Powering Purpose: Why Prompt Payment Matters in the Membership Ecosyste

Behind every successful membership organisation is an ecosystem of talented, agile suppliers, such as consultants, designers, developers, trainers, copywriters, and niche agencies, many of whom are small or micro businesses. We bring specialist expertise, tailored services, and deep sector insights, and when we work well, we add genuine value to the sector’s impact and success. Yet too often, that value is undermined by one simple issue: late payment.

Prompt payment isn’t just a courtesy, it’s an absolute necessity. For the small and micro businesses supporting the membership sector, delayed invoices can quickly disrupt operations. The nature of our businesses is thus that we typically operate on tight margins, with limited cash reserves. Waiting more than 30 days to be paid isn’t just frustrating—it can mean delayed salaries, paused projects, or missed tax obligations. For sole traders or micro teams, a single unpaid invoice can represent a significant portion of income and lead to all sorts of headaches.

What makes this issue particularly acute in our sector is the paradox of mission-driven organisations unintentionally harming the very ecosystem they rely on. Membership bodies often pride themselves on community, fairness, and supporting underrepresented voices, and yet many apply procurement or finance practices that delay payment to small suppliers. 

In effect, the burden of large organisation bureaucracy is passed down to those least able to carry it, and it is done so with tenuous excuses like “your invoice was missed in the last payment run so it’ll be in the next one in two weeks”. Mine is a microbusiness so I am my own bookkeeper and my own accounts payable team. I process invoices for payment, and I know what it takes to make an online bank transfer, and it really isn’t that complicated. That said, I genuinely believe that organisations are largely unaware of the issue. Finance teams are not intentionally undermining business dynamics; but outdated procurement practices can destabilise relationships and damage trust.

Timely payment is about more than operational continuity. It’s about enabling creativity and innovation. When small suppliers have predictable income, we’re more likely to invest in new tools, expand our services, and/or deepen our understanding of the sector. We become true partners in progress, helping membership bodies stay relevant, responsive, and impactful. Delayed payment, by contrast, discourages risk-taking, restricts growth, and limits the diversity of voices willing to serve the sector.

This is not however just a supply chain issue. It is a leadership issue. Boards and senior executives in membership organisations must recognise that prompt payment is a direct reflection of their values in action. The decisions made by procurement and finance teams shape the health of the entire support ecosystem. If organisations want to work with ethical, high-quality, purpose-led suppliers, then pay us accordingly, and on time.

There is an opportunity here. Membership bodies can lead by example. Sign up to the Fair Payment Code that is championed by the Office of the Small Business Commissioner and commit to 30-day payment terms as standard. Streamline approval processes. Prioritise smaller suppliers in payment runs. Create clear, accessible invoicing guidelines. These simple actions build trust, resilience, and mutual respect.

The membership sector exists to support communities, raise standards, and champion best practice. Let’s extend that commitment to the people and businesses who help make that possible behind the scenes. Prompt payment isn’t just good business practice. It is a small act that makes a big difference.

If we want our sector to thrive, we must nurture the ecosystem that supports it. And that starts with something simple: paying small (and all!) suppliers, fairly and on time.