Say your association is planning its first annual conference, relying mostly on an outdated AMS with limited features. Before long, you start to encounter some obstacles. Participants are confused about registration, meaning staff members must spend hours assisting them. Transactions from exhibitors, sponsors, and attendees become complicated, and staff struggle to track financial data. Event volunteers are unsure of their responsibilities.

After the conference wraps up, your association isn’t sure if it was a success—but investing in a more comprehensive association management system (AMS) will streamline day-to-day tasks, membership management, and event planning for your next conference.

In this guide, we’ll cover the basics of association management software, such as:

• What are some association management software FAQs?
• What are the benefits of using an AMS system?
• What do organizations use association management software for?
• How do associations choose their AMS?
• Which AMS system should your organization use?

To choose the best software for your association’s unique needs, it’s important to understand the basics. Let’s get started by defining “AMS” and exploring a few of its use cases.

What are some association management software FAQs?

The world of association technology can be confusing, especially with terms like AMS and CRM used interchangeably or never truly defined. Before digging into the benefits and essential features you need in your AMS, get your questions answered:

What is an AMS?

An AMS, which stands for association management software or system, is software that assists associations with every part of their daily operations. This software is designed specifically for associations and has tools for managing renewals, organizing meetings, and more.

What can an AMS do?

Typically, AMS systems offer tools for overseeing your membership, event planning, member education, financial management, data analysis, and payments.

Your organization can use an AMS in many ways to improve member experiences. If you choose an AMS with an online member portal, for example, your members can create custom profiles, access or update their information at any time, engage in online communities, and make payments and submit renewals on their own.

This is just one example of how an AMS can give members more positive experiences and save your staff time on administrative tasks. Remember that an AMS with a complete set of features can benefit every part of your association, from communications to financial records.

What is the difference between an AMS and CRM?

AMS and CRM, which stands for constituent relationship management system, are sometimes used interchangeably. However, these tools have different purposes.

A CRM primarily functions as a database and data analysis tool associations can use to store member data, track interactions with members, segment members based on shared characteristics, and identify opportunities. Using these insights and capabilities, you can deepen relationships with members, launch personalized communications, boost engagement, and enhance retention rates.

You don’t have to choose between an AMS or CRM. In fact, the best option is to select an AMS that is built on a CRM. This way, you’ll benefit from both tools and have all of your data in one place.

What are the benefits of using AMS systems?

Small associations might be able to rely on less robust association management systems to manage their organizations, but it’s critical to scale your operations as your membership grows. A comprehensive AMS does just that, allowing your association to continue providing enriching interactions and opportunities—no matter the size of your membership base.

An AMS like this can also yield:

• Optimized staffing. Consider everything your staff members need to do to keep your organization running smoothly. How many of those activities could be automated? An AMS can give staff members more time for value-generating activities by streamlining routine tasks (like data entry or sending renewal reminders).
• Enhanced member experiences. An AMS can make processes like renewals, event registration, and continuing education programs run more smoothly for members. For example, members could set up auto-renew so they don’t have to worry about manually paying their membership dues each year. Additionally, you can better track member data and use it to create more personalized and relevant communications, benefits, and experiences.
• Increased security. Your association gathers a lot of data about its members. From membership applications alone, you collect information like members’ full names, email addresses, and payment information. When stored in secure, trusted technology like an AMS, your members can have confidence that you’re protecting their data.
• Data-backed decision-making. Reporting and analytics features accurately track data (in real time) so your organization can spot trends and make operations more efficient. You can even use this data to identify which strategies are helping you move toward your goals and which aren’t having much of an impact. For example, if you try a different outreach method and see an increase in new members, you could conclude that the strategy is effective (and keep using it!).

To get the most out of your AMS, choose a solution that integrates with the technology you’re already using. Because Protech’s solution is partnered with Microsoft Dynamics 365, information can flow seamlessly between your AMS and any Microsoft app you use to manage your association. This reduces the need to move back and forth between multiple programs.

What do organizations use association software for?

