Members are the backbone of any association. Getting new members and retaining them heavily relies on an association’s ability to nurture those relationships by offering them a quality experience.

We already have discussed various ways to provide a stellar membership experience in our previous articles.

Here we'll take it a step further by exploring the power of technology, particularly an AMS, in improving the digital experience for members.

Quick Reads

• What is an Association Management Software (AMS)?
• How Can Association Management Software Improve Digital Member Experience?
• How to Build a Digital Ecosystem for Associations?

What is an Association Management Software (AMS)?

For most organizations, an AMS is just a buzzword. However, only those associations that are using it are fully aware of its benefits.

Association Management System, at its core, is a digital tool that enables associations to foster long-term relationships with their members. It gives them the premium experience they deserve through three core technologies - automation, integration, and personalization.

A cloud-based AMS system is critical as it allows both organizations and members to access important information and accomplish tasks anywhere, anytime. With the right software, an organization can achieve:

• A single communication system that integrates email and member profiles.
• A membership sales funnel that identifies membership prospects, manages communications, and grows membership.
• A personalized dashboard for managing data and generating reports.
• Seamless online signups, membership dues renewals, and profile updates.
• An opportunity to scale up with additional integration.
• Successful event setup, registrations, and online payments.

As a result, an association that has an effective AMS grows faster, empowers their members, and accomplishes more in less time. Ultimately, this helps them cultivate a lasting relationship with their members through top-notch services and experience.

How Can Association Management Software Improve Digital Member Experience?

Creates a Personalized Digital Experience for Members

Personalization is the new brand differentiator. It refers to developing a customized experience for your members that caters to their unique and individual requirements.

An AMS creates a personalized experience for members by leveraging the behavioral data from your members' profiles.

A great example is sending customized emails to the member segments depending on their interest and demographics. This includes sharing the content based on their interests, showing them the local events, or sharing discount options at retail centers.

Based on the data regarding the visitors’ page views, you can also direct an AMS can also refer your prospects toward a relevant area of your resource section, which helps you acquire new members as well.

Case Study

Marketing Society of Kenya (MSK) improved their member experience using Glue Up’s AMS module. They used the campaign feature to personalize emails for their members which resulted in increased email-open rates and conversions. They also increased event engagement by sending out effective event invite campaigns from the software. Read more

Increases your Digital Presence

A feature-rich AMS increases your digital presence by consolidating and shifting all your manual efforts online. You can build your member’s online profiles, create and promote events on the website and arrange webinars using an all-in-one membership management platform.

Case Study

OBN-UK has increased its digital presence by integrating its website with Glue Up’s AMS. The events created on the CRM directly shows on the website calendar, attracting new audience without promotion.

It also saw a tremendous increase in the number of event attendees due to seamless event landing pages with smooth registrations and check-ins. Read more

Increases Member Engagement and Retention

Glue Up’s all-in-one AMS has some powerful features that work tremendously when it comes to increasing member engagement. The software offers a private community app that lets your members connect and foster long-lasting relationships. They can post content, chat 1-on-1 and share their virtual business cards.

Plus the app also has a push notification feature that sends renewal reminders to their members. Since a major reason for the member lapse is them forgetting to renew their memberships, a push notification increases their engagement rates.

Case Study

The Kenya Green Building Society (KGBS) increased its members’ loyalty through AMS. The team noticed that their poor member retention was due to members simply forgetting to renew their membership or our staff forgetting to send them their invoices.

Thus they reduced their membership churn rates by offering an option to renew membership automatically through Glue Up’s CMS. As soon as membership fees were paid, members received automated emails notifying them of their renewal. To remind members that their membership is up for renewal, they sent them automated push notifications on the app.

They also encouraged their members to download the My Glue app through which they can easily communicate using the 1on1 chat feature and exchange business cards.

Additionally, the team used Membership Scorecards (MES) to gain insights into member engagement. Read More

Reduces data silos and Increases Synchronization

Association Management Software with an integrated CRM connects and shares data on the admin dashboard back and forth. Consequently, all member data is stored in a centralized repository, preventing data silos and making it easy for your team to find the information they need.

Furthermore, an AMS logs and syncs real-time data as the members make changes. For example, when a member updates their profile information on the membership site, the CRM gets updated as well. This way, member engagement can be tracked and understood in a more intuitive and accurate manner.

Case Study

ABASA, being a large association with 9 chapters, faced a hard time managing and tracking its members’ data. Thus they implemented Glue Up’s AMS to update and consolidate their data from all the branches.

As a result, they were able to convert their contact list of about 5000 membership leads into paying members. In addition, they gained over 400 paying members by offering a unique value proposition.

They were also able to reconcile their data by integrating an accounting platformXero with the software. As a result, they could easily match the membership payments with the revenues earned, allowing them to perform audits without hassle. Read more

Supports Growth and Innovation

With the increase in your memberships and organizational growth, your processes and workflows change as well.

A professional AMS allows you to scale your association’s capabilities as your organization’s needs expand. By doing this, you can upgrade the capacity of your membership platform concurrently with your email list's growth.

Additionally, you don't have to limit yourself to one platform's features and can add new integrations as you need them.

Case Study

International Inbound Travel Association took the support of AMS to transition to self-management. They moved from NetForum to Glue Up, consolidating all their technology into a single software.

They migrated all their members’ data on the CRM and integrated their website with the platform, This enabled them to manage all their membership workflows seamlessly including registrations, finances, and events.

Thus with 200 companies under their belt, they were able to scale up their operations by going digital with AMS. Read more

How to Build a Digital Ecosystem for Associations?

Digital ecosystem development is not a one-day project. This is an ongoing process that changes as your association's needs change.

Thus, you should develop an agile digital ecosystem that matches your current objectives, but is flexible enough to serve your future needs as well.

Let’s take a look at some of the digital strategies that can help you reach your long-term goals:

Digital Strategies to Grow the Association’s Memberships

• Use the appropriate tools and KPIs for managing and processing your data.
• Inculcate a culture of innovation and experimentation among your board members, staff, and members.
• Invest in the right digitalization technology, whether it is upgrading your processes and systems, improving your applications, or revamping your entire digital system.
• Develop learning facilities for your organization. This includes developing effective training systems for both your staff and members.
• Learn from your competitors and industry leaders. Observing their product offerings, activities, and customers will help you understand what works best and what should be avoided.
• Conduct A/B testing for your newly launched features to see what members like the best. This will help you understand what they prefer to provide them with more relevant solutions.
• Keep making improvements in your workflows by collecting and implementing members’ feedback.

Building a digital ecosystem tailored for your association can be daunting, particularly if you have limited resources. Get a free demo now to learn how you can digitally transform your organization with an AMS and improve your member experience.