Association Management Software or AMS, is a term used to describe software which provides functionality to manage all aspects of an association's operation. From managing memberships to marketing automation and everything in-between. Had you previously heard of the term AMS? You're probably already using a tool or a number of tools for this without knowing the industry calls this type of software "AMS".
This post assumes you already have a solution in-place to manage your member/community centric organization. Our goal with this post is to provide some helpful advice to aid your platform selection journey.
Keep in the forefront of your mind the problem or problems you're wanting a new solution to solve. Do you waste time using many tools to get the job done? Do you use a single platform which is outdated and lacking the features you need to succeed?
Sometimes buyers only focus on hard costs when comparing one platform to another. While cost is very important to look at, equally important is the soft cost of time. You and your team will typically spend an enormous amount of time making the disparate tools work. If you're using multiple tools piecemeal it can be highly inefficient and a waste of your time. Building a makeshift platform in this manner often results in an overall solution which is not anywhere close to being best-in-class nor meeting your needs.
When initially selecting your AMS platform it may have ticked all the boxes. Maybe it had all the features you thought you needed and the price was right. Over time you've noticed that your needs have evolved but your platform hasn't kept up. Is the price still right if you're not getting everything you need to be successful? Consider the opportunity cost of not maximizing the value from your membership base.
Look for an AMS platform which can handle everything you do today as well as the things you might want to do in the future. Find a platform which can automate repetitive tasks such as member billing or lead nurturing email campaigns. This will free you up for more important things. Remember that your time is valuable. It's worth mentioning again that when sourcing an AMS vendor, think about both what you want today and in the future.
Some vendors will list prices which may not tell the entire story. Work to understand how much everything will cost. Things like multiple users, all software features, training, updates, support, etc.
Hopefully this post provided some valuable tidbits to consider while on your quest to a new AMS platform. What did you think of this post? Let us know by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it...