There are some key features that every AMS system should have so associations can effectively manage various aspects of their organizations. If you’ve ever browsed a software product page, you’re probably familiar with lists of these features and capabilities.

While it’s important to understand a prospective AMS’s offerings, simply reading over these feature descriptions may not be enough to conceptualize how that solution will fit into your association’s daily tasks. Here is a quick breakdown of four major features your AMS should have, along with examples of how your association can use them:

1. Membership Management

As an employee or leader of an association, you’re familiar with the comprehensive facets of managing your members. You must communicate regularly to keep members informed on association activities, foster community and engagement, provide support, and manage dues and renewals. Depending on the size of your organization, it can feel impossible to perform all of these tasks as often as you need to.

An AMS with membership management capabilities has tools to keep members happy, engaged, and excited about renewing. The best part is that you won’t need to hire additional staff members or ask current employees to take on more responsibilities.

Your solution should offer the following membership management tools:

• A membership portal that is compatible with desktop and mobile devices
• 24/7 access to member profiles, learning materials, and other resources
• Mobile app options for on-the-go members
• Access to payment information
• Simple renewal processes
• Self-serve e-commerce site for merchandise or event registration

It’s easy to see how these features, which increase what your members can do independently from your staff, can lead to better member experiences. Let’s also look at an example of how your internal team could use some of these features.

How can your association leverage this feature?

Let’s say your association is small (but growing), and you don’t have a comprehensive AMS yet. When it’s time for members to renew their membership, your team has to manually send them renewal reminder emails. Over time, you notice that some of these renewals fall through the cracks—perhaps because your organization forgot to send another reminder or the member didn’t have enough time to pay dues before their membership expired.

With an AMS, you can automate renewal reminders, ensuring all members have plenty of time to pay dues before the deadline. Include a link directing members to your self-service renewal form so they can quickly renew and pay.

2. Revenue Development

With these features, your organization can implement and manage additional revenue streams like fundraising and e-commerce.

Your AMS automates these processes so your staff plays a more limited role in tasks like accepting donations or merchandise purchases. You can even list tickets to conferences and exclusive webinars on the e-commerce page so members can purchase them at any time. Make sure the software can offer special promotions or discounts and calculate any taxes or fees on purchases as well.

When it comes to fundraising, your AMS system could boost results by:

• Creating donor profiles to track engagement
• Accepting different types of contributions, including recurring gifts and in-kind donations
• Having the option to process invoices either manually or automatically

While these features can save your staff countless hours managing donations, they also ensure your association provides a transparent donor experience. Over time, you’ll build a trusting relationship with donors that will make them feel comfortable and confident supporting future fundraisers.

How can your association leverage this feature?

Your association knows that the best way to protect its financial health is to diversify revenue streams beyond dues payments. Even though your staff members may not have professional fundraising expertise, your AMS has what you need to launch a digital fundraising campaign. You can set up a donation page, promote the fundraiser on social media, and share links to your donation page through email marketing.

Once the fundraiser launches, your supporters will be impressed at how easy it is to donate, and they will receive donation receipts soon after making contributions. Your association’s fundraiser was a success, and you didn’t need to purchase additional fundraising software or add to staff members’ workloads.

3. Event Planning

Events can offer many benefits to both your association and its members. Conferences enable networking opportunities and keep members up-to-date on breakthroughs in your field. Workshops and training sessions further members’ education and develop their professional skills. Associations can even set up more casual social events to foster community among members.

On the flip side, events can be difficult to plan. They involve many moving pieces, from setting up a seamless registration process to securing sponsorships. To make the planning process easier, look for an AMS with the following event planning tools:

• Meeting setup
• Online registration
• Data collection and tracking

Additionally, make sure your software allows you to manage the many transactions you’ll receive from exhibitors and attendees, like payments for booths and event badges.

How can your association leverage this feature?

Your association is planning its annual conference with the help of an AMS. You’ve streamlined registration, secured event sponsors, and collected all necessary payments from exhibitors and attendees. Once the event wraps up, you’re left with a wealth of data.

