Dive into the fundamentals of AMS systems, as well as our top picks for the best association management system software solutions.

AMS System: What is it? and 5+ AMS Software Solutions

The day-to-day tasks of modern association leaders are filled with emailing members about upcoming renewal dates, planning exciting events, and coming up with valuable engagement opportunities for members to enjoy.

Juggling so many different tasks isn’t easy—that’s where association management software comes in.

You might already have tools you depend on, but not every association management solution is equal. As more associations begin offering virtual programs and online events, using a reliable and comprehensive AMS system to keep your members connected is essential. Whether it’s your first time looking for a solution or you’re thinking of an upgrade, you’ve come to the right place.

This guide will walk you through the following topics to prepare your team to find the right technology for your association:

Ready to invest in an AMS that fosters a strong membership community and provides them with unforgettable programming and events? Then start your search here! 

Explore Fonteva’s all-in-one AMS system.

What is an AMS system?

In many contexts, this term can be used interchangeably with “association management software” (AMS). However, at its core, it does have a slightly different meaning. An AMS system refers to your association’s broader, more holistic approach to association management.

This term is more comprehensive, encompassing everything your association uses to manage its members and association operations. Your AMS system likely includes some kind of AMS or management tool, but it may also factor in association management services like consulting, implementation assistance, or ongoing tech support. Generally, the scope of an AMS system is wider and emphasizes the importance of management tools outside of software alone.

What is association management software?

Association management software, on the other hand, refers to comprehensive software solutions aimed to help automate and digitize many of your recurring tasks. From communicating with members to managing and planning events, your AMS should do it all. Keep in mind that this does not include any other management tools, services, or strategies that fall outside of the scope of the software.

Using these capabilities, your AMS also gathers and organizes important member information. This not only ensures you create valuable courses, events, and other programming, but it also optimizes your communications, marketing, and reporting processes.

What is Association Management?

Association management is a rather unique field as members pay dues in exchange for being a part of the community. For those seeking guidance from colleagues in the same professional field, associations provide far-reaching networking opportunities to help further their careers and increase knowledge-sharing.

Associations are usually governed through a board or an elected committee to help oversee the member journey or member experience, event planning, registration processes, and member communications. And as your membership increases and your association grows, management becomes an arduous process.
However, with specialized association management software, you can find solutions to help save time and let your team focus on big-picture goals, like increasing member engagement and retention.

What are the benefits of using an AMS system?

Benefits for your staff

Your staff works hard to provide content, educational materials, conferences, events, and ongoing opportunities for your members. Without the right technology in place, your team also has to juggle the day-to-day operations of fact-checking member profiles and tracking due payments. 

The best systems not only streamline these tasks but enhance their value, providing your association with:

  • Efficient and secure flows. When your staff and team are planning your next engagement strategy, an AMS solution can make it easier to transfer and view data from multiple databases. For example, to get a full view of your members, you might need to pull data from your event management tool as well as your membership management tool. Reliable integration capabilities are essential to make this possible. An even better option—invest in a platform solution.
  • Increased security. Consolidating your association’s information in your AMS database is more secure than having it live in an Excel spreadsheet. Association database management is more accessible to your staff when it is housed in an online software solution, and we’re not talking about a Google doc. 
  • Increased recruitment and retention. With an AMS optimizing your communications and ensuring you offer the best member experience, your association can not only acquire new prospects but also better retain current members. Plus, automatic dues payments and pre-scheduled dues reminders can also prevent members from lapsing. 
  • Decisions backed by data. With all the data collected from emails, events, and other online engagements, you can make more informed decisions about your association’s future. For instance, use data to help you figure out which marketing outreach strategy has the highest chance of success by observing past ones. Or, pick the next online webinar topic by looking through feedback from your other learning opportunities.

Benefits for your members

Your AMS system or membership platform isn’t just there to increase efficiency for behind-the-scenes operations. The member experience is reflected in your rates of member retention. The more intuitive and engaging your technology is, the more likely it is that your members will continue to contribute to your community. With an upgraded AMS system, your members will have:

  • Consistent and improved experiences. With an AMS, your association can create eye-catching websites with individual pages and forms that are simple yet effective, all completely branded to your association.
  • Access to a wide variety of relevant resources. Your association members are there to connect with others like them and learn from the experiences your association curates. Make sure your members have the resources they need. The right association management software can even create a members-only portal to provide white papers, informational guides, and educational courses.
  • Community building opportunities. In addition to advancing in their career and participating in valuable learning opportunities, individuals join your association to meet other like-minded people and be a part of a community. Your association software can promote this with online discussion boards, engaging event ideas, and much more.

