When you’re looking for the right association management software (AMS) for your organization, you have multiple options. For large membership-based organizations, one of the primary choices for an AMS is between systems built on top of a customer relationship management (CRM) platform and those built on a proprietary platform.
Both types of AMS systems have their own benefits.
Read our software selection guide for a quick breakdown:
Benefits of CRM Platform-Based AMS Systems
The two most common CRM platforms on which these types of systems are based are Salesforce and Microsoft CRM. Some benefits of AMS systems built on these platforms include:
- The platforms are part of a greater ecosystem of third-party apps that have built-in integrations with the platform. This makes it easy to extend the capabilities of the AMS through apps.
- The CRM platforms focus on all industries, not just the association industry, so they continually invest in their CRM functionality.
- These systems typically follow a true Software as a Service (SaaS) multi-tenant model.
If you’re looking for more of an off-the-shelf solution with automated upgrades that your organization doesn’t have to plan for or think about, then this type of system might be right for you.
Benefits of an AMS System on a Proprietary Platform
AMS systems built on a proprietary platform are designed from the ground up specifically for membership management, rather than being built on top of a CRM platform.
AMS systems built on proprietary platforms are typically based on common programming languages, such as SQL Server and the .NET framework. These are languages that are already familiar to many IT professionals. In contrast, a CRM platform-based system typically uses a proprietary underlying programming language.
This means that your IT staff would need to be trained on the programming language for the platform.
One of the key benefits of a proprietary AMS system is that it provides greater control and flexibility within the system. Your IT team can build, develop, and configure on top of it. So, it’s an ideal choice for organizations with complex needs.
Considerations for Your Choice of AMS System
In addition to considering the benefits of CRM versus a proprietary platform for your AMS system, there are other factors to weigh in your decision. For example:
- Cost of integrations: Some CRM platforms charge for data exchanges between the platform and third-party applications. Therefore, if your organization frequently exchanges large amounts of data, it could become expensive over time.
- Licensing: The two types of platform-based systems typically follow the SaaS-based licensing model, which is based on the number of users. It’s essential to ask the vendors you’re considering how they manage features such as member and chapter access to the member-facing portal in your system, to ensure you understand how they are accounted for in the user-based licensing model.
- Implementation: It’s essential to have a well-defined scope of needs for your AMS system, ensuring accurate pricing from each vendor for the system’s implementation.
