Elyse Savaki, a MemberClicks solution adviser, shared her notes from a session at ASAE’s Annual Meeting and Expo titled Get Your Data Under Control, which was presented by Kevin Conley, Wes Trochlil and Denise Streszoff.

Your organization’s data can be extremely powerful if you know how to properly harness it. Be sure you’re only keeping track of fields and guidelines you actually need. Not only create, but also executive data integrity reports. Formal training is absolutely necessary to be sure your organization knows how to properly use its database.

For training purposes, create a test environment. Many association management software companies will do this if they offer implementation and training. Additionally, integrating your AMS with your e-mail client (such as Outlook) can be extremely beneficial and save you a lot of time. Create one “source of truth” for your organization by eliminating shadow systems and redundant databases. Having to sort through duplicate information will only lead to frustration, and if you’re a small staff association professional, you need your AMS to save you time, not create more headaches.

Many organizations find it useful to track all volunteer activity — even non-financial and non-volunteer activity and interactions. You can use your “Notes” field to track all of your interactions with individuals, whether on a formal volunteer basis or not.

Be sure to properly utilize the tags feature. If you tag everything by topic, you should have little to no trouble finding data at a later date. By setting realistic benchmarks for data accuracy (such as performing an integrity report at regular intervals), you will ensure that your database continues to be as powerful as possible. It truly can be the backbone of your organization, if you’ll let it.

One major thing that stuck with Elyse was “Pursue success, not perception.” A database can be deceptively organized and almost tidy-looking, but if you can’t find information easily, or if you’re not tracking the right things, it can be a huge mess and a lot to sort through. And as a small staff association professional, you need your database to save you time, money and frustration.

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What are the top three questions associations should ask before choosing an association management software provider?

How should assns and vendors work together to ensure a solid ongoing relationship?

How often should execs review their systems?

This week’s Association Chat on Twitter discussed these questions and more, and was quite a lively conversation. (Read the transcript here.)

If you’re unfamiliar with Association Chat, it’s hosted by Delcor‘s KiKi L’Italien every Tuesday at 2 p.m. ET. Association professionals discuss hot topics via Twitter using the hashtag #assnchat. This week’s chat discussed AMS and CRM solutions for organizations, and the issues organizations face when choosing one.

Every organization has different needs, and I think it’s important to remember that the reason there are so many different options on the market is to fit a variety of needs. If there was just one solution for every organization, it would likely be full of bugs and there’s no way it would be able to comprehensively meet everyone’s needs. Additionally, some organizations want more features from their AMS than others, every organization is a different size … the list goes on and on.

Suffice it to say that, although it can be overwhelming for your organization to choose an AMS, it’s definitely a good thing to have a few different options. Here are a few guidelines to consider when choosing an AMS.

1. Who’s involved? Who in your organization is going to be involved in the shopping process? If your organization is very small (fewer than five or 10 staffers), perhaps everyone should be involved. But who will be regularly using or be affected by the product?

2. How long will it take? Define a timeline for evaluating, implementing and launching the new system. Take things into account such as your upcoming events, membership drive and renewal period – the AMS may be able to streamline those processes. Set date ranges for discovery, demonstrations, questions, decision-making and going live.

3. What do you need? Put together and prioritize a list of all requirements, wish list items and goals that you hope the new AMS will address. Be sure to consult with your organization’s administrators to see what pain points they’re experiencing, and clearly differentiate between the wish-list and must-have items.

4. What can you afford? Factor in the time and human resources the new AMS may save, or even the new revenue streams, such as sponsorship or job board revenue, the new AMS may generate.

5. Who’s out there? Learn abut the different AMS vendors that are in the market. Create a short list. Reach out to similar organizations to see what vendor they are using. Contact ASAE for a list of AMS vendors or use its Buyers’ Guide to search for vendors that meet your needs.

6. Talk to the vendors. Of course, reach out to a list of vendors to get more information. Schedule a time to review your needs, requirements and business challenges.

7. See it in action. Schedule an online demo to see the solution in action. If possible, get your organization’s evaluating committee to participate in the demo, which will help streamline the process.

8. Ask the right question. In addition to exploring the software’s features during the evaluation process, there are so many additional questions you should ask the vendor.

- What is included in the setup?
- What does the implementation process entail, and how long does it take?
- Are product updates included or must you upgrade the software to receive updated features?
- How often is the product updated?
- What technical support and training is included and what are those charges?
- How secure and reliable is the software?
- What additional hardware or software is needed for installation?
- How many admin licenses are included?
- Who hosts the software?
- Who owns the data and website – the client or the vendor?
- What are the vendor’s terms of cancellation?
- If you’re looking at web design as part of the AMS solution, does the vendor use stock templates or is the website custom-designed?
- How does the vendor handle payment processing? Is the vendor PCI Compliant?

