Case Study: Association of Illustrators doubles members paying by Direct Debit and simplifies European payments with GoCardless

Association of Illustrators - Customer Case Study

The Association of Illustrators (AOI), a UK-based membership organisation of about 2,500 illustrators, was hampered by a manual, paper-based Direct Debit process and no SEPA coverage under its previous provider SmartDebit. To modernise recurring payments and offer a simpler online setup for members, AOI switched to GoCardless (integrated via GoCardless for WooCommerce).

GoCardless delivered an online Direct Debit solution with SEPA support, improving member sign-up and giving the finance team clearer visibility into collections. As a result, AOI doubled the number of members paying by Direct Debit from around 700 to over 1,400 in a year (a 100% increase), improved European payment access, and received positive member feedback — benefits AOI attributes to GoCardless.

Association of Illustrators

Ren Renwick

Chief Executive Officer