Devon Birds – membership website, Devon

Ecommmerce

Responsive membership website for Devon Birds – the county bird society dedicated to the study and conservation of wild birds in Devon since 1928. WordPress, members-only area, forum, society documents and bird sightings after migration from a custom CRM.

Devon Birds is the county bird society for Devon, dedicated to the study and conservation of wild birds since 1928 and welcoming members from all walks of life and all levels of interest. The society had run on a custom-built CRM and needed a new website that could support a large, active membership: join and renew online, access a members-only area with forum and society documents (e.g. Report and Journal), and use birdwatching features such as bird sightings – all on a platform the team could maintain without depending on legacy code.

The team wanted a redesign that reflected the society’s purpose and heritage, with clear navigation for members and non-members, a straightforward join/renew flow, and a secure members area where members could discuss, download documents and view bird sightings. They also needed the ability to send the Report and Journal by post where requested, and to manage content and membership in one place.

The brief

Devon Birds required a new membership website that could:

Replace the custom CRM – Migrate from a custom-built system to an open, maintainable platform with a redesigned front end and clear data modelling for membership, access and content.
Support membership – Join and renew online; manage member accounts; control access to members-only content (forum, society documents, bird sightings).
Provide a members-only area – Forum for discussion, downloads for society documents (e.g. Report, Journal), and birdwatching content such as bird sightings, with access tied to membership status.
Handle join/renew and post – Membership signup and renewal (e.g. Paid Memberships Pro); option to receive Report/Journal by post, with billing/address fields used for fulfilment.
Work on every device – Usable on phones, tablets and desktops so members can browse, log in and use the forum or sightings on the go.
Support search and discovery – Clear structure and meta data for terms like Devon Birds, bird society Devon and birdwatching Devon, so the society can be found by birdwatchers across Devon and South Devon.

The solution

We built a responsive WordPress site with a dedicated membership and members area, migrating from the custom CRM and redesigning the experience so Devon Birds can manage members, content and access in one place. The result works well for members joining and renewing, using the forum and documents, and contributing or viewing bird sightings – and for the team running the society across Devon.

Design and user experience

Clear, on-brand site – Homepage and navigation that explain the society’s role and direct visitors to join, birdwatching (e.g. bird sightings), and members area; typography and layout suited to a conservation and birdwatching charity.
Straightforward navigation – Mega menu and sections so members and non-members can find join, birdwatching, sightings and members area quickly; login and account links visible when relevant.
Readable, consistent look – Layout that works on screens of all sizes, with clear hierarchy for content and membership-related actions.

Membership and members area

Join and renew – Membership plugin (and related tooling) for join and renewal flows; members can manage their account and, where offered, request Report/Journal by post (address captured for fulfilment).
Members-only content – Access control so that forum, society documents and bird sightings (or other restricted content) are only available to logged-in members; clear signposting for non-members to join.
Forum – so members can discuss birdwatching and society matters in a dedicated forum.
Society documents – the team can publish Reports, Journal and other documents for members to download.
Bird sightings – Birdwatching / bird sightings section so members can submit or view sightings; structure supports discovery and use on phones and desktops.

Mobile-friendly

On phones and tablets the menu collapses to a toggle; join, login and members area remain accessible. Layout and touch targets are sized so browsing, joining and using the forum or sightings work well on small screens – important for members out in the field or on the move.

Easy updates and search

Simple content updates – WordPress lets the team update pages, news and documents without touching code; membership and access are managed through the admin.
Built with search in mind – Structure and meta data supports discovery for Devon Birds, bird society Devon and birdwatching Devon, relevant for birdwatchers across Devon, South Devon, Kingsbridge and Dartmouth.

Outcome

Devon Birds now has a fast, easy-to-manage membership website that replaced the custom CRM with a single WordPress setup. Members can join and renew online, use the forum and society documents, and contribute or view bird sightings – all with access controlled by membership. The site works well on phones, tablets and desktops and is set up to perform for search so anyone looking for the county bird society, birdwatching in Devon or bird sightings can find the society and join. The same kind of complex membership site – migration, members area, forum, documents – is something we can deliver for organisations in South Devon, Kingsbridge and Dartmouth.