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Getting Started

Set up your Somiti community in four steps. By the end you’ll have a connected Stripe account, at least one membership tier, and your first members in the system.

When you first sign in as the community owner, Somiti walks you through a setup wizard covering these same steps. You can also skip the wizard and set things up manually using the instructions below.

Set up your community details

Go to Settings > General to fill in your community’s basic information.

  1. Enter your Name (this appears everywhere members see your community).
  2. Add a Description so members know what your organization is about.
  3. Upload a Logo (PNG, JPG, GIF, or WebP, max 2MB). If you skip this, Somiti shows your community’s initials instead.
  4. Pick a Primary Color and Secondary Color for buttons, links, and highlights. You’ll see a preview below the color pickers.
  5. Click Save Changes.

Then go to Settings > Contact to add your contact email, phone number, address, and time zone. Members and automated emails use these details.

See Settings for everything else you can configure.

Connect your Stripe account

Somiti uses Stripe to handle payments. You connect your Stripe account once, and members can pay by card after that. Funds go directly to your bank account.

  1. Go to Settings > Payments.
  2. Click Connect with Stripe.
  3. Somiti sends you to Stripe’s site. Sign in to your existing Stripe account or create a new one.
  4. Complete Stripe’s verification steps. Stripe may ask for identity documents, your bank account details, and business information.
  5. Once Stripe approves the connection, you’re redirected back to Somiti. The Payments page shows Stripe Connect Enabled in green.

Note: You can skip this step if you only need free memberships. If members need to pay by card, you’ll need Stripe connected before you create paid tiers.

If the connection shows as incomplete when you return, click Connect with Stripe again to finish where you left off.

See Payments for more on how Stripe handles payouts, refunds, and receipts.

Create your first tier

Tiers define your membership levels: who pays what, how often, and what they get. You need at least one tier before members can join.

  1. Go to Memberships > Tiers and click New Tier.
  2. Fill in the Name (for example: “General Member”, “Gold”, or “Founding Member”) and an optional Description.
  3. Set the Price (in cents). Enter the amount in cents: 1000 for $10.00, 5000 for $50.00. Enter 0 for a free tier.
  4. Choose a Billing Cycle: Monthly, Yearly, or Lifetime.
  5. Optionally add a Setup Fee (a one-time charge at signup) and a Trial Period in days.
  6. Select a Currency (USD, EUR, GBP, or CAD).
  7. Add Features if you want to list what this tier includes. Click Add Feature and enter a feature name and value (for example, “Newsletter” and “Yes”).
  8. Under Settings, check Active to make the tier available for signup. Check Featured to highlight it as recommended. Check Requires Approval if you want to review each new member before their membership activates.
  9. Click Create Tier.

Note: After saving a paid tier, Somiti creates a matching Stripe price automatically. You need Stripe connected before members can pay online for that tier.

You can create as many tiers as you need. See Tiers for how to edit pricing, reorder tiers, and manage existing subscriptions when you change a price.

Add your first members

You have two ways to add members: one at a time, or by importing a list.

Add a member individually

  1. Go to Members and click Add Member.
  2. Enter the member’s name and email address.
  3. Select their tier.
  4. Click Save.

They’ll get a welcome email with a link to set up their account and access the member portal.

Import members from a spreadsheet

If you’re moving members over from another system or a spreadsheet, importing is faster than adding them one by one.

  1. Go to Members > Import.
  2. Download the CSV template and fill it in with your member data.
  3. Upload the completed file.
  4. Review the preview and confirm the import.

See Importing Members for the CSV column format and how to handle errors.

What happens next

Once you’ve done these four steps, your community is ready to use.

Members can log in to the member portal to view their membership, update their details, and pay dues online. You can start collecting payments, posting announcements, and creating events right away.

A few things worth doing soon after setup:

  • Go to Settings > Notifications to turn on welcome emails, membership reminders, and payment receipts.
  • Go to Settings > Features to turn on public registration if you want new members to sign up on their own, or keep it off to add members manually.
  • Check Settings > Payments if you want to accept cash or check payments alongside online payments. Turn on Accept offline payments and add instructions so members know how to pay.

See Members for how to manage your member list, change roles, and handle renewals.