Best Association Management Software | Our Top Picks
Managing an association takes a great deal of scheduling, organization, and coordination within your leadership team. Emailing members, recruiting prospects, and ensuring payments are received on time can be daunting tasks, especially as your membership base grows. That’s where association management software or AMS solutions come in.
Whether you’re looking to invest in an AMS for the first time or you need to upgrade your solution, it’s worth it to take the time to explore which choices best suit your long-term goals. That’s why we’ve created this review of the biggest names on the market! This list spans a variety of niches and levels of comprehensiveness, so be sure to read through each section. That way you’ll get a clearer sense of the particular balance of specificity, utility, and ease-of-use that will best suit your association’s needs. Here’s what you can expect from this guide:
- Association Management Software FAQ
- The Best Association Management Software Platform
- Other Top Picks for Association Management Software
- Fonteva Membership – Best for Salesforce users
- Protech – Best for Microsoft Users
- Wild Apricot – Best for smaller and mid-sized organizations
- MemberPlanet – Best for groups who have a smaller budget
- MemberClicks – Best for an all-in-one management solution for small groups
- 123Signup – Best general cloud-based platform
- Novi AMS – Best for QuickBook users
- ClubExpress – Best for clubs
- iMIS – Best for member recruitment
- Raklet – Best for customer support
- Almabase – Best for alumni associations
- StarChapter – Best for multiple chapters
Before we explore these top picks, let’s answer some of the most frequently asked questions on association management software.
Association Management Software FAQ
Association management software is used to automate membership management, fundraising, event management, chapter management, and financial processing. You can choose an AMS with features that align with your association’s size and goals.
The best AMS solutions are specifically designed to meet the unique needs of associations like yours. They can help you organize and record the data of your organization based on the information you collect from members over time, such as their contact information or even their interaction level with your organization. Depending on your organization’s goals, AMS solutions can also help facilitate events and schedule member communications.
Each AMS provider includes different features, and some even offer various levels of complexity for associations of different sizes. Here are some of the most common and useful association management software features to look out for when choosing your software:
Membership management. Membership management software gives you a full view on member activities, their depth of involvement, and their potential for growth. This solution can include a member directory and CRM to keep your membership data organized.
Member portals. This feature allows your members to login in to view their payment records and customized membership resources. You can often tailor member profiles for different tiers of membership packages.
Event management. This feature can help you host in-person or virtual events with tools like live streaming, panel platforms, event registration, and event promotion.
Financial management. Financial management features can help associations record and process payments. It can also be used to remind members about late dues.
Communication management. This feature can help you stay connected with your members through text messages, email updates, and newsletters. Associations can also create topic boards to stimulate discussion among members.
The Best Association Management Software Platform
1. Fonteva Membership – Best for Salesforce Users
With comprehensive features and a lean and intuitive structure that can get your team up and running in no time, Fonteva Membership is one of the best AMS solutions out there.
Focused on offering your team both big-picture planning capabilities and more specific tools to fine-tune your strategies, events, and communications, Fonteva Membership is a powerful partner for any membership-based organization. Retain more members and grow like never before with one of the most agile and intuitive AMS solutions on the market!
Association management software overview: The software is built on Salesforce, the world’s leading CRM platform for businesses.
Recommended for: Fonteva membership is great for any size association because the software is completely scalable, so it can grow with your organization and integrate with other apps you use.
Favorite Feature: Member-360 provides your association with a 360-degree view of your members with insights into their engagement and interests. You can also customize membership pages for tailored experiences and seamless communication.
Pricing: Contact the Fonteva team for a demo and custom pricing.
As a fully native Salesforce app, Fonteva offers associations the power and the flexibility needed to not only fit comfortably within your operations, but also to streamline every aspect of them.
There are no growing pains with Fonteva – it’s a completely scalable solution.
As a true cloud solution, Fonteva Membership allows you to choose the functionality you need when you need it. You can easily add additional tools as your association grows and your needs change.
Other Top Picks for Association Software
2. Protech – Best for Microsoft Users
Association management software overview: Protech is built with Microsoft Dynamics 365 and is best suited for associations that use the Microsoft ecosystem. Their system includes a variety of database, financial, e-commerce, and analytics tools. If you’re searching for a platform that includes member, leadership, and staff engagement capabilities, look no further!
Recommended for: Associations who use the Microsoft suite of products and are looking for an easily-integrated AMS.
Favorite feature: Protech’s BI & Analytics feature empowers associations with automated and shareable reports like membership reports and financial reports.
Pricing: Contact the Protech team for pricing.
3. Wild Apricot
Association management software review: Wild Apricot offers powerful association management tools that would otherwise be inaccessible for mid-size associations such as a member database, website builder, payment processor, event management platform, and mobile app.
Recommended for: Smaller to mid-size associations looking for a cost-effective, scalable association management platform.
Favorite Feature: The mobile app feature allows admins and members to access their profiles on the go. If you’re an active leader that’s frequently attending region chapter settings and conferences, this can help you keep your association organized wherever you go.
Pricing: Payment plans are based on total association size including staff and members. Wild Apricot services range from $0 per month for 50 people or less to $420 per month for 15,000 total people.
4. Member Planet
Association management software review: MemberPlanet offers a lightweight association management solution with simple payment processing, a member directory, and member messaging capabilities.