What are some top AMS system features to look for?

The features you’ll want in your own association management solution will differ depending on your association’s unique needs. If you often host online webinars, an AMS with a learning management system (LMS) integration is a no-brainer, whereas another association might not find this necessary.

While every association has different priorities, no matter what, your AMS should have these essential features:

These are the essential features of an AMS system.
[These are the essential features of an association management system.]
  • Membership management. One of your most important tasks is managing your members. This not only involves member registration but what you do with their valuable member data. Gathering and storing accurate member information can impact almost all aspects of association management, so having a solution catered to this is essential.
  • Member portal. Not only can your association management software provide you with tools to oversee member information, but the best ones should also offer a member portal. This should include a navigable directory where members can learn more about other members in the association, helping them get familiar with one another. Members can even self-edit their profiles!
  • Event management. Along with managing members, you also have to provide them with exciting opportunities and valuable engagement experiences through association events. The right software solution makes it easy for attendees to register and participate in your programming, whether the event is a large conference or a small class or presentation. You should be able to register members, offer automatic discounts, and tiered registrations.
  • Financial management. Processing event registrations, membership registrations, and dues payments requires a financial management and payment tool. Make sure your system’s payment processor is secure and integrated with your other tools. Also, check that it can facilitate recurring payments to make dues payments easier.
  • Communication management. For both member and event management, you’ll need a capable communication tool, specifically one with automation features. Automated communication keeps your members in the loop and saves your team time drafting and sending each message. This way, you can focus on your content rather than when and how you’ll deliver the message.
  • Reporting tools. An AMS is the perfect tool for compiling data, so make sure yours comes with robust reporting features. Your solution should offer both customizable and pre-built reports to help you learn from past data. The best reports present data in a visually intuitive format, making it easy for anyone to understand and take action.

5+ AMS System Providers to Explore

No association management solution is built the same. Some are more comprehensive or “all-in-one,” whereas others are created to meet industry-specific needs. In order to help you find the software that’s best for your association and its members, we’ll walk through these different solutions:

  1. Fonteva Membership Software
  2. Protech
  3. MemberClicks
  4. MemberLeap
  5. NoviAMS
  6. iMIS

Fonteva: All-in-One AMS System

This is a screenshot of Fonteva's AMS system website.
[This is a screenshot of Fonteva’s association management system website. ]

Say hello to one of the most comprehensive and robust association management solutions on the market. Packed with far more power, flexibility, and capabilities than a typical AMS system, Fonteva Membership is a dedicated, all-in-one Association Software Platform built on the power of Salesforce, the world’s leading Customer Relationship Management software. The Fonteva Association Software Platform supports and nurtures both new and existing member engagement, empowering your organization, members, and staff to reach their full potential. 

Fonteva is built for associations looking to streamline processes and make the day-to-day tasks of management more effective. As a true-cloud software solution, Fonteva gives users the benefit of accessing updated data in real-time, no matter where they are. With over a decade of experience partnering with associations, Fonteva knows exactly what today’s leaders need to succeed when taking their associations online. Fonteva’s tools are flexible and built to grow with your association. 

And, as a Salesforce-native association management platform, Fonteva has access to every app on the Salesforce AppsExchange, letting you pick and choose which capabilities to add as your association expands.

Why This Association Management Solution Stands Out

Fonteva’s association management platform has functionalities to aid with any of your managerial tasks. In particular, Fonteva users can:

  • Connect members to valuable opportunities with direct access to a member directory, event calendar and sign-ups, and continuing education classes.
  • Plan and host events (both in-person and virtual), making it easy for members to sign up and engage with others in meaningful ways. 
  • Automate membership dues with its integrated payment processor. It can also apply discounts to certain members if they’re eligible when registering for an event or purchasing something from your e-commerce store. 
  • Easily create reports using compiled data to make key insights about how your association is currently performing and note areas for improvements. Fonteva offers both pre-built and customized reports that you can use. 
  • Access any of the apps on the Salesforce AppExchange as well as integrate with existing Salesforce tools with ease, something only a truly native Salesforce app can provide.
  • Fonteva Payments delivers a best-in-class payments platform that provides processing and a secure payments gateway. Additionally, it delivers a single source of truth about payments for members, with orders and payment data built-in.

