Doug's Discussions

A joke I always liked from pre-satnav days was of a city motorist lost in the countryside asking a local for directions. “If I was going where you want to go, I wouldn’t start from here,” came the reply. This advice has often crossed my mind when it comes to choosing the core software that will be running a business. For example, most membership solutions these days will have a wide range of modules for CRM, events, website, email, forums, donations, and so on. As you go through the selection process you will undoubtably be told by each vendor that their solution can do all of these things – and it’s probably true.

But the key question is, which of these things does it do well, and which capabilities are more limited. Almost by definition, none of the solutions is likely to be the best in all of these areas (or if it is, it may well be out of your price range!). Taking that on board, the next key question is which of these capabilities is the most fundamental in your own organization? Do you need a flexible website under in-house control? Do you have a sales/recruitment team that needs to be managed and coordinated? Are your events complex and financially critical? Do you need support for donor telemarketing? Is your key focus creating and sustaining a vibrant community? Or is the first and foremost requirement robust and capable membership management and straightforward hands-off renewals? 

Which brings me back to the city motorist. Most software solutions in this area didn’t set out to be the multi-purpose tools that they are now. They may have started as a core membership product, or membership may have been added to a CRM system, or to a community forum product, or to an events management system, or to a website builder. Many open source web CMS products have add-on membership offerings, and some email marketing systems have sophisticated list management. Of course, once you see the sexy features offered from one of these “specialist” products, they become a must-have for your chosen solution, even if core membership isn’t so good, or website management involves an integration exercise.  

So, much like that motorist, if you know where you want to go, and what the core need for your business is, then aligning with a solution that started in that same place is the most likely to give you a successful solution. Adding the additional capabilities may involve compromises, but at least your core needs will be solved in a rock solid way.

"One day we really need to sort out our membership management/update our website/get online subscription payments/standardise our event management..." We've all heard this, and we've also heard the excuses, "But the Membership Sec. is wed to his spreadsheets",  "We don't have the technical knowledge/money/time", "We have more important priorities". And so it rolls on round for another year. The committee changes, the trustees move on, a new CEO is appointed, the member admin retires, and membership records get into even more of a mess,

So how do we get out of this spiral? Well, the first thing to do is get "New membership management system and/or website" onto the minutes of the board meeting, committee meeting or AGM. Ideally, a working party or a knowledgeable individual would be set up to look into it, but more realistically, it will likely roll through a number of meetings without being addressed, often because it's hard to estimate how much it will cost, and how much work will be involved.

The solution? Set an outline budget for the project, both in terms of the setup costs, and the ongoing costs. But how much? There are many possible solutions, and they all have different costing mechanism. Much will depend on how many paying memberships you have, how many total email addressees you need to keep track of, and how many emails you send a month. 

In my experience, a system for managing, say, 100 paying members and a further 100 contact emails will cost around £750 a year including web hosting and e-blasts. If you have a mix of member organisations, contacts and prospects at, say, 2,000 total, annual costs will be somewhere around the £2,500 mark, jumping to £4,500 for up to 5,000 mailable contacts/members.

But what about the costs of getting started? The first point to make is that a cloud or SaaS product is likely to have no up-front charges, and will probably have a short trial period for free, and can be paid for by the month. But how easy is it to get up and running? Well, if your starting point is an existing spreadsheet of members, and you are going for a new-look website, any reasonably tech-savvy staff or committee member should be able to follow the step-by-step instructions and videos that most cloud-based packages use.

On the other hand, if you need to migrate data from an existing system, if you have complex membership structures, if you need the website to match an existing front-end or design, if you don't have a suitable project manager, or if you simply don't have enough time from your day jobs, then you should consider appointing a consultant to help you. 

How much do they cost? Well it could be anything from a few hundred pounds for a small project using a one-man specialist consultant, to several thousand pounds for a complex project, or from a generic IT consultancy firm. Don't be afraid to ask, and don't be put of by the "Ahh it depends..." response. The way to word it is "How much do typical projects like ours generally end up costing?"  

Before taking these numbers back to your board or committee, check out whether there are any charitable grants, discounts or pro bono arrangements that might apply - many companies loan out staff as part of their corporate social responsibility (CSR) program. Also, there are now many retirees from long careers in IT who may be willing to help a charity.  

