Association Management Systems (AMS) have come a long way. They’ve evolved from membership department databases to association-wide platforms that integrate membership management, communication, events, education and designation programs, product sales, governance, social media, online community, analytics, and more. Every year, vendors introduce new options that make our geeky little hearts beat even faster.
To wade through all the AMS options, it helps to have someone at your side who has more than 20 years of experience helping associations of all sizes select and implement the best AMS for them. We know the market: the capabilities and strengths of AMS vendors and their products, how well their systems integrate with other software and platforms, and issues that arise with customization. Because we’re independent and objective, we provide candid advice about which vendors and systems to consider.
We’re not just AMS experts; we’re association people, too. DelCor consultants have years of experience working both with and in associations. We uncover and discover the full extent of your association’s needs so we can help you select the best AMS for your organization and ensure that it plays nice with all of your other systems – and staff!
The effectiveness of an AMS is highly dependent upon your business processes, practices, and culture. Customization isn’t always the answer; rather, it can often lead to unanticipated maintenance and upgrade challenges. DelCor’s implementation consultants are experienced project managers. We will help your staff adopt the business rules and practices needed to use your AMS to its full potential.
Here’s how we help clients select an AMS:
- Examine your existing technology and integration requirements, business processes and rules, culture, and adoption factors.
- Make vendor recommendations based on your requirements and selection criteria.
- Develop a request for proposal (RFP).
- Coordinate and script agendas for AMS demonstrations.
- Review proposals and negotiate contracts.
- Identify any gaps between the AMS and your business processes, and provide solutions to bridge those gaps.
- Provide project management for AMS implementation, minimizing the risk of going off schedule or over budget, while keeping your team focused on the common goal and not on turf fights.
- Offer additional implementation services – for example, assisting with data conversion and developing test scripts.
- Make recommendations to improve and streamline business practices and processes, and integrate your new AMS with other technology systems.
- Help your staff adopt any new business processes and learn how to use your new AMS to its full potential.
If you’d like to learn more about AMS options, we could spend all day talking about them with you. But, don’t worry, we won’t. Instead, why don’t you contact us today for a quick introductory chat about the evolving AMS market?
If you don’t require DelCor’s assistance with the entire AMS selection process, we can help with specific parts: