Flows are the primary automation engine within your CRM and a powerful tool for professional membership associations. A Flow is a visual sequence of steps—called nodes—that guide your contacts (members, prospective members, stakeholders, etc.) through automated experiences. These flows help you nurture relationships, reduce manual tasks, and improve member engagement at all stages of the membership lifecycle.
Each Flow is composed of Triggers, Actions, and Logic, working together to define how and when contacts move through the automation.
Flow Terminologies #
Triggers #
Triggers are what initiate contact movement within a flow. They’re used to:
- Start a flow, such as when a form is submitted or a tag is applied.
- Progress a contact through the flow, e.g. when a member clicks a link in an email.
- Remove a contact from the flow, such as when they meet certain exit criteria.
Examples in a membership association:
- Form Submitted: When someone completes a “Join Now” form.
- Tag Applied: When a contact is tagged as “Corporate Member” or “Event Attendee”.
- Link Clicked: When a contact clicks the “Renew Membership” link in an email.
- Membership Status Updated: When a member moves from ‘Pending’ to ‘Active’.
✳️ Tip: Triggers only apply from the moment the flow is active—existing contacts who already meet the condition will not enter retroactively.
Actions #
Actions are the responses taken within the flow based on a contact’s trigger event. Actions are performed in order as the contact moves through the flow.
Common actions include:
- Send Email: Send a welcome email to new members or a reminder for upcoming renewals.
- Apply Tag: Tag a contact as “Attended Annual Conference” or “Student Member”.
- Update Contact Field: Change membership level, update status, or record attendance.
- Wait (Timer): Introduce a delay before the next action (e.g. send a follow-up 3 days later).
- Webhook/API: Notify external systems (e.g. Xero, LMS, or event platform) of updates.
Logic #
Logic steps introduce decision points that guide contacts down different paths based on their profile, behaviour, or other attributes. This enables highly personalised automation.
Logic step types:
- If/Else Conditions: Route contacts based on membership type, renewal status, location, etc.
- Split Test: Run A/B tests for different email messages or engagement paths.
- Random Distribution: Randomly assign contacts to branches—useful for rotating member benefits.
Example in a membership organisation:
- Branch by Membership Type:
- If contact has tag “Student Member”, send Email A (introductory benefits).
- If “Corporate Member”, send Email B (team access and sponsorship info).
- Else, send Email C (general membership perks).
Once a contact enters a branch, they cannot move across to another parallel branch, even if their attributes change, unless they restart the flow via a new trigger.
Progressing Through a Flow #
Contacts move from top to bottom in the flow, based on the order of your nodes. Their path is determined by which triggers they meet and which logic branches they follow.
- If a contact reaches a trigger and meets the condition, they move forward.
- If not, they pause at that node until the condition is met—or until the flow ends.
- Contacts cannot “move backwards” to a previous trigger.
Example:
A contact enters a flow after submitting an event registration form. If they open the follow-up email and click the attendance confirmation link, they receive a calendar invite. If they don’t click, they are sent a reminder 48 hours later.
Restarting Flows #
Contacts can re-enter a flow if the same entry trigger occurs again.
Use case:
A “Lapsed Member Reminder” flow can restart every time a member’s status changes back to “Lapsed,” initiating a new round of re-engagement emails.
Branching conditions are re-evaluated each time the contact restarts the flow, ensuring the logic reflects the most current data.
Triggers Within Branches #
You can include triggers inside branches or nested branches to build complex but organised experiences.
Scenarios:
- If a contact is inside a logic branch and meets a trigger condition, they move forward as expected.
- If they are outside the branch, they must meet all branch logic conditions and the trigger condition to enter that node.
- Contacts cannot jump across to parallel branches, even if they meet the conditions.
Practical Scenarios for your Membership Association #
Here are a few ways a membership organisation can use Flows:
- Onboarding Sequence: Start when a new member joins → Send welcome email → Wait 3 days → Send “How to Access Resources” email → Apply “Engaged New Member” tag.
- Event Attendance Reminder: Tag “Event Registrant” applied → Wait 1 day before event → Send reminder → If contact clicks “Join Zoom” link, apply “Attended” tag.
- Renewal Campaign: 30 days before expiry → Send renewal notice → Wait 7 days → If not renewed, send follow-up → If renewed, exit flow.
- Segmented Re-engagement: Contact inactive for 90 days → Logic: If “Student”, send tailored benefits email; If “Corporate”, assign task for account manager follow-up.
By understanding and leveraging Triggers, Actions, and Logic within Flows, your association can build highly tailored, automated journeys that serve your members better, reduce manual admin, and improve engagement across the board.
