Buyer's Guide - HubSpot

Buyer’s GuideSelecting the Right

Association Management System

So you’ve decided that your association needs a new association management system.

Maybe your association has grown over the past few years and you’re moving from an offline database to a hosted solution. Or maybe you have an AMS, but aren’t satisfied with how it’s performing.

Either way, you’re tired of those administrative headaches and need a solution, fast.

That’s where we come in. We understand that evaluating software can seem like a daunting task, but it doesn’t have to be. That’s why we’ve put together a foolproof guide to selecting the right AMS for your association.

Ready? Let’s get started!

2800.914.2441 • MEMBERCLICKS.COM

First things first: Identify your stakeholders

When it comes to AMS shopping, there are a LOT of people (and opinions) involved. You need something that will satisfy your whole team — the executive director, the membership manager, the events coordinator, your board of directors! It’s a lot to take in... and to balance. To simplify the process, consider the following steps:

1. Identify your stakeholders and form a small committee. Include those who will be using the software, someone from the board, and possibly an active member advocate. If you have buy-in from key stakeholders before implementation, you’ll have a unified team who can then encourage and help along any new employees.

2. Appoint only one person to lead the search, selection and implementation. Trust us, this process will run a lot smoother if there’s a single point of contact to communicate with all potential vendors and existing stakeholders.

3. Gather requirements. What do you need? What do you want? With your committee, make a list of key requirements for your desired AMS. Separate your “must-have” and “would-like-to-have” items so you won’t be distracted by bells and whistles you may not need or use.

Remember your ultimate goal! Ultimately, your AMS pick should help you acquire, engage, and retain members on an ongoing basis. Picking an AMS that will bring value to your members is key.


Once you’ve identified your stakeholders and have a committee in place, it’s time to start seeking out some software! But to do so successfully (and land on the RIGHT platform for your association), there are a few key elements you’ll want to keep in mind.

Software as a Service (SaaS) is a web-based software model that enables data to be accessed online, as opposed to enterprise software that installs it on a server that you then maintain on your own. Rather than paying a one-time license fee, SaaS providers typically require an annual or monthly subscription charge that includes the software license, as well as support and other fees, allowing buyers to spread the cost of the software out over time.

Just think! Because there’s no server hardware to buy with SaaS, your staff can be mobile and your IT guru can be more involved (without having to fiddle with the servers all the time).

Key 1 Software as a Service (SaaS)

When debating between SaaS versus enterprise, consider the following:

▶ Compare costs. SaaS is considerably less expensive than enterprise.

▶ Check flexibility. With SaaS, customization is limited to the AMS offerings, so make sure all your requirements will be met. However, don’t consider this a deal breaker — SaaS platforms can still be configured to meet your needs.

▶ Check your time. Despite being highly customizable, installment, data conversion, upgrades, and testing can be a real headache with enterprise software.

▶ Check your influence. You can typically stop and switch your SaaS in a shorter time period, so the burden is on the vendor to provide you with excellent customer service, intuitive interfaces, a variety of training resources, and new releases to prevent you from changing solutions.


Having a strong financial reporting and management component in your AMS will save you time on double entry, ensure a higher level of accuracy in your data, improve efficiency, and make your job easier. Check out the following characteristics of strong financial integration:

Make a great impression! Having a sound financial integration makes you look like the expert that you are. If you offer online automated invoice and payment options, you’ll demonstrate that you’re committed to staying up with the times and technology.

Key 2 Strong financial integration

Characteristics of a strong financial component What those entail

Reporting for accounts receivable, cash flow analysis, revenue projections, and deferred revenue.

Automated membership dues increases and decreases, formula-based dues calculations, and ad hoc group invoicing.

Ability to handle multiple entities, both cash and accrual accounting, revenue recognition reporting, and detailed audit trails.

Give access to financial areas to only appropriate staff.

Ability to pay invoices without having to log in. Flexible billing options for members.

Ability to accept credit cards for membership dues, event registrations, products, and services.

Information exchange between AMS and financial software without having to import/export data.

