier support tiers. Our goal is to be transparent about how support is delivered, how decisions about enhancements are made, and how this model helps AJLI continue to sustain and improve Member Essentials for all Leagues. Please email memberessentials@ajli.org with any questions.


1. Why is AJLI introducing tiered support? 


AJLI is introducing tiered support to provide more consistent, efficient, and sustainable support for all Leagues using Member Essentials Plus. Like many Leagues, AJLI is navigating declining revenue due to decreases in membership alongside rising costs across technology, materials/supplies, and operations. At the same time, demand for 1:1 support has grown significantly, and with limited staffing resources, we want to ensure we can continue to provide high quality support to every League. The tiered model allows us to better align support with League needs while also creating options for Leagues that would like additional, customized assistance. 


2. Is upgrading required? 


No. Upgrading is completely optional. Leagues that do not choose to upgrade will remain in the Essential Tier and will continue to receive the same level of support they are already receiving today. 


3. How does the $1,400 Member Essentials Plus annual subscription fee relate to the new support tiers? 


The $1,400 annual Member Essentials Plus Portal subscription fee remains the same and corresponds to the Essential Tier in the new tiered support structure. In addition to Essential Tier support, this fee also covers your annual subscription to use Member Essentials, ongoing Member Essentials enhancements and updates, and the staff resources required to maintain and support the platform. 


Some Leagues pay $1,700 annually, which includes the $1,400 portal fee and a $300 public facing website subscription fee. This $300 website fee is separate from support and does not place a League in a higher support tier. All Leagues are in the Essential Tier by default unless they choose to opt into Enhanced or Premier support. 


4. Will my League’s current pricing change if we do nothing? 


No. Your current Member Essentials Plus rate will remain the same if you stay in the Essential Tier. There is no automatic increase or requirement to move to a higher tier. 


5. What is included in the current rate of Essential Tier ($1,400)? 


The Essential Tier reflects the support Leagues are already receiving from the Member Essentials team, with some new ways of providing support. It includes: 

 

  • Unlimited email support 

Email remains our primary support channel and is not changing. The ME Support Team can resolve many questions via email. If an in person conversation is needed, a team member will reach out to schedule time that will not interfere with your four scheduled support calls. 

  • Access to the Member Essentials Knowledge Base and tutorials 

These resources include step-by-step guides, video tutorials, and other materials to help Leagues use Member Essentials effectively. They are regularly updated and are a great first stop when questions arise. 

  • Weekly office hours (NEW) 

AJLI will offer a dedicated weekly time where Leagues can join a live call and ask questions directly to a member of the ME Support Team. 

  • Monthly webinars, offered up to nine months per year 

These were introduced last summer and have been well received. Webinars will continue to cover timely topics aligned with the League year and Member Essentials needs. 

  • Up to four hours of scheduled 1:1 support calls per year, one per quarter 

This gives Leagues the opportunity to proactively schedule time for more in depth support on a specific aspect of Member Essentials.  


6. Why are there four hours of scheduled support calls included with Essential? 


Most Leagues currently book approximately one support call per quarter, so this structure aligns with typical usage ensuring every League has predictable, dedicated opportunities for proactive support throughout the year. 


7. What if our League needs additional calls beyond the four included in Essential? 


If there is an issue that requires additional calls, those will not count against your four built in quarterly calls. 


The four hours of included calls are intended for proactive, scheduled support on topics such as transitions, planning, or event setup. If the Member Essentials team determines that additional meetings are needed to resolve a problem or provide necessary support, those will be handled separately and will not reduce your allotted quarterly calls.


8. If Essential already includes support, why are there additional tiers? 


The Enhanced and Premier tiers are designed for Leagues that want more frequent or customized 1:1 support beyond what is already provided in Essential. These tiers offer additional structured touchpoints and tailored assistance that some larger or more complex Leagues may find beneficial.


Again, these tiers are optional, not required.


9. What if our League feels we need more tailored or frequent support? 


If your League feels you would benefit from more tailored 1:1 support, the Enhanced and Premier tiers are available as optional upgrades. These tiers provide additional structured touchpoints, proactive planning conversations, and customized assistance beyond what is already included in the Essential Tier. 


10. What is new if we upgrade to the Enhanced Tier? 


Leagues that upgrade to Enhanced receive everything in the Essential Tier plus additional support features that go beyond current service, including: 


New and expanded benefits in Enhanced: 

  • Up to eight scheduled 1:1 support calls per year (bi-monthly) instead of four 
  • One annual data audit and platform check-in, including: 
    • Review of key data areas in Member Essentials
    • Best practices recommendation for your League
    • Identification of any potiential issues or clean up needs
  • Optional leadership transition support, including: 
    • Help preparing incoming leaders for Member Essentials responsibilities
    • Targeted guidance during board or committee transitions


These features are designed for Leagues that want more frequent, structured, and proactive support throughout the year. 


11. What is new if we upgrade to the Premier Tier? 


Leagues that upgrade to Premier receive everything in Essential and Enhanced plus a higher level of customized, strategic support, including: 


New and expanded benefits in Premier: 

  • Quarterly strategic support calls focused on: 
    • Planning for the upcoming League year
    • Adoption of Member Essentials features
    • Proactive problem solving and strategy
  • Annual Strategy and Optimization Review, which may include: 
    • Review of how your League is using Member Essentials
    • Recommendations to improve efficiency of data accuracy
    • Suggestions for better use of available features
  • Up to three custom training sessions per year, tailored to your League’s needs 


These features are best suited for larger or more complex Leagues that want ongoing, high touch support.