When you do take the numbers back, present them in an easy-to-relate way. How much of each subscription paid would need to be diverted in order to fund the ongoing cost of a reliable and robust collection system? What proportion of members fail to renew each year due to poor reminders? What proportion of an admin's salary would you be spending to equip them with modern and productive tools? What would happen if they left the organisation? Is the old-fashioned website putting people off, especially on phones and tablets? Who knows how to update it, and how long could a breakdown be tolerated? Are members always asking to pay online, or complaining about misdirected emails? 

If you need help to put a case together, contact us, and we'll be happy to guide you, with no obligation.

Changing membership systems is a bit like moving house. "Time for a good old clear out!" goes the cry. "Let's get rid of all those obsolete and duplicated records". This is not a bad plan, but in my experience, the execution is always a problem. 

The first instinct is to fix the data in the current system, then export it, so as to import nice shiny data into the new system. There are two problems with this. The first is that this cleaning process needs resource, and probably from someone who is already overloaded - after all, that's why you're going to a new system. The result is delay to the overall project, and probably a half-hearted clean-up as well. The second problem is that the existing system probably doesn't have good tools for filtering and de-duplicating - again, that's why you are changing. 

So the next instinct is to export the data to spreadsheets, and do the tidying up there. Although spreadsheets can have reasonable filtering and good de-duplication, if you need to merge data it gets tricky. And if you have linked data across multiple spreadsheets, this is a recipe for disaster. Oh, and if anything gets accidentally deleted it may not even be noticed, especially as there will be time pressure to go-live on the new system. Having said that, spreadsheets are good at search-and-replace, so this is a good place to fix terminology, reduce pick-lists, and add new tags. Practice on a test export, and document so you can repeat on the go-live data.

Counter-intuitive as it may seem, it often makes sense to move your data to the new system as-is, and then use the new tools you have to filter, de-duplicate and merge. If the new system has member self-service, get them to update their own profiles. If you have separate archive and delete capabilities, set up a workflow between staff to maximise member-knowledge and experience. Write a procedure to nail down the de-duplicate process. 

A very useful feature for those adopting this kind of post-processing is selective export and re-import. If just one or two fields need to be merged or updated, they can be exported to a spreadsheet along with the key index (usually membership number), amended using search and replace or spreadsheet functions, and then re-imported to overwrite just those fields in those records. Scary, but very effective.

The only problem with post migration clean-up, is that much like moving house, it's very tempting just to put all the clutter in the new garage or loft with the firm intention of sorting it out "at your leisure", and we all know how that turns out. 

I often talk to small associations, clubs and charities who are looking to replace their membership management system, often referred to as the back-end or back-office. When I take a look at their website (or front-end) sometimes it looks in definite need of an overhaul, with too few pictures, dull text and not at all mobile friendly. Often, however, I see that the non-profit has already invested in a decent front-end website, most often these days using WordPress. 

If the website is out of date (or out of favour, or proving expensive to manage) it makes sense to pick a new membership management system that also contains a website-builder and CMS (Content Management System), and to re-build the front end to modern standards. They will then have a single go-to system to manage their website, administer their member logins and renewals, restrict member-only content, email their newsletters, and run events too. Most membership management back ends do not have an integral website builder, and so the choice for a UK organisation often comes down to Wild Apricot at the cheaper end of the market or iMIS for larger associations. 

If the front-end is a nice shiny new WordPress template, it makes no sense to replace it. It may be that whoever created their WordPress site has implemented a member login system using an add-in, or is using some other way to protect member-only data. It's unlikely, however, that this system will be connected to the membership sign-up or on-line renewal process. Events are likely to be on Eventbrite and emailing is via Mail Chimp, both involving spreadsheet exchanges for member discounts and newsletter mail-outs. 

Does this mean that Wild Apricot is no longer the best choice? Not necessarily. It certainly will open up more possibilities, but Wild Apricot still does lot's of things that can be difficult without some form of web-builder. Firstly, the member self-administration pages can be style-matched to the WordPress front-end - more reassuring than a complete change of context. Same with the member-only content pages. Events can be moved back on board, and there will be no additional charges for emailing. Wild Apricot now offers a built-in web-shop, so no problems with handling member discounts. 

There are also two levels of integration available between the front and back end. Most of the sites I've done have a simple mechanism of menu switching between the WordPress front-end pages and the Wild Apricot member-orientated back-end pages. It's not seamless, but it is easy to maintain. In effect we create a members' sub-site. Alternatively, Wild Apricot has created dedicated APIs specific to WordPress that allow a deeper integration of logins, etc. Either way, you don't have to scrap all the good work that went into the WordPress site, although over time it may make sense to successively migrate the content to Wild Apricot to bring it all under one roof. 

