Description
Aurora Membership Manager is a free, self-contained membership management plugin built for associations, clubs, nonprofit organizations and other membership-based groups that want to manage members directly inside WordPress.
The Core plugin works without an Aurora account, license key or external service. Member data stays in the site’s WordPress database, and Core updates are delivered only through WordPress.org.
What Core includes
- Member records with contact details, status, reference numbers and expiry dates.
- Configurable rolling or annual membership validity.
- Renewal overview for active, expiring and expired members.
- Member search and a mobile-friendly staff workspace.
- CSV import and export with spreadsheet-formula protection.
- Secure member portal with opaque, expiring email access links.
- Member profile and privacy-consent management.
- WordPress personal-data exporter and eraser integration.
- Backup, restore, reconciliation, diagnostics and audit tools owned by Core.
- Stable hooks and APIs for separately installed extensions.
Built for organizations that want to keep control
Aurora runs inside WordPress rather than moving your membership database to a separate closed platform. Core can be used on its own and does not require WooCommerce, a digital-card provider or a commercial Aurora license.
Optional extensions
Core remains fully usable without paid extensions. Separate add-on plugins are available when an organization needs additional workflows:
- Membership Manager Pro — communications, campaigns, events, member benefits and advanced operational tools.
- Membership Manager Commerce — WooCommerce membership products, order-to-member workflows and renewals.
- Membership Manager Digital Cards — Passcreator-based digital membership cards and wallet delivery workflows.
Aurora can also support organization-specific extensions for workflows that do not belong in Core or in a standard add-on. These separately installed extensions can combine reusable Aurora capabilities with rules, labels, mappings, templates or integrations tailored to one organization.
For example, an organization may need different digital-card templates according to age, membership type or role, or may have its own membership categories and operational workflow. Aurora keeps reusable capabilities generic while organization-specific behavior remains isolated in a separate extension rather than creating a fork of Core.
During the 2026 launch period, eligible associations and membership organizations can request no-cost access to the standard separately distributed add-ons until 31 December 2026. Early Adopter 2026 programme details
Explore optional extensions and regular pricing or contact Aurora about an organization-specific extension.
Standard and organization-specific extensions are separate plugins with their own code, configuration, licensing, external-service disclosures and update channels. They are not included in or unlocked by this WordPress.org package.
Documentation and support
- Aurora documentation
- For Core support, use the support forum available from this plugin’s WordPress.org page.
Privacy
Aurora Membership Manager can store member names, email addresses, membership status, expiry dates, profile details, consent choices and administrator audit events in the local WordPress database.
The public member portal can send an access email through the site’s configured WordPress mail system. Access links use opaque, expiring tokens. The plugin integrates with WordPress personal-data export and erasure tools.
Site administrators are responsible for choosing an appropriate legal basis, retention period and privacy notice for their organization. Installing this plugin does not by itself make a site compliant with any privacy law.
External services
Aurora Membership Manager does not require or automatically contact an external service.
Separately installed extensions may use their own external services. Those extensions must disclose their behavior, transmitted data, terms and privacy policy in their own documentation.
Screenshots
Installation
- Install and activate Aurora Membership Manager from WordPress.org.
- Open Membership Manager > Initial configuration.
- Enter the organization name and choose the membership validity rule.
- Add members manually or import a CSV file.
- Optionally create a member portal page from Membership Manager > Settings > Member portal.
No license key is required for the Core plugin.
FAQ
-
Is Aurora Membership Manager really free?
-
Yes. Core is free and fully usable without a trial period, Aurora account or license key. Optional extensions are separate plugins.
-
Does Core require WooCommerce?
-
No. Core works independently. WooCommerce is only needed if you separately install an extension that integrates WooCommerce workflows.
-
Does Core require a digital-card provider?
-
No. Digital-card providers are optional and are implemented by separate extensions.
-
Can Aurora be adapted to our organization?
-
Yes. Aurora exposes stable hooks and APIs so separately installed extensions can add organization-specific rules, mappings, integrations or workflows without modifying Core. Tailored extensions are separate from the free WordPress.org package and are evaluated according to the requested scope.
