Feature Articles

Our name says it all -- it’s about you and your members. We’re not offering technology that takes you out of the equation; we’re offering solutions for your association that places you in the forefront of your members’ minds.

You are in control of the management of your community, you handle your reporting features, you select the features that are most relevant to your association; we simply help you meet your goals.

Associations are facing a challenging time having to make decisions about how to be the most effective and efficient in meeting your mission. With limits on resources, using tools (and software) that accomplish multiple goals at once is a smart option.

Our society is becoming increasingly accustomed to instantaneous information gathering and connecting. In order to remain relevant and valuable, the option is no longer if you will get involved in social media, but when. There are multiple no-charge options available where you can become part of really large communities. Maybe they’ll work for you. But maybe you’re looking for something with more functionality.

Your members are already part of free communities. You do not add value for them when you set up a fan page and ask them to join. What adds value is unique content, and if you upload content to these free sites, it belongs to the sites. Plus you have little ability to gather important data on your “fans.” What ability you do have may be marred by erroneous reporting of member profile data.

Free communities are where the masses are, which could be good for you but their limitations from an organizational prospective are vast. What they are able to do is serve as a bridge for where the audience is to where you want them to be, your private community.

In your private community, members can do all of the same social media activities they enjoy on other sites, while you are able to provide security, a spam-free environment and association expertise with features like file libraries and personalized content. There are no apps that will harvest their information and use it to spam others. Plus, it is a way for them to connect in a secure environment focused on their professional and business development.

But there’s more to a complete online member community than just social offerings. Membership management and administrative tools make up the backbone of a community; it’s the magic behind the scenes so to speak. Choose tools that will help you accomplish a multitude of administrative tasks easily and efficiently. There’s software available that handles everything from membership management to event planning to dues collection/management and so much more. While you’re making the investment in you, and your members, take all your needs into consideration and try to accomplish as much as you can in one product.

You’ve worked hard to create a reputation and earn trust from an industry standpoint and in regards to your members. You’ve cultivated a brand. Don’t feel like you have to give that up by placing your information on someone else’s look and feel. Membership management software should enhance what you are -- not replace it -- so in your quest for relevancy and your desire to increase your technological offerings, remember what it is that made you important to those members in the first place and use the tools available to best capitalize on that differentiating factor.