Financial reporting

Automated membership finance

Advanced financial features

User roles

Member self-service

Credit card acceptance

Seamless integration with your financial software, such as QuickBooks, Microsoft

Dynamics GP, and Intacct


Your website is a voice for your organization 24/7/365. Integration with your AMS allows for real-time updates so that you’re constantly optimizing engagement. For this reason, it’s best to choose an AMS that also includes a website content management system (CMS). Here are a few things to look for in a CMS:

• Real-time results. Your CMS should be capable of real-time updates to your content, including your news, events, membership directory, blog, and job bank.

• Mobile-friendly. Mobile has taken over desktop as a means to access the Internet. It’s crucial to choose a website CMS that results in a pleasant user experience for those who wish to interact with your website via a mobile device (smartphone, tablet, etc.).

• Social media integration. Your social media platforms allow you to better engage your audience. If your social media feeds appear directly on your website, you add a level of engagement and encourage viewers to stay on your site longer.

• eCommerce-ready. If the CMS is equipped with eCommerce, you can conveniently promote and collect payment in advance for events, products, and online ads.

• Integrated online directory. You’ll give your members added value through driving referrals and increasing their search engine optimization (SEO) by including a membership directory on your website that integrates with your AMS.

Key 3 True web integration

Website feature checklist

Members-only portal

Real-time member and event calendar listings

Online event registration

Online membership directory with enhanced listing options

Individual, interactive member pages

RSS feed widgets

eCommerce

Job bank

Blog

Social media integration

Streaming video and photo galleries

Advertising opportunities for increased non-dues revenue


Robust reporting features allow you to gain deeper insight into your data. Business Intelligence (BI) features will help you make data-driven decisions quicker and more easily. Look for the following capabilities in your AMS reporting features:

• Built-in reports. Built-in, extensive, and relevant member, event, and financial management reports are essential.

• Time-saving reports. Reporting and export functions beyond summary level reports will save you time gathering information to share with executives and preparing for board meetings.

• Segmented reports. The ability to segment your members into different groups gives you important insights into your member demographics and allows you to identify which members are most valuable to your association. This is critical when creating member communication, retention, and recruitment strategies.

• Dig deeper. Being able to drill down into financial reports and member histories allows your executive team to make better decisions when managing your association.

• Member value reports. Contact histories and the ability to track member benefits, referrals, and leads received from your website enables your staff to easily demonstrate value to your members.

Key 4 Robust reporting and business intelligence


Make sure your potential vendors can back up their offerings. A good vendor will demonstrate a true interest in understanding your needs and your members’ needs. When it’s time to view a demo, they should be able to speak specifically to those needs. To test a vendor’s expertise, use the following tips:

• Get references. See if the potential vendor has any references, case studies, or testimonials from other clients in your industry. A vendor with industry expertise can show you how to apply your technology to benefit your members, increase retention, improve event revenue, and drive member engagement.

• Check out AMS provider websites. What are the company’s key values? Do they have expertise in your industry? Do they mention the features you need? Do they appear to understand your needs and have an interest in helping you grow your organization? These are all things worth exploring.

• Get a demo. It’s important to see how the software actually works. Even better, it would be preferable to see how the software would work for your situation by seeing it in action with scenarios that mirror your everyday activities. If the demo is a canned video or slideshow presentation, request something more personalized.

Help your potential vendor help you. Be sure to make a list ahead of time of the features you would like to explore, and share some example scenarios with your vendor contacts so they can tailor their demos for you.

Key 5 Expertise


Your AMS should be easy to use. If it is not intuitive, your staff will not be able to use it to its fullest extent — or they may just avoid using it all together. In order to get your staff to fully adopt your new AMS, start with one that can be configured to your staff and members’ specific needs. Look for an AMS that has the following attributes:

• Modern and intuitive. Look for an updated dashboard that can give you a quick snapshot of your organization, logical navigation and commands, and presentation-ready reporting.

• 24/7/365. It’s important that you be able to gain online access anywhere, anytime. That means no downtime for upgrades.

• Configurable. You need options, and they all need to tie in to your central database. If all your components are tied to your central database, you’ll be more efficient and, more importantly, you won’t unintentionally bother your members and prospects with information that doesn’t interest them.

