Wild Apricot integration · Updated July 2026
Give your Wild Apricot members a real email discussion list
Gaggle Mail's Wild Apricot integration syncs your membership levels and member groups into email discussion lists automatically. Members reply to each other from their inbox — no logins, no forums. The sync runs daily, one-way from Wild Apricot, so your membership data stays exactly where it is.
Start your free trialWild Apricot doesn't do member-to-member email
Wild Apricot is excellent at what it was built for: membership records, renewals, event registration, and your organisation's website. Most associations that run on it have no reason to leave — and shouldn't.
But there is one thing it doesn't do: member-to-member email discussion. Wild Apricot's email is one-way — admin-to-member blasts, newsletters, and automated system messages. Members cannot start or reply to a conversation by email. The forums are web-only: notification emails default to a daily digest, and there is no way to reply to a Wild Apricot forum post by email, so responding means remembering a password and posting on the website.
The consequence is predictable, and Wild Apricot's own customers describe it best: members won't log in to a website to have a conversation, so discussion goes quiet. Reply-by-email has been on the Wild Apricot wishlist since 2011, and it remains unimplemented.
Wild Apricot handles your members. Gaggle Mail gives them a discussion list. Connected.
How the Wild Apricot sync works
The Gaggle Mail Wild Apricot integration is a read-only Wild Apricot API integration: it connects to your account with an API key that you can revoke at any time. Once connected:
- The sync is one-way: Wild Apricot is the source of truth, and Gaggle Mail never writes to Wild Apricot.
- The sync runs daily, automatically. You can also trigger a sync manually at any time.
- You map Wild Apricot membership levels and member groups to Gaggle Mail groups — for example, the "Active Members" level feeds
members@and the "Board" member group feedsboard@. - New members in Wild Apricot are added to the matching Gaggle Mail group on the next sync; lapsed or removed members are removed. The email list sync keeps every group current with no manual imports.
- Members who have unsubscribed from a Gaggle Mail group are never re-subscribed by the sync.
Set up in about five minutes
- Generate an API key in Wild Apricot — go to Apps → Integration → Authorized applications and create a server application (setup guide).
- Paste the key into Gaggle Mail and choose which membership levels and member groups to sync (mapping guide).
- Done — the first sync runs immediately, then daily.
Email blasts vs forums vs a discussion list
Wild Apricot gives you two ways to communicate with members out of the box. Here is how they compare with a Gaggle Mail discussion list connected through the integration.
| Capability | Wild Apricot email blasts | Wild Apricot forums | Gaggle Mail + integration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Members can reply by email | No — one-way only | No — replies happen on the website | Yes |
| Members can start a topic by email | No | No | Yes |
| Immediate delivery | Yes — good for announcements | Notifications default to a daily digest | Yes |
| Works in Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail | Yes — receiving only | No — web browser required to take part | Yes |
| No login required for members | Yes — receiving only | No — posting requires a website login | Yes |
| Searchable archive | No | Yes — on the website | Yes |
| Moderation controls | Not needed — admins send | Yes | Yes |
| Membership stays in sync | Yes — native | Yes — native | Yes — daily sync from Wild Apricot |
Who it's for
If you're looking for a listserv for associations — an email discussion list for members that stays in sync with your membership database — the integration fits these patterns:
- Professional associations — committee lists and chapter lists that keep member discussion where members already are: their inbox.
- Member societies — a whole-membership discussion list, synced from your "current members" level so it is always accurate.
- Clubs and chapters — day-to-day conversation between members without asking anyone to log in to a website.
- Community organisations — volunteers and organisers coordinating by email, with membership managed in Wild Apricot.
Frequently asked questions
Have a different question and can't find the answer you're looking for? Reach out to our support team by sending us an email and we'll get back to you as soon as we can.
- Does the integration overwrite or change my Wild Apricot members?
- No — the sync is strictly one-way, and Gaggle Mail never writes to Wild Apricot. The integration reads your membership levels and member groups through the Wild Apricot API and updates your Gaggle Mail groups to match. Your membership database stays exactly where it is.
- What happens when a member lapses or is removed in Wild Apricot?
- They are removed from the synced Gaggle Mail group on the next daily sync. Membership levels can be set to sync only current members, so lapsed memberships drop off automatically without any manual list maintenance.
- What happens if a member unsubscribes from the Gaggle Mail group?
- They stay on your roster but stop receiving list email. The sync never re-subscribes someone who has opted out — honouring an unsubscribe is a legal requirement (CAN-SPAM) and good deliverability practice, so the integration treats it as standing until the member opts back in themselves.
- Is my Wild Apricot API key secure?
- Yes — the key is stored encrypted in Google Secret Manager, used read-only, and never written to our database or logs. You can revoke it from Wild Apricot at any time, which immediately cuts off the integration's access.
- Does Wild Apricot have a built-in listserv?
- No. Wild Apricot offers one-way email blasts and web-only forums; reply-by-email discussion has been an open wishlist request since 2011. The Gaggle Mail Wild Apricot integration adds a real email discussion list alongside Wild Apricot's membership management.
- How much does the Wild Apricot integration cost?
- The integration is included with Gaggle Mail Pro at no extra charge. You pay for your Gaggle Mail plan as normal — see current prices on the pricing page — and paid plans start with a 30-day free trial, no credit card required.
Keep Wild Apricot. Add the discussion list your members keep asking for.
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