Industry and platform terms
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| AMS | Association Management System — the legacy category Sembr competes in (ChamberMaster, GrowthZone, MemberClicks, etc.) |
| CRM | Customer Relationship Management — the broader software category. Sembr is a CRM-shaped membership platform, not the other way around. |
| PWA | Progressive Web App — a website that installs to the home screen and works offline. The member portal is one. |
| SaaS | Software as a Service — Sembr is a multi-tenant cloud SaaS. |
| B2B | Business to Business — Sembr's customers are organizations, not individual people. |
| PE | Private Equity — most legacy AMS vendors (ChamberMaster, MemberClicks, Wild Apricot) are PE-owned. Sembr is not. |
Data and APIs
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| API | Application Programming Interface — how external software talks to Sembr. REST-based. |
| REST API | An API style using HTTP verbs (GET, POST, etc.). Sembr v1 is REST. |
| JSON | JavaScript Object Notation — the data format Sembr emits and accepts. |
| CSV | Comma-Separated Values — the export format for spreadsheets and migrations. |
| SQL | Structured Query Language — the full-database export format. |
| OAuth | Open Authorization — the protocol used for integrations (QuickBooks, Mailchimp, etc.). |
| CDN | Content Delivery Network — how Sembr delivers static assets fast worldwide (Cloudflare R2). |
| ICS | iCalendar — the calendar feed format supported on every event. |
| QR | Quick Response (code) — the barcode used for event check-in. |
Security and compliance
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| SSO | Single Sign-On — enterprise feature for one login across systems. |
| SLA | Service Level Agreement — uptime + support response commitments. |
| TLS | Transport Layer Security — the encryption layer behind HTTPS. |
| PCI | Payment Card Industry (data security standards). Sembr uses Stripe Connect; we never touch card numbers. |
| KYC | Know Your Customer — the identity verification step in Stripe Connect onboarding. |
| DPA | Data Processing Agreement — the GDPR Article 28 contract between Sembr and a customer organization. |
| DSAR | Data Subject Access Request — an individual's right to access, correct, or delete their personal data. |
| GDPR | General Data Protection Regulation — EU privacy law. The EU is not a Sembr launch market; our privacy practices are informed by its principles. |
| CCPA | California Consumer Privacy Act — US state privacy law. |
| PIPEDA | Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act — Canadian federal privacy law. |
| CASL | Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation — federal email consent law. Sembr's email tooling is built to support CASL: suppression list, consent log, and one-click unsubscribe by default. |
Money and tax
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| CAD | Canadian Dollar — Sembr's platform billing currency and company-of-record currency. |
| USD | US Dollar — not Sembr's billing currency; available to US-based tenants for billing their own members. |
| FX | Foreign Exchange — currency conversion. Sembr bills organizations in CAD, so there is no FX on your subscription. For member-dues, Stripe handles any conversion at the cardholder's bank. |
| NPO | Nonprofit Organization — eligible for Sembr's 25% NPO discount. |
| IRS | Internal Revenue Service — US tax authority. Sembr auto-verifies 501(c)(3) status via IRS Pub 78. |
| CRA | Canada Revenue Agency — Canadian tax authority. Sembr auto-verifies registered charity status. |
| ACNC | Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission — Australian charity regulator. |
People (membership operations)
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| ED | Executive Director — typically the primary buyer of membership software at small-to-mid orgs. |
| YTD | Year to Date — common in member-dues and renewal reporting. |
Sembr-specific
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| Sembr Clubs | Phase 2 sub-product for organizations under 75 members (D&D groups, hobby clubs, small associations). Two tiers: Basic and Advanced. |
| Essential | Sembr's entry tier ($129 CAD/month annual). Unlimited members. |
| Growth | Sembr's middle tier ($249 CAD/month annual). Unlimited members. Adds API, widgets, custom domain. |
| Enterprise | Sembr's bespoke tier for organizations with custom integration, SSO, or SLA needs. |
| Smart automation | Sembr's branded term for the grounded AI features (renewal drafts, lapse detection, CSV cleanup). |
| The Org Report | Sembr's blog. |
| Concierge migration | Free on annual plans, $499 one-time on monthly. A Sembr team member runs the import on a 30-minute Zoom. |
Marketing
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| CTA | Call To Action — the button/link that asks the visitor to do the thing. |
| SEO | Search Engine Optimization — how Sembr ranks for membership-software queries. |
If a term should be in here and isn't, the contact link in the footer will get you to a Sembr human.