I was trading emails with my colleague (and fellow AMS consultant) George Breeden recently, and he raised an issue that I’ve long felt was missing from essentially every AMS vendor out there. George put it this way: The vendors should be taking proactive steps to maintain and build the relationships, not just in a reactive […]
One for the AMS Vendors: Get PROACTIVE Read More »
Recently I began receiving emails from a political advocacy organization that has views that are, shall we say, completely counter to mine. I suspect one of my "funny" friends may have signed me up. That's all well and good, except that the emails don't provide any opt-out information. There is a link to their "privacy
Are you providing opt-out information? Read More »
In this post I talked about IT salaries in the general population. At the time I wasn’t aware that ASAE had updated their Association Compensation book, but now that I have a copy of it, I can report how the association salaries compare to the at-large IT population. It’s difficult to make an absolute apples-to-apples
Association IT Salaries Read More »
Many