What should you expect in terms of ROI for your Association Membership software?
Association Management Software (AMS) is absolutely necessary for every member based organization. Any association executive who has spent hours dredging through piles of paper for event registrations or who has updated a members contact information in a number of different places will love Association Management Software. The key is finding the right fit for you.
The Value of Membership Software
It sounds simple enough, doesn’t it? Association Management Software has many capabilities that will keep an association organized and running like a well-oiled machine.
Association Management Software will help with everything from event planning to tracking e-commerce so that staff employees can focus more on the members or donors and less on the member data information updates or donor financial processing.
Association Management Software is huge in the world of small or larger associations. Typically, an association (like all businesses) have very little manpower and a small pool of funds with which to pull in new employees or volunteers. Hiring an employee to update the databases, plan the events and follow the e-commerce or donations just isn’t economically feasible. Therefore, an existing employee is charged with the duty, on top of the normal duties of his or her job title. This quickly leads to burn out and disgruntled employees.
Most associations software tools today are accessed via a web browser, therefore, any employee or volunteer can grab the information at any time/anywhere. And, your members can have access to the information on-line as well only adding to the value of the expenditure. The tool can become the foundation for all aspects of your business today; website, database, communication tool, government relations, eCommerce, Events, Billing, Orders, etc.
Why Should you consider Membership Software?
Why wouldn’t every association (small, medium, large) have one integrated association membership software platform? Good Question!
Perception is often the enemy. Many old school executives are living in the past. We often hear phrases such as “I am too small for that” or “AMS software is too expensive”. However, that couldn’t be farther from the truth in today’s technology world. The cost of the typical Cloud based association management tool can be as low as $ 100 a month per user (staff).
Key Value Areas of Membership Software
This small investment greatly outweighs the labor costs of hiring an employee, the overtime costs associated with piling extra work onto an existing employee, redundant data entry from one system to another, or the poor perception of your members without the capability of offering 24/7/365 days service. With this acquisition of technology, you can realistically see the benefits of:
Reduced Labor Costs
Improved Staff Time and Productivity
Increased Revenue Opportunities
Improved Customer Service and Satisfaction
Enhanced insights for better decision making
As an executive at an association, it’s imperative that you have a membership software program that will work for you in this day in age. We encourage your board to take the step to investigate the right solution for your particular needs.
SmartThoughts can help you determine whether or not obtaining an Association Management Software platform is right for your organization. A small investment now will pay off through money earned over time. It’s up to you. Until then, keep SmartThoughts in mind.
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