Member directories are one of the most common requests we get from associations, communities, and professional networks. They used to require custom development or expensive directory software. With Softr and Airtable, you can build a professional, searchable, filterable member directory in a day — with members able to manage their own profiles.
What Your Member Directory Will Include
- Searchable list of all members with photos, names, roles, and locations
- Individual member profile pages with full details
- Filter by category, location, expertise, or any other field
- Members can log in and update their own profile
- Admin can approve new members before they appear in the directory
- Optional: members-only section with private resources
Step 1: Set Up Your Airtable Base
Create a new Airtable base with a 'Members' table. Fields to include: Name (Single line text), Email (Email — this is the login identifier), Photo (Attachment), Role or Title (Single line text), Company or Organisation (Single line text), Location (Single line text), Category or Expertise (Single select or Multiple select), Bio (Long text), LinkedIn URL (URL), Website (URL), Status (Single select: Pending, Active, Inactive), Joined Date (Date).
Step 2: Add Some Member Records
Before connecting to Softr, add at least 5–10 sample member records so you have data to work with when designing your directory. Include photos and fill in all fields so you can see how the directory looks with real content.
Step 3: Connect Softr to Airtable
Create a new Softr project. In the Data Sources section, connect your Airtable base using your API key. Select the Members table. Softr will read all your fields and make them available as data for your pages.
Step 4: Build the Directory Page
Add a new page called 'Members'. Drop in a 'List' block and connect it to your Members table. Configure it to show: member photo (as an image), name, role, company, and location. Add a search bar (built into Softr's list block) and filters for Category and Location. Style the cards to match your brand colours.
Step 5: Build Individual Profile Pages
Add a 'Details' page that shows a single member's full profile. Softr automatically generates a dynamic URL for each record (e.g. /members/jane-smith). Add all the fields: large photo, bio, contact details, LinkedIn link, website. This page appears when someone clicks a member card on the directory page.
Step 6: Enable Member Login and Self-Editing
Enable Softr's authentication feature. Members log in with their email (matched to the Email field in your Airtable table). Add a 'My Profile' page with an Edit Form block — members can update their own photo, bio, and contact details. Changes go directly back to Airtable. Set the page visibility to 'Logged-in users only'.
Step 7: Set Up Member Approval
Add a public 'Join' page with a Form block for new member applications. On submission, the record is created in Airtable with Status = 'Pending'. An Airtable automation emails you to review the application. You change the Status to 'Active' in Airtable, and the member immediately appears in the Softr directory (Softr filters to show only Active members).
For associations charging membership fees, add a Stripe payment step before the membership application is created. Softr's Stripe integration handles this in a few clicks — members pay first, then their application goes into your approval queue.
We've built member directories for associations and professional networks as a standard service. If you'd like us to build yours, book a free consultation.