Recommended for: Smaller associations or those with multiple chapters who are looking for integrated chapter solutions.
Favorite Feature: MemberPlanet’s online payments feature includes customizable payment forms, several payout options, and accepts all credit card payments, making transactions simple for you and your members.
Pricing: All versions of MemberPlanet’s association management software plans include a payment processing fee of 3% + $0.30 per transaction. Their basic plan is free with a 4% platform fee.
5. MemberClicks
Association management software review: MemberClicks can help you recruit new members, grow your revenue, and promote your organization with their suite of member-centric tools.
Recommended for: Associations looking for a tailored all-in-one association management software.
Favorite Feature: MemberClicks’ MC Professional platform can evaluate membership profiles so you can understand your engagement rates to improve retention and boost recruitment.
Pricing: Contact the MemberClicks team for pricing.
6. EZ SignUp
Association management software review: EZ SignUp is an association management software solution focused on event management. You can customize event registration forms and email templates for optimal event promotion and member engagement.
Recommended for: Associations that frequently host in-person or online events.
Favorite Feature: EZ SignUp’s flexible event pricing makes it simple to set tiered pricing, early bird deals, and member rates.
Pricing:.Contact the EZ SignUp team for pricing.
7. Novi AMS
Association management software review: Novi AMS was created by association professionals as the ultimate QuickBooks integrated association management solution. This platform has a built-in CMS and features like email marketing, member portals, and accounting.
Recommended for: Trade associations that have members join as employees of a company rather than individuals. You can track familial relationships and business affiliations when needed in this AMS.
Favorite Feature: The Novi AMS task center allows your association leadership to set and assign tasks to team members, creating incredible organization and efficient workflow within your association.
Pricing: Their scalable pricing, based on your annual revenue, starts at $685 per month with $2,495 in onboarding fees.
8. ClubExpress
Association management software review: ClubExpress is an online association management solution that is an excellent option to quickly build your website, record membership data, and process payments. After your initial sign up, your association will have access to a template website, so you can dive right into managing your events.
Recommended for: Small associations and clubs who want an online association management software solution with no download or onboarding necessary.
Favorite Feature: ClubExpress’ jobs board allows association members to publish job openings for their peers to stimulate networking and communication.
Pricing: ClubExpress has a minimum fee of $24 per month that increases per active member in your organization.
9. iMIS
Association management software review: iMIS is a platform that combines the power of AMS, CRM, and CMS to bring you an engagement management platform. It is a popular scalable solution that your association can use to streamline your membership recruitment and community-building efforts.
Recommended for: Associations focused on enhancing membership experience to help with recruitment and retention.
Favorite Feature: The iMIS membership management feature enables you to customize the online experiences of your different tiers of members.
Pricing: Contact the iMIS team for pricing.
10. Raklet
Association management software review: Raklet offers a wide range of services that you can customize for your organization’s needs. Their plans scale up depending on the size of your organization and the number of features you need.
Recommended for: Larger associations that have enough members and financial means to use the optimized plan.
Favorite Feature: Raklet’s discussion board feature allows members to connect and communicate about topics that interest them and potential career opportunities. Raklet can connect with up to 2,000 other online apps, meaning that your members have the opportunity to share their experiences.
Pricing: Raklet charges a transaction processing fee between 1-4% + $0.60 per transaction. For 1,000 members, plan coverage starts at $49 per month and ranges to $1,312 per month for 1 million members.
11. Almabase
Association management software review: Almabase is an alumni association management software with powerful tools to help cultivate your alumni membership through events, email marketing, and an online alumni forum.
Recommended for: Alumni associations focused on maintaining a close network of members and engaging them in virtual events.
Favorite Feature: Almabase can connect with Facebook and LinkedIn to provide easy ways for members to engage with their peers and view interests. Members can also create their own affinity groups within the association platform, giving them the power to facilitate their own mini events.
Pricing: Contact the Almabase team for pricing.
12. StarChapter
Association management software review: StarChapter is an excellent solution for large associations with multiple chapters looking for a streamlined approach to membership management. This association management solution allows for board members and other staff roles to be customized in the backend of the platform, allowing for greater efficiency.
Recommended for: Associations with multiple chapters looking to unite their leadership and members under a larger system.
Favorite Feature: StarChapter’s email marketing enables associations to promote events, send automated newsletters, segment their member audience, track email engagement, and receive feedback from members.
Pricing: StarChapter offers pricing based on organization size with the essentials plan starting at $83 per month with a $779 setup fee for 150 members and 1,000 additional contacts. Their pro plan is $165 per month with a $1,559 setup fee for 1,200 members and an additional 8,000 contacts.
Additional Resources
If you’re looking for more information about what features to look for in an AMS or how to use them to manage your community, look no further. Review these articles to learn more about using association management software for your organization:
- Fonteva Membership Software – Association Management Solution. Learn more about how Fonteva’s membership software can enhance your association’s community.
- Membership Directories | Complete Guide & Best Practices. Membership directories are crucial to an effective association management process. Learn the best practices for organizing yours.
- Association Management Systems: 7 Tips for a Strong Community. Having access to an association management software solution isn’t much help unless you know how to use it. Learn how to stimulate interest and engage your members through your AMS.
- Member Engagement Strategies: A Guide for Associations. Individuals won’t renew their membership if they don’t feel tied to the organization. Learn how to engage your members using the tools in your association management software.