12. Why offer these additional features as upgrades instead of including them for everyone?


Many of these enhanced services require significantly more staff time and personalized attention. By making them optional upgrades, AJLI can 

  • Continue providing strong core support to all Leagues 
  • Keep the overall cost of Member Essentials stable 
  • Offer higher levels of service only to Leagues that want and need them

 

This approach helps keep Member Essentials sustainable and growing without raising prices for every League.


13. Why is AJLI offering optional higher tiers instead of raising the prices for everyone? 


These optional tiers allow AJLI to keep Member Essentials sustainable and growing without having to increase the overall platform cost for all Leagues. 


Developing, maintaining and improving Member Essentials requires significant investment in technology, security, and staff time. Each upgrade can cost between approximately $1,000 and $5,000 to implement depending on complexity. To view the latest upgrades and what is planned, please visit our Member Essentials Plus development roadmap here. 


By offering optional enhanced support tiers, AJLI can continue to invest in new features and improvements that benefit all Leagues, while allowing only those who want additional, customized support to pay more for that higher level of service.


14. How does AJLI decide what Member Essentials enhancements to invest in, and what is planned for the future?


AJLI’s approach to Member Essentials enhancements is guided by both League feedback and our commitment to supporting the greatest number of Leagues possible. We use several inputs to identify and prioritize potential improvements, including: 


  • Support tickets and feature requests submitted by Leagues 
  • Feedback shared during support calls
  • A periodic survey to Member Essentials Plus Leagues to help prioritize requested enhancements

Once potential enhancements are identified, AJLI works in partnership with Digital Cheetah to determine scope, technical feasibility, and estimated costs and timelines. From there, we develop an implementation plan that balances impact, complexity, and available resources.


When evaluating enhancements, we look through the lens of what will benefit the most Leagues overall. Because Leagues vary widely in size, structure, and workflow, it is not always possible to accommodate every individual request. Adding highly customized features for a small number of Leagues can introduce additional complexity to an already sophisticated platform, create confusion for other users, and increase the risk of unintended issues with existing functionality. For these reasons, we prioritize enhancements that create broad, shared value across the network.  

It is also important to note that each new enhancement requires significant time     and attention from AJLI staff, including: 

  • Reviewing and refining the statement of work
  • Ensuring requirements and details are fully considered
  • Project scope design
  • Project management 
  • System analysis and design
  • Coordinating with Digital Cheetah on design and development
  • Conducting User Acceptance Testing (UAT) before release


This careful process helps ensure that new features are high quality, functional, and aligned with Leagues needs.


You can view AJLI’s current Member Essentials roadmap here. 


15. How can my League decide if upgrading is right for us? 


Leagues are encouraged to consider:

  • Their size and number of records
  • How often they currently request 1:1 support
  • Whether additional structured support would be helpful for leadership transitions, data management, or platform optimization

Leagues can also reach out to the ME Support Team with questions before making a decision.


16. How do these tiers help AJLI support Leagues better? 


The tiered model helps AJLI:

  • Use staff time more efficiently
  • Provide consistent support across all Leagues
  • Reduce strain on limited staffing resources
  • Continue improving Member Essentials without broad price increases
  • Offer more personalized support to Leagues that want it

This structure allows AJLI to balance strong service, responsible management, and continued product innovation.


17. How does Member Essentials support compare to other platforms? 


Many membership and volunteer management platforms primarily sell software, with support treated as an add on or offered at significantly higher price points. Member Essentials is structured differently by intentionally pairing League specific technology with ongoing, personalized support from a team that understands Junior Leagues, their leadership transitions, and their workflows. 


Compared to other platforms such as Member365, MemberClicks, GrowthZone, WildApricot, and Join It, Member Essentials offers a more relationship based support model. While other systems may provide onboarding, an account representative, or self service help centers, they are generally built for broad associations or small nonprofits rather than Junior Leagues specifically. In many cases, live training and direct support come at additional cost or are limited in scope. 


What AJLI does better is combining purpose built software for Junior Leagues with built in, ongoing support, including unlimited email assistance, weekly office hours, regular webinars, and scheduled 1:1 support calls in the Essential Tier. Optional Enhanced and Premier tiers then allow Leagues to add more tailored, proactive support if they choose, rather than requiring all Leagues to pay higher prices for services they may not need. 

See the comparison table below for differences in pricing, features, and support     models. 


Member Essentials  $1,400–(Essential); $2,400 (Enhanced); $3,600 (Premier) Junior Leagues (all sizes) High-touch: unlimited email, weekly office hours, monthly webinars, scheduled support calls, Membership management, events, store, volunteer mgmt, training, League-specific workflows League-focused; strong personalized support and training; bundled service+software 

Member365 ~$3,588 / year (starting) Small–medium associations Moderate–high touch; onboarding and account rep; add-ons available AMS, CRM, events, renewals, forms, email campaigns Full AMS with modular add-ons; higher entry price; general association focus 

MemberClicks ~$3,500–$4,500+ / year (starting) Medium–large associations Dedicated account manager; full onboarding; custom quotes AMS, event management, LMS, member portal, billing Similar service level; typically higher cost; broader association market 

GrowthZone ~$3,985+ / year (starting) Medium–large associations, chambers Tiered support with onboarding included AMS, CRM, billing, directory, events All-in-one feature set; less League-specific customization 

WildApricot ~$636–$9,636 / year (varies by contact count) Small–mid nonprofits & chapters Primarily self-service; email support; paid onboarding options Membership, events, website builder, payments Lower-cost entry tiers; fewer live training resources by default 

Join It ~$312–$2,988 / year (monthly tiers: $29–$249) Small nonprofits, clubs Self-service; basic email support Simple membership management, payments, renewals Low-cost, lightweight feature set; minimal managed support