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Custom fields let you capture information that is specific to your organization and that Haven does not include as a standard field. You define each field once, and it appears on every member’s profile in the admin dashboard and, optionally, in the member portal.

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What custom fields are for

Haven stores standard information on every member record: name, email, phone, address, membership level, status, and renewal date. Custom fields cover everything else your organization tracks:
  • Committee or chapter assignment
  • T-shirt or uniform size
  • Dietary restrictions or accessibility needs
  • Volunteer hours or certifications
  • Emergency contact name and phone
  • Professional designations or credentials
  • Alumni class year or cohort
Custom fields are defined at the organization level, not per membership level. Every member record in your database can hold values for every custom field you create.

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Available field types

When you create a custom field, you choose its type. The type determines how the field is displayed and what values are accepted.
TypeBest for
TextShort answers: names, codes, single words
Long TextNotes, descriptions, multi-sentence answers
NumberCounts, amounts, years
DateCertification dates, graduation dates
DropdownSingle choice from a fixed list of options
Multi-SelectOne or more choices from a fixed list
CheckboxA true/false toggle (e.g., “Newsletter opt-in”)
URLWebsite or social profile links
EmailAn additional email address beyond the primary and secondary

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Creating a custom field

1

Navigate to Custom Fields

Go to Members → Custom Fields in the left sidebar.
2

Click Add Field

Select the Add Field button. A dialog opens.
3

Enter the field name

The name is what admins and members see as the field label. Use clear, plain language: “Committee Assignment”, “T-Shirt Size”, “Graduation Year”.
4

Choose the field type

Select the type that matches the data you want to collect. If you choose Dropdown or Multi-Select, you will enter the available options (one per line) before saving.
5

Add a description (optional)

The description appears as helper text below the field. Use it to clarify what you’re asking for — for example, “Enter the committee you currently serve on, if any.”
6

Configure visibility and editing

Set the following options to control how the field behaves:
  • Required — members cannot save their profile without filling in this field (when editable by members)
  • Show in Directory — displays this field’s value on the member’s public directory entry
  • Editable by Member — allows members to fill in or update this field from their portal profile
  • Admin Only — hides this field from the member portal entirely; only admins can see and edit it
7

Save the field

Click Create Field. The field is immediately added to every member record in your database. Existing members will have an empty value for the new field until it is filled in.
Mark sensitive fields — such as payment method, health information, or internal notes — as Admin Only so members cannot see them in the portal.

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Filling in custom fields for members

After you create custom fields, you fill them in from each member’s profile page.
1

Open the member record

Go to Members, find the member, and click their name to open their profile.
2

Find the custom fields section

Scroll to the Custom Fields section on the profile page. All fields you have defined appear here, in the order they were created.
3

Edit and save

Click Edit to enter edit mode. Fill in the relevant fields and click Save.
If you have a large number of members and need to fill in a custom field for many of them at once, consider using the CSV import to update records in bulk. Map a column in your spreadsheet to a custom field during the import mapping step.

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How custom fields appear in the member portal

When a member logs into the portal at {your-slug}.gohaven.co/portal, they see their profile page. Custom fields that have Editable by Member or Show in Directory enabled will appear in their profile.
  • Fields marked Editable by Member show an edit button so members can update their own values.
  • Fields marked Show in Directory appear on the member’s directory listing, visible to other logged-in members.
  • Fields marked Admin Only are never shown in the portal.
Members only see and edit their own custom field values. They cannot view another member’s admin-only fields or edit anyone else’s profile.

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Deleting a custom field

To remove a custom field, click the trash icon on its row in the Custom Fields table and confirm the deletion.
Deleting a field removes its definition but does not erase the underlying data stored on member records. If you recreate a field with the same key later, the previously stored values will reappear. If you need to clear stored data, you must update each member record individually.

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Frequently asked questions

Haven does not impose a hard limit on the number of custom fields. That said, we recommend keeping the list focused — the more fields you add, the more work it is to keep them up to date. A well-chosen set of 5–10 fields serves most organizations well.
Reordering is not available in the current version. Fields appear in the order they were created. Plan your fields in the order you want them displayed before creating them.
Custom field values are not available as merge tags in email templates in the current version. Standard merge tags (first name, last name, membership level, renewal date) are supported.
Required fields apply to all members, regardless of level. If you need level-specific requirements, mark the field as not required and use admin notes or your own processes to enforce it for specific levels.