-
Does the plugin contact Aurora automatically?
-
No. The WordPress.org Core build does not contact Aurora, perform license checks or download executable code from external servers.
-
Where is member data stored?
-
Member records, profile metadata and Core audit records are stored in tables in the local WordPress database. Core settings are stored as WordPress options.
-
Can members access their own information?
-
Yes. Core includes an optional member portal that can send expiring access links through the site’s configured WordPress mail system. Site administrators control whether and how the portal is used.
-
What happens when I uninstall the plugin?
-
By default, data is preserved. If Delete Core data when Core is uninstalled is enabled first, the uninstaller removes only Core-owned tables, options, files and roles. Data owned by separate extensions is never deleted by Core.
Reviews
Contributors & Developers
“Aurora Membership Manager” is open source software. The following people have contributed to this plugin.
Contributors
Translate “Aurora Membership Manager” into your language.
Interested in development?
Browse the code, check out the SVN repository, or subscribe to the development log by RSS.
Changelog
1.2.8
- Documents organization-specific extensions as a supported way to add tailored rules and workflows without forking Core.
- Adds one contextual extension-discovery panel to the Extensions screen with links to optional extensions and tailored-extension support.
- Keeps commercial discovery limited to the Extensions screen: no global promotional notices, dashboard advertising, remote promotional assets, tracking or locked Core controls.
- No database schema or public API contract changes.
1.2.7
- Fix checkbox and radio sizing in the member editor.
- Improve WordPress.org discovery tags and screenshot captions.
- Confirm compatibility with WordPress 7.1 after final-release testing.
- Clarifies that a saved renewal fee and currency are manual dashboard assumptions, while installed extensions may supply both values only when the fee is left blank.
- Fix final CSV import button remaining disabled when valid rows are ready.
- Prevent immediate import and backup-restore lock refreshes from being misreported as lost when their expiry value is unchanged within the same second.
- Keep a retained CSV preview visible and renew its retry window when a recoverable final-import error occurs.
- Keep member-bound portal tokens restricted to their original member identities.
- Preserve extension-defined consent keys when Core consent fields are updated.
- Report partial CSV write failures instead of treating them as skipped successful completion.
- Fix the renewal onboarding completion condition.
- Clean up Core schema/lock state completely when data deletion is requested on uninstall.
1.2.6
- Refreshes the WordPress.org presentation, documentation and screenshot captions, and adds one public link to information about optional extensions. No runtime, API or database schema changes.
1.2.5
- Removes promotional/storefront content from the WordPress administration while preserving the operational extension inventory and existing add-on hooks; no API or database schema changes.
1.2.4
- Completes the WordPress.org review hardening by fixing translator annotations for backup/restore notices; no functional API or database schema changes.
1.2.3
- Hardened Plugin Check handling for read-only backup/restore status notices; no functional API or schema changes.
1.2.2
- Hardened request/upload handling for WordPress.org review while preserving Core/add-on contracts.
- Normalized admin notice inputs and documented read-only request parameters for static analysis.
1.2.1
- Aligns the WordPress.org text domain with the approved aurora-membership-manager slug.
- Hardens Basic Setup upload hand-off so extension callbacks receive only explicitly registered and validated upload metadata, never the raw PHP upload superglobal.
- Completes the review audit for request nonces, permissions and early input sanitization while preserving the Core 2.0.0 API contract.
- Keeps Core free of commercial licensing and external update delivery; commercial add-ons remain separate plugins.
1.2.0
- Introduces collision-resistant
Aurora_MMCandaurora_mmcprefixes across Core APIs, hooks, options, capabilities, routes and interface identifiers. - Adds a conservative one-time migration for legacy Core tables, options and role capabilities while preserving existing add-on data.
- Uses identifier placeholders for dynamic database table names on supported WordPress versions.
- Removes inline administration JavaScript and strengthens direct output escaping.
- Preserves legacy public shortcodes as compatibility aliases.
- Publishes Core API contract 2.0.0 for the coordinated add-on releases.