Now that you’ve decided to take the plunge and upgrade your association management software (or maybe you’re still trying to decide?), it’s paramount that you follow these three steps to determine your AMS requirements.
Evaluate Your Current Situation
What’s driving your decision to move to another system? Have your outgrown your current system? Is there functionality that you need that your don’t currently have?
It’s not enough to list off general requirements. Of course you want your new software to support your association – that goes without saying. But the more specific you can be about your needs, the easier it will be to weed out the incompatible and focus on the right AMS for your group. For example, if your group hosts an annual conference, it’s likely you’ll need online registration and payment capabilities in a new system. In fact, it should probably be a requirement. Or maybe you publish a monthly newsletter or frequently post member only resources? You’ll need a platform where you can easily share those documents and differentiate member vs. non-member content.
So what does a successful association management software system look like for your group? What specific challenges will it help you overcome?
Ask Your Members
Your association members probably have a laundry list of what they’d like to see from your new AMS. They may have ideas that you haven’t considered. Ask for their input. Create a quick survey to get their feedback. Just make sure you keep your survey short to make it easy for your members.
Here are a few survey questions to consider:
- How often do you use the AMS?
- As a member, can you pay your dues easily?
- Is it easy to register for events?
- Can you log in and find what you’re looking for easily?
- Do you access your AMS via your phone?
- Do you have any comments you’d like to share with us?
Don’t be afraid to ask other associations what software they are using. Look at others in your industry and see if they’re succeeding or failing and if that is a result of their AMS. Ask them how they use their system, what they like, what they don’t like and what it’s like to work with their vendor.
Use Real-life Scenarios to Drive Requirements
Member Perspective
Look at the top three ways that you’ll be using your AMS. Think about those real-life scenarios. In a perfect world, what would it look like? How can you configure your AMS to best serve your members? Try mapping out the process in detail.
Create a user (or member) persona and think about their experiences and interactions with your association management software.
A user persona is a fictional representation of a user within your targeted base… By designing for a specific (imaginary – but data-based) person, you avoid the common pitfall of designing for every possible user, which basically equates to designing for no one at all. – ArcStone
Association: Veterinarian Society of the Midwest
Member Name: Emma Smith
Member Type: Associate Member
Age: 32
Profession: Veterinarian Assistant
Specs about Emma:
- New Veterinarian Assistant
- Tech savvy
- Looking for community
Emma’s new to your association and she’s looking forward to getting more involved. She wants to join a discussion group in your association so she can get to know more professionals in the industry. What’s the process for her to join the discussion group? Is it an easy 2-3 click in the member portal?
Or maybe it’s time for Emma to renew her membership dues. She’s used to paying bills online and hopes to pay her dues through the member portal. Think about the ideal process. What presents the least amount of friction for Emma? Take a step in her shoes and suss out the most efficient, user-friendly pathway to dues payment.
Admin Perspective
While a members experience should probably be at the top of your list when you think about what type of AMS will best suit your organization, it’s important to consider how your admins will interact with the system too. Let’s create an admin persona as well.
Association: Veterinarian Society of the Midwest
Member Name: Jessica Robbins
Age: 55
Association Title: Membership Coordinator
Responsibilities:
- Create email notification campaign for dues payment
- Ensure all membership dues are collected
- Present financial reports to the board every quarter
- Semi-tech savvy
What platform will allow Jessica to operate at optimal efficiency? Can she quickly learn the new system? Now, let’s say after Emma has successfully paid her membership dues online when Jessica needs to reconcile all membership dues at the end of the month. What data does she need to see? Can she quickly access that information?
Choosing a new AMS can be a time-consuming task. Do your homework by determining clear requirements and goals for your new system. Think about how your members and your administrative staff will interact with the platform.
After you’ve thought through your AMS requirements, envision how you’ll make the move. One of the most important tasks in a move to a new AMS is your data. What do you carry over and what should be removed? Download our free Data Migration Checklist below to learn more.
