Choosing an Online Member Management System Ted Meyerson, Virginia Crespo Paul Bessell David Dickens Victor Bruce Emmerling

Introduction USM requires a new member management system to aid in its membership database, communications, accounting, and event planning After careful review of three online management systems, the most versatile and effective system was found to be the application called Memberclicks

Why does USM need a new Member Management System? Despite the excellent efforts of USM volunteers, the organization has grown past its current membership system Further growth may be inhibited by a lack of support through the current system

The Current USM Management System USM has several main functions that include financial management, membership record keeping, event planning, legislature advising, and communications Other activities include monthly meetings, seminars, campaigns, and newsletter promotion

Problems Found With the Current System Membership Management Financial Records Event PlanningCommunications The largest problem was found to be a breakdown in communications

Problems Found With the Current System Continued Inaccurate Member Information Bounced and failed communications

Other Problems Inaccurate payment records Disconnected event planning

A Solution An Online Member Management System

What is an Online Management System? An Online Member Management System is a set of applications integrated into a single system hosted on a web server Online Member Management Systems can be accessed by administrators with security credentials from any location Members can also use the system to update limited sections of information

Benefits of a Member Management System An integrated system that shares the same information Event planning Event registration Event payment processing Website Online Community Social Media campaigns Newsletters Notices Membership records Payment of Dues Profiles of Members MembershipCommunications Event Mangement Web Operations

Other Benefits of a Member Management System In-depth communication capabilities using a member database system Integrated payment and member profile systems A wide range of social media promotional features The ability for members to add or change their profile information and pay dues online Online event planning, automated ticket processing, and receipt capabilities

Member Management System Features Reviewed The following features are needed in a new system A member record database system Integrated communications with member database Event planning Payment processing using PayPal Website hosting features Integration and compatibility with QuickBooks Software

Online Management Systems Reviewed Memberclicks WildApricot Memberize

Memberclicks Positives: Offers an integrated, online portal with an easy to use interface Features in-depth communications features to track messaging campaigns Provides technical support for the system setup and for system maintenance Easy payment processing and event planning features Allows members to modify their personal information and pay dues Cons Expensive Longer setup period

WildApricot Pros An easy to use interface Easy web site builder application Online community support Event registration and planning Less expensive Cons Lack of features for communications Lacks customization features Lack of technical support

Memberize Pros Included web hosting with pricing In-depth reporting features Payment processing features integrated with member database Cons A lack of setup and technical support Expensive Lack of one to many membership records

Suggested Choice: Memberclicks Memberclicks was found offer the best features with the best service Sales, technical support, and setup guidance was better than what was found with other services Memberlicks is very well recommended by other customers and organizations

The Cost of Using Memberclicks Setup Fee: Complete Setup $1895 or Basic Setup $895 Monthly Costs: Services$170 Webhosting$30 Total$200 Payment Processing Fees: PayPal processing1% plus.35 per transaction

Setting Up a Memberclicks Account Depending on setup choice, member information would need to be entered Forms and screens would need to be created Event planning and communications would need to be setup Memberclicks would provide guidance and training for both types of setup

The End Resulting Benefits of Memberclicks Member records would be securely stored and be more accurate Payments for dues and events would be simplified with online receipts communications would be enhanced with a robust server and added features Anyone accessing the system would have the same information

In Conclusion Utilizing a new Online Membership Management System would help USM expand and grow in the coming years Memberclicks would offer USM the ability to expand member record keeping, event planning, campaigns, and provide automated payment processing capabilities USM could focus more time on non administrative tasks such as seminars, meetings, campaigns, and events