Protech: AMS System Overview

This is a screenshot of the Protech AMS system website.
[This is a screenshot of the Protech association management platform website.]

Backed by the world-class Microsoft Dynamics 365 system, Protech’s association management platform has an incredible capacity for customization. With Protech, your association can skip the growing pains of setting up a new software system and immediately begin integrating and personalizing its suite of tools with a platform tailored to your specific needs.

Why This Association Management Solution Stands Out

Protech’s association management platform boasts a variety of features, such as:

  • Seamless connectivity with Microsoft AppSource tools, as well as Microsoft Office and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business applications.
  • Streamlined member and donor management features, including customizable constituent profiles, mobile outreach, and personalized communications.
  • Intuitive event management tools, from simplified registration procedures to management for exhibitor booths and transactions.

MemberClicks: AMS System Overview

This is a screenshot of MemberClicks' AMS system website.
[This is a screenshot of MemberClicks’ association management system website. ]

MemberClicks is an AMS that serves all types of associations, chambers, and universities. With MemberClicks, you can simplify the way your association engages with members, while also providing them with a platform of integrated tools to take their experience to the next level. 

Why This Association Management Solution Stands Out

MemberClicks offers these capabilities: 

  • Integrated learning management system to provide members with exciting opportunities.
  • Dues management tool to make payment and reporting easy.
  • Association website building tools to stay connected with members online.

MemberLeap: AMS System Overview

This is a screenshot of MemberLeap's AMS system website.
[This is a screenshot of MemberLeap’s association management system website.]

MemberLeap offers affordable and easy-to-use software that helps any association streamline its basic member-based administrative duties. Because of its flexible build, associations and organizations of all sizes can leverage MemberLeap’s platform with ease.

Why This Association Management Solution Stands Out

Check out these top features from MemberLeap:

  • Member database so that you can easily manage members, cross reference data points, and search for key metrics.
  • A mobile app that allows members to have quick and easy access to various MemberLeap tools.
  • Email tools that can set up drip campaigns, organize message boards, create and send out newsletters, and more.

NoviAMS: AMS System Overview

This is a screenshot of NoviAMS AMS system website.
[This is a screenshot of NoviAMS association management system website.]

Novi AMS is an AMS solution that is both designed by and for association professionals. Specifically, they tend to cater to trade associations, aiming to help their members develop professionally and make valuable connections with each other. Additionally, NoviAMS makes it easy for your association to keep track of important accounting information through its integration with QuickBooks.

Why This Association Management Solution Stands Out

Here are some of the top features of NoviAMS:

  • 2-way, 24/7 integration with QuickBooks, making it easy to track invoices, online payments, and other important financial data.
  • Web building tools to help trade association professionals create a beautiful and engaging website without the necessary coding experience. 
  • Flexible member types, allowing associations to organize members by whether they’re company-based, individual, or a hybrid combination.

iMIS: AMS System Overview

This is a screenshot of iMIS AMS system website.
[This is a screenshot of iMIS association management system website.]

iMIS association management software is a system created by ASI, Advanced Solutions International. It aims to help associations streamline member engagement and encourage growth within their membership base. 

Why This Association Management Solution Stands Out

With iMIS, you have access to these features:

  • A library of features and add-on apps that you can enable/disable for a customized experience.
  • A visual dashboard that helps you turn hard data and metrics into actionable insights.
  • A modern, cloud-based solution, allowing staff members access even from their mobile phones.

From recruitment to retention, your association management system is the most efficient tool in your association’s toolbox. Engaging your members in a strong member community starts with forethought and the best software available! When it comes time to start comparing various association management software solutions, prioritize the features discussed above.

For more information about association and membership management software, check out these additional resources:

Download our guide to determine which association management software will function best with your AMS system!