There are a number of membership management system vendors to choose from. Ensure that you understand the options, costs, and deliverables. If you have time you can do the following;
- Research if the software is ranked high
- Check whether the software offers all the features required for efficient membership management
- Find out how long the provider has been in the business
- Verify the updates of the software
- Verify the number of users count
- Check for the contract terms if any
- Narrow down your selection to further research
If you do not have time to do the above research, you can just read the sections below to help you get an understanding.
What are the different membership management systems?
Membership Management Software on a wider note can be segregated into the following types;
- On-premises
- Cloud-Based
- Free
- Open source
- Freemium
Free membership management software gives the users the freedom to use the software, understand the source code, modify the software, and distribute the software without any restrictions. Unlike proprietary software, the free software solutions do not have any licensing or hidden codes.
How to Choose a Good Membership Management Software Solution?
Primarily, investing in a membership management software system depends on the size, culture, and maturity of your association. It can range from procurement to deploying procedures and can take a bit of your time if not strategized properly.
You might have to go through the following steps;
- Analyze your requirements
- Defining them
- Learn what you need from a particular software solution
- Consider your time and budget
- Identify the tasks that need to be automated
- Identify areas that need improvements
- Check if the software fits your purpose
- Check if the software has some hidden costs
- Check if the software uses the latest best practices
- Trial run the software to check if the software saves you time
- Check if it integrates well with your other systems
- Check if it is easy to maintain
- Check for the security and reliability
- Last, but not the least, check for the post-deployment support from the provider
A combination of all these features makes a good membership management software system.
Features of Membership Management Software
- Simple & intuitive member portal
- Management of multiple memberships
- Member database
- Member portal
- Event management
- Sponsor management
- Application management
- Automatic renewals
- Segment members
- Create a customized profile
- Integrate with other systems
- Accepts multiple currencies and tax
- Content management
- Record maintenance
- Easy payment gateways
- Integrated payment processing
- Multi-user access
- Customized report generation
- Dues management
- Email marketing
- Analytics
- Security
Normally membership management software comes with at least the following features:
- Storing and editing member information
- Creating, renewing, upgrading and downgrading memberships
- Communicating with members by email, social media, message or post