• Integrated. Many SaaS platforms offer member management, websites, financials, email, and event components, but be sure to ask if those integrations are real-time. Will you be required to import and export information, or is it a matter of touching a button to sync?

Did you know? There’s a difference between customization and configuration. Most AMS consultants will tell you to stay away from customizations because they aren’t usually worth the upfront, upgrade costs. Instead, look for a software that can be configured to meet your needs.

Key 6 Ease of use


Choosing an AMS is a huge commitment on your part. Make sure that your vendor is equally vested and dedicated to providing continuous product enhancements. Here are a few things to take into account when evaluating a software provider’s product enhancements:

• Cost. Is there an extra cost for updates to the system and other product enhancements? Give extra weight to those who keep up with the times at no charge to you.

• Installation. Does the responsibility fall on you to complete the updates? Do you have to download it to your computer or does it happen automatically?

• Downtime. Will you ever be unable to access your AMS due to updates?

• Enhancements. Ask about the last few updates and upgrades that the provider released. This is a good indication of their future commitment to enhancements.

Watch out for dinosaurs! Find out what kind of updates are in the pipeline. Ask your AMS contact what new features are coming this year or next. If there is no answer, run.

Key 7 Product enhancements


• Help team. A center where you can call and/or email can be extremely helpful as you get up to speed and dive deeper into the product.

• Online training portals. This resource would allow you to login and learn about the AMS modules and features. You can usually find articles, videos, FAQs, and more.

• Product webinars. These webinars highlight different software features, enabling you to learn how to use specific features from the product experts themselves.

• Classroom training. This type of training involves regular classes where a corporate trainer comes to your

Key 8 Support and training

area and trains a group on using the AMS. Sometimes associations send one “super user” to learn the AMS and return to evangelize it among the other staff.

• Conferences. During annual conferences, the AMS provider gathers their staff, industry experts, and software users for several days of educational seminars, training, support, and networking.

• Business resources. If your AMS provider offers materials with tips and best practices for running your association, this is a real bonus!

• Online chat. If you just have a quick question, it’s nice to be able to ask someone in an online chat so you can get back to what you were doing faster.

Lack of support and training are two top reasons why associations switch their AMS. The responsibility has to be shared between the association and their AMS vendor to be sure everyone is adequately trained on the software. Make sure to consider a provider that offers several types of resources, including the ones below:

Super users ARE super! Your success with your new AMS is directly correlated to your association’s commitment to understanding how to use it. Make sure you have at least one person who will be committed to learning all the features and helping others to learn it.


• Cost basis. If you pay for the platform by user or by contact, and you grow significantly, the services you are receiving may no longer be adequate for the amount you pay in fees.

• Configurable. You absolutely need to be able to configure your AMS to work for you now, and to accommodate you in the future. Think of future requirements beforehand and ask your AMS vendor contacts if they are included.

• Integrations. Is it possible to integrate this AMS with other software you already have? What integrations currently exist for the AMS? What integrations are being added soon, and when?

• Updates. If the company is not committed to ongoing updates, you are very likely to outgrow them quickly.

Key 9 Scalability

Scalability refers to how well your AMS adapts to increased demands as your association and needs grow. Scalability is important because it means that you are making a sound investment in an AMS that you won’t soon outgrow. Below are some considerations to keep in mind:


More aboutMemberClicksMemberClicks offers all the tools that membership organizations need to make the most of the web. From online databases and event registrations to custom-designed websites and member communities, our products are tailor-made for professional associations, trade associations, and chambers of all sizes.

For more information:

Visit us at www.memberclicks.com

or call us at 800.914.2441

Want more tips and tricks for engaging your organization’s membership? Check out our free Member Engagement Guide here!

Click here to check it out!

Check our free guide, How to Get Your Board on Board When Shopping for an AMS!

We know that evaluating association management software can seem overwhelming. Hopefully this guide will make that process a little easier for you. More importantly, we hope this guide will help you identify the right AMS for your association — one that will save you time, headaches, and above all, your sanity.

Now let’s say you find an AMS you DO like, but you’re having trouble getting your board — and other key stakeholders — to approve. If that’s the case, allow us to help!

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Buyer's Guide - HubSpot

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