Search the internet for charity management software and hundreds of choices will crop up. Some will focus on CRM functions for fund-raising teams, others on donation management, and most will include a form of subscription management. These packages will range from those big enough to run an Oxfam or a British Heart Foundation down to a local school PTA or a sports team. 

A search for association management software will produce a much more limited list. Trade associations, professional bodies, and clubs differ from charities in a few key ways. Firstly, they are much more likely to be event orientated, running meetings, excursions, training courses, AGMs and conferences. Secondly, part of the membership proposition may include access to useful articles, academic papers or how-to guides listed in a members-only area on the website. They may also run training classes and certifications, and these will almost certainly carry a member's discount. 

Thirdly, and this is a real differentiator between charities and associations, even though there is only one paid membership, member privileges may well extend to other employees, colleagues or family members. This "one membership:multiple members" is a tricky problem to solve in a simple way. It can be considered as a bundle of memberships, or as multiple contacts within a single member organization. Either way, there is generally a main contact or bundle administrator who takes care of paying the membership. They provide the ongoing point of contact, pulling together the additional people within the group, family or organization who will also have web logins and will share member benefits.

And here is the crunch. Managing multiple contact profiles per membership subscription is a huge administrative overhead for the association. These days, users and members are used to maintaining their own profiles in a self-service way, but providing that capability for a bundle administrator or main contact to list their local team or group, and maintain it online themselves, is a huge differentiator between charity software and association software - and it saves a huge amount of form-filling, data-keying and updating. Even then, some of the longest established heavyweight AMS systems still don't have this basic functionality sorted out, and for others it requires technical integration between the website and the members database.

Even with self-service for multiple memberships, and individual logins, there is the problem of one email address used for more than one individual or family member...but that's an issue for another day!   

GDPR seems to be cropping up as an agenda item for many of my charity and association clients right now - and quite right too. The EU's somewhat onerous General Data Protection Regulation comes in to force at the end of May and there is no way to avoid it. Even after Brexit, it may well carry over, and in any case, it will apply to the personally identifiable information you hold on any EU citizen. Organisations of less than 250 employees have more leeway as to what is required, but the basics still apply.

The first thing to say is that GDPR is a required code of practice, not a certification: you cannot pass or fail - but you can be deemed non-compliant, with potentially large fines. Secondly, the fact that you are using Wild Apricot to centrally store, manage and delete ("forget") your member's information already improves compliance compared to multiple spreadsheets, paper application forms, credit card slips and email lists. Thirdly, you need to keep a record of the steps you take to ensure compliance, so now is a good time to create or update those Wild Apricot procedure documents you keep meaning to write.

GDPR will affect your use of Wild Apricot in a couple of ways.

The most obvious is your duty of care to protect your members' data. There are tough reporting requirements if you should suffer a breach - and scary fines. Now in my view, poor perimeter security of your system - ie, user logins and passwords is much more likely to get you in trouble than the internal security of the Wild Apricot servers. Wild Apricot are your "data processor" whereas you are the "data controller", and you both need to be compliant. They have recently moved their data hosting to AWS,  (Amazon Web Services - yes, the Amazon) and this should allow them to achieve compliance with the EU-US Privacy Shield, or to move accounts to a European data centre. Their policy for GDPR compliance are outlined here, along with some tips for member organisations here.

GDPR also requires you to obtain consent from your members (and contacts) to hold information about them, and to only use that information in the way you stated - including sending them emails. Now while some people's reading of GDPR is that you will need to adopt a "hard" opt-in approach to email, other legal opinion is that existing opt-out mechanisms are sufficient as long as you can justify "legitimate use" based on a clear relationship, genuine mutual interest, balance of interests, and expected and appropriate processing. To me, this means that emailing members on an opt-out basis is fine, but you do need to be careful as to the source of your non-members contact list, and your emails need to be informative and/or entertaining. In particular, you need an overall privacy statement on your website, and some additional wording on subscription forms and membership applications about why you store the data and what you will use it for (including any sharing with other members).

So, as I said in my original blog way back in April 2016, it's likely that the ICO (Information Commissioners Office) is only going to come after you if you have a data breach, and most potential data breaches in membership organisations come from the proliferation of spreadsheets, email lists, backups, etc, that get stored on servers, home PCs, laptops, USB sticks and mobile devices. Using a cloud system like Wild Apricot actually reduces some of this risk, but it does require you to take admin passwords seriously - particularly for ex-employees, interns, volunteers and contractors (like me!). You also need to assure yourself that the data hosts are trustworthy, and that the data is hosted in a reputable country. In other words, take due diligence, but don't get too hung up about it.