Using this data, you determine that a sizable percentage of attendees were first-time, non-member participants. Using the email addresses they entered into your registration form, your organization sends emails thanking them for attending and encouraging them to stay in touch by directing them to additional resources like webinars or upcoming events. As a result, your association convinces these attendees to stay involved with your organization and eventually motivates them to join.

4. Reporting and Analytics

In addition to events, you can improve other areas of your organization by collecting and analyzing data.

The ability to analyze your association’s data at any time (and ensure that data is updated and accurate) is a game changer, enabling you to reach ambitious goals. These features track your organization’s progress toward its goals and analyze the efficacy of new strategies. Alongside these performance metrics, your organization can track its financial data to ensure you’re spending within your budget, meeting fundraising goals, and more.

Your AMS’s reporting features maximize your revenue and give you the information you need to make informed decisions through features like:

• Custom dashboards
• Interactive reports that give you a bird’s eye view of your association
• Business intelligence (BI) technology, so staff can quickly visualize data and identify actionable insights
• Integrations that allow you to analyze data without leaving your AMS

When it comes to growing your association and continuing to meet (and exceed) member expectations, it’s critical to understand how your organization could improve. Data analytics uncover these insights so you can start putting them into action.

How can your association leverage this feature?

Say that at the beginning of the new year, your association made a goal to increase membership by 10%. However, summer is approaching, and you aren’t quite sure how close you are to this goal.

To limit this confusion, you build a custom dashboard in your AMS that automatically tracks and updates metrics like new members, renewals made, and members who chose not to renew. Throughout the year, your association can quickly see how many members join and leave each month, and you can develop strategies that boost current member retention. You may also revamp your association’s existing outreach strategies to make contact with more prospective members each month.

When the year wraps up, you find that your association met its goal, boosted retention, and massively improved its outreach methods.

How do associations choose their association management software?

Selecting an AMS is a big decision—this tool can dramatically increase your association’s efficiency, enrich members’ experiences, and improve retention and recruitment. Here are some tips to keep in mind any time you are purchasing new association technology:

• Start by defining your needs. What capabilities does your association actually need? What will you use every day, and what tools will you likely forget about within a month of implementing the solution? Determining your exact needs before shopping will keep you from getting distracted by fancy bells and whistles that ultimately won’t serve your association well.
• Consider your existing tech stack. Which tools are you already using, and will your AMS be able to seamlessly integrate with them? Opt for an AMS that offers pre-built integrations to connect with your tech stack; or, for more complex needs, work with a tech consultant or developer.
• Ask about security practices. Research and ask a sales representative how the AMS keeps its members’ data secure. Do they use multi-factor authentication and encryption? Do they offer role-based access to data? Are they compliant with the data security regulations relevant to your industry?
• Consult real customer reviews and references. Browse sites like G2 and Capterra to see unbiased reviews from real users. This will help you proactively identify potential challenges you could have with the AMS.

Finally, ask what kind of technical support and training the provider offers. Ideally, they should provide free tech support to help you troubleshoot any issues that arise as you use the AMS. Many providers also offer implementation assistance and training to encourage staff adoption.

What are the essential AMS features?

As you conduct your search for your association’s ideal AMS, look out for these key features:

• Membership management: Allow members to access and edit their member profiles at any time through a single sign-on. Foster a sense of community online, engage members with a mobile app, and simplify multi-chapter management.
• Event planning: Streamline meeting setup and event registration to save your staff and members time. Keep track of exhibitors and manage transactions for booths, badges, and more.
• Education and professional development: Make it easy for members to track and share certifications and continuing education goals. Evaluate members’ interest in certain topics to provide more personalized experiences and offerings.
• Fundraising: Manage donor relationships with donor profiles and interaction tracking. Easily accept donations of any kind—from recurring gifts to in-kind donations—without giving staff more work.
• E-commerce: Nurture your non-dues revenue streams by offering a convenient way for members to shop from your association online. Make the process completely automated and self-served. Offer discounts and calculate additional costs (i.e., taxes and shipping).
• Financial management: Seek out a secure payment platform that merges your financial and membership data—for example, Protech offers Protech Payments. Track and report your association’s finances, accept the payment methods that are most convenient to your members (e.g., digital wallet or even multicurrency transactions), and automate manual accounting processes by integrating financial management software like QuickBooks.
• Marketing: Send individual, segmented, or mass marketing emails. Track key performance indicators like open and click-through rates to determine campaign success.
• Member data and analytics: Create custom reports and dashboards to easily visualize your data—these capabilities may vary depending on which CRM the AMS is built on. For instance, Microsoft users can leverage Microsoft Business Intelligence (BI) to quickly gain actionable insights to improve results.

