I spent the early part of this week at the Associations Forum National Conference (AFNC19) in Canberra as part of the Professional Advantage stand. We were there to promote the Upbeat / Membership Kiosk solution we’ve rolled out to clients such:
- Self Managed Super Fund Association.
- Stockbrokers & Financial Advisors Association.
- Printing Industries Association of Australia.
- numerous other projects in development.
Talking to key Association staff about their goals for their membership organisation was a great experience. iugo has worked with associations for much of our 15 year history and have an in-depth understanding of what’s required technically. However, it was interesting to hear the complexities and challenges an association requires from its management system in a very competitive membership landscape.
The three key take-aways that a high functioning Association Management System (AMS) requires to maximise the value to the Association includes:
- How does it aid in acquiring new members
- What methods does it include to increase the retention of existing members
- How can the AMS engage more with potential and existing members
Each of these key areas will be the focus of a multi-part blog series where we’ll deep-dive into Association Management Systems. We’ll identify how an AMS can be mutually beneficial to the Association staff and to its members with a focus on Acquiring, Retaining and Engaging with members.
We’ll also focus on why an Association should utilise a CRM as part of that management system. We’ll also identify what to look for in Association Management Systems and why they’re not all equal.