Membership organization is a term which refers to any organization that allows p

eople to subscribe, and often requires them to pay a membership fee or "subscrip
tion".
Membership organizations typically have a particular purpose, which involves con
necting people together around a particular profession, industry, activity, inte
rest, mission or geographical location. This might simply be to encourage or fac
ilitate interaction and collaboration, but it also often involves promoting and
enhancing the purpose itself.
They are often not for profit, but there are also many commercially run membersh
ip organizations, and some larger not for profit membership organizations (like
the National Trust in the United Kingdom) which have commercial subsidiaries.