There are a great deal of factors to consider when choosing a new AMS. The good new is, with so many options on the market, there’s bound to be a vendor that best fits your organization’s needs.

Happy Friday! I’m back from the Georgia Society of Association Executives’ Annual Meeting today, and I had a great time meeting attendees and fellow exhibitors! I’ll post a recap on Monday, as well as some more photos. (For the first set of photos, check out yesterday’s post.)

I was in catch-up mode this morning to read some of the great blog posts from the past week. Here are a few of the ones that stood out.

1. Want to be popular at an airport or conference? Bring a power strip. Jeffrey Cufaude points out that those with power strips are “instant heroes,” and asks how leaders can apply the same principle to their professional lives. Leaders should make the culture conducive to success by providing necessary tools. Fantastic metaphor.

2. Elizabeth Weaver Engel brought the National Restaurant Association’s flashmob dance to my attention the other day, and asked if your organization could (or would) do something similar. Ben Martin posted a response, saying he wasn’t sure the flashmob was really necessary, and asking if it added any value to the event. What do you think?

3. Bruce Hammond highlighted what could possibly be the future of magazines (and publishing in general) with a really cool video. Is your organization considering tablets and iPads for its publications? Bruce believes you should at least think about it, especially as younger people are increasingly tech savvy.

4. I loved Wes Trochlil’s post about why so many association management software companies exist. There is no “best” solution for all associations — every organization’s needs are different, and different AMS solutions offer different benefits and functionalities. There are always a few AMS’ that are good fits, but it can take a little work to find the best one for your organization.

5. David M. Patt summarized a presentation given by Kristin Smith of WOMMA: The right way to use social media. Of course, there isn’t necessarily a “best” strategy for every organization, but there are definitely some practices to keep in mind, such as being authentic and realizing that not all audiences use the same social media tools.

Well, that’s all for this week. It’s been a crazy one!

If you’re going to be in Atlanta next Thursday, June 10, you’re invited to Bites & Brews, a happy hour for association professionals. We wanted to continue the conversation from GSAE and provide a casual atmosphere to wind down the workweek, so we’ll be at Gordon Biersch in Buckhead from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Please stop by!

Have a great weekend!

This fall marks the beginning of some exciting changes here at MemberClicks! As more small-staff associations seek to more efficiently manage their membership and data, they’re looking for membership software solutions to streamline operations and automate payments. In response to an increased demand, the MemberClicks team is excited to announce several exciting expansions.

“Small-staff associations continue to provide valuable resources to their members, who represent almost half of the American Society of Association Executive’s 23,000 constituents,” President Thomas Howard said. “Our goal has always been to keep technology refreshing for them, and we’re excited to be growing as more small-staffs are realizing the potential of technology.”

Recently, we introduced a social media strategy service geared specifically toward small-staff associations. Additionally, we’re seeking to hire new team members as we gear up for the release of a new product version in early 2010 — it’s going to be pretty major!

With the new growth, a new office became essential. In November, we’re moving our headquarters to the Piedmont Center, a wooded campus of 15 buildings spanning 52 acres. The Center is located in the heart of Buckhead, Atlanta’s financial and business hub.

“Our move to Piedmont Center will double the square footage of our office and allow for further expansion in all departments, as well as the introduction of a new department,” Director of Operations Brandon Wycherley said.

Other companies in the Piedmont Center include Kaiser Permanente, Time Warner, CBS/Viacom, eMag Solutions LLC and Allied North American Insurance.

Check out the original press release here.

Photo courtesy of The Piedmont Center’s Web site.

Happy Friday! It’s pretty dreary and drizzly here in Atlanta — I hope everyone else’s Friday is sunnier. To round out the week, I thought I’d share some of my favorite association management-related blog posts from the week. I’m sharing links all day, every day at our Twitter stream, but here are a few of my recent favorites.

1. Wes Trochlil shared a theory on why many associations don’t invest in technology. I think he hit the nail on the head — association leaders should start thinking about long-term goals and how technology will benefit the organization down the road, rather than in just the next few years.

2. In the aftermath of Tuesday’s #assnchat about chapters and social media, Peggy Hoffman elaborated on a key point: social media shouldn’t be explored for social media’s own sake. Explore your options (there’s more out there than just Facebook!) and have a clear goal in mind.

3-4. An Acronym post created quite a stir this week, discussing whether or not the association membership model was dying or evolving. Tony Rossell responded at the Membership Marketing Blog with a well thought-out piece. He’s “not ready just yet to put association membership in the grave,” and gave several reasons, citing the Membership Marketing Benchmarking Report.

5. I really loved the latest post at the Association Executive Management blog, reminding us of a simple lesson: your time is not free. Too often we forget our time is worth money! It’s a valuable resource — there are only 24 hours in a day, so use them wisely.

I hope everyone has a great weekend!