So we're all in lock-down. Member events cancelled. Annual conference in doubt. Training moved online. Committee meetings a Zoom nightmare. Requests for subscription refunds a distinct possibility.  So is now really a good time to consider changing membership systems or re-vamping the website?  

Well, factor number one is: how well have existing systems coped with the situation? Those who had already switched to cloud-based systems are feeling smug. They are already providing anywhere, anytime access for admin staff, and there are no issues with shared spreadsheets or servers in unmanned offices. Those with simple-to-use renewal and event back-ends have been able to back up staff responsibilities without re-training. Those who have admin-friendly websites are quickly able to update messages on the home page themselves, and even set up a web-shop in a couple of hours for online orders. 

Factor number two is time. No conference to organise until next year. No monthly events to attend. Once all the cancellations and refunds are done, dare I say you might have time on your hands? OK, so you are still trying to hold down your day job...and with the kids at home all day. But maybe, over a dull weekend, you might take a look at what a new, all-in-one membership system could do for you and your organisation.

How does reducing the time you spend on member-admin, getting rid of insecure spreadsheets, providing online card payments, and improving resilience during times like these sound? Oh, and you could probably save money too. With a cloud product like Wild Apricot you could have a single source of members' data, with self-service updating, and fully automated renewals, linked direct to unlimited e-mailing, with built-in event management, and quite a capable website builder, also linked to member profiles, with restricted areas, member directories, event listings, member forums, and a web-shop for member-discount items. 

So why not take a look here, and then contact me for a chat here. 

Make the Covid Crisis a time when you tidied up your filing, your garden, and your organisation's membership management. And by the way, implementing a cloud system doesn't involve any face-to-face contact, and I've been running projects and training with Zoom for about 3 years.