Finding an AMS that offers all these features and integrates with your existing tech stack can be challenging. Protech offers each of these capabilities and is built for Microsoft Dynamics 365, making it the perfect option for organizations that already use Microsoft products. We’ll expand more on the benefits Protech has to offer later in the guide.

Which AMS system should your organization use?

Now that you know the basics of association management software, it’s time to start looking for your ideal solution. Choose your AMS based on your budget, top priorities, the tools already in your tech stack, and any other preferences (e.g., you need built-in marketing tools).

To get you started, here are our top picks:

Protech: Best for associations that use Microsoft Dynamics 365

Protech allows you to blend the power of Microsoft Dynamics 365 with comprehensive association management tools. Our AMS is built specifically for Dynamics 365 and is certified for the Microsoft AppSource. This gives you access to Microsoft’s other applications, connectors to third-party platforms, and regular updates that extend your association management capabilities.

Our feature-rich AMS provides the tools you need to support your mission and better serve members. As mentioned, Protech offers all the capabilities listed above, including membership management, event planning, education, fundraising, and more. When your association chooses Protech, you’ll see benefits like:

• Elimination of data silos by consolidating data on one platform.
• Enhanced member engagement and retention due to your ability to personalize member experiences and communications, foster a thriving online community, and manage high-quality educational content and courses.
• Better, more cost-effective events made possible by event and volunteer management tools, improved data tracking and analysis, an eStore to manage registration and other revenue streams, and more.
• Revenue growth from enhanced fundraising initiatives, efficient e-commerce, and the ability to drive non-dues revenue streams.

To learn more about Protech’s AMS and see our powerful tools in action, reach out to our team for a demo.

Fonteva: Best for organizations that use Salesforce

Fonteva is the best AMS option for larger associations that use Salesforce, the world’s top CRM. It is completely native to Salesforce, integrating seamlessly with the Salesforce CRM, apps featured in the AppExchange, and tools included in the Salesforce ecosystem (e.g., Experience Cloud).

Fonteva boasts plenty of features that promote member engagement, simplify event planning, and more. Just a few of these capabilities allow you to:

• Manage events in any format with features including a mobile events app, agenda builder, responsive event microsites, and more.
• Build searchable member directories that members can update themselves.
• Visualize key data points using custom dashboards and data analytics.
• Set specific goals and track customized metrics.
• Gain predictive insights powered by Salesforce’s AI tool, the Einstein 1 Platform.

Fonteva also offers an integrated payment processing system to help your association track and manage its finances. Being fully 3DS2 compliant, this system is focused on providing secure, streamlined payment experiences to your members while offering deeper insights to your association. Plus, make the process convenient by accepting digital wallet transactions, handling multicurrency transactions, and more.

Reach out to the Fonteva team to schedule a demo!

Wrapping Up

The right AMS can transform your association’s operations, making it possible to achieve ambitious goals and give your members the best experience possible. To conduct further research into potential AMS providers for your association and find a solution that’s tailored to your specific needs, check out these additional resources:

• How to Choose a CRM for Associations + 9 Top Providers. Understand the differences between a CRM and AMS, what to look for in a CRM system, and our list of top providers.
• 20+ Top-Quality Association Management Software Providers. Explore our list of AMS providers to help you choose the one that will make your association the most efficient.
• Association Software 101: How to Find the Best AMS Platform. Want more details about how to choose your perfect software? Check out this guide for step-by-step instructions.