I was invited through Memnet to take part in a Benchmarking Survey for membership organisations the other day. In a previous life, I ran over 50 surveys asking users of document management software about their business issues and the efficacy of their software solutions, so this one piqued my interest. We always took care to provide value to the respondent of a survey - to make it worth their while. Sure enough, these well thought out questions read almost as a management checklist for good practice and innovative marketing ideas. You can take the survey here though it may well have closed when you read this, so here is a list of the questions. 

As a starting point, I was interested to see the sheer range of membership organisations listed, from professional bodies and institutes, through trade associations and local business groups, charities and lobby groups, social clubs, fan clubs, sports clubs and religious groups. When I tell people what I do, it's this wide range of interests under the generic term "associations and charities" that kicks off the conversation, and I can honestly say that I have had interest in Wild Apricot from almost all these types of organisation.  But despite this variety, most of the questions in the survey describe the same issues faced by all membership organisations. 

As fuel for your annual offsite strategy meeting, there are some great questions in the survey. "What do you believe are the main reasons members join your organisation?" is a great starting point, and likely to show very different perceptions across trustees, managers and operational staff.  "What are your greatest recruitment challenges?" is another goody, including answers such as "Competition" and "Making joining easy" plus, of course, the perennial issue, "Creating a powerful/challenging/appealing membership package", 

There is also a provocative question of "How much do you spend on member recruitment?" and as a marketing man, i would add "as a percentage of membership income?". There is then a list of 24 different marketing methods, some free, some not, and 10 different social media options.

Then come two real zingers, "How long do members generally stay on?" and  "What are the main reasons why members leave?". The answer to the first one should come from your member database. The second one is likely to be based on gut feel unless you do exit surveys...you do don't you?

There's loads more, including, of course, one about data and technology challenges. And that's where we can help.

All organisations hesitate to push the Go-button when it comes to a major system implementation - and quite rightly so, as these decisions are likely to affect the business for the next ten years (assuming it is a good choice of system: much less if not!). For non-profits and charities the decision to commit can take much longer. 

Firstly, the key players - treasurer, membership administrator, publicity officer - may all be volunteers, needing to find time on top of their day jobs to become familiar with what's available and evaluate how different solutions would match their own needs. Free trials can be a great way of bringing everyone up to speed, but it helps if some prototyping can be done to customize data fields and set up basic membership types.

Secondly, a new system project might well be one of the biggest costs to be funded by an organization that prides itself on directing a high percentage of its funds towards the charitable aim. This is where infrastructure grants can be attractive as they defuse this issue. Be sure to include year-on-year costs of a service-based license as an alternative to upfront software purchase, but don't neglect help that may be needed to get-up-and-running. In the absence of a grant, calculate the costs as a percentage of each member's subscription that will go towards attracting, managing and retaining them.

Thirdly, the decision to go ahead with a new system should be confirmed by the trustees for a charity, or by a formal meeting of the management committee for a club. The reason for this is that adapting to a new system will never be plain sailing, and if there are hiccups, it helps to have a minuted decision. 

Finally, if there are secretariat staff involved, they need to be consulted and encouraged to buy-in to the selection process. Once the project goes ahead, they will also need a set of working procedures and suitable training.

If all of this sounds like too much hard work, bear in mind that the value proposition for membership of your organization is likely to be moving rapidly away from a regular printed magazine to informative email newsletters, a content-rich website, and well organised events. Your members will also be expecting to pay online and receive email reminders and follow ups. Managing all of this smoothly, attractively and legally without a robust membership, web and email management system is going to be much harder in the long run. 

Every organisation has an annual cycle, even if it isn't as defined as the academic year of a school or a university. It may be driven by annual events, product launches, the budgeting cycle, or by the seasons themselves, For membership organizations, there may well be a peak renewals month, or the AGM or conference, or the annual audit procedure, or the trustees strategy meeting. 

Wouldn't it be be nice to avoid all that merging and updating before the renewals round, or to register conference attendees online and collect card payments, or to improve newsletter circulation and have members-only content as part of the membership proposition? All of these things can be automated with a new AMS (Association Management System) using the latest cloud-based or SaaS services, and for not much money (see Wild Apricot as an example here).

 While these systems are easy to run once in place, changing your AMS is a project, and it needs to be planned as one, and it will need time - evaluation time, decision time, setup time, migration time and test time. And as my old boss used to say, the reason most projects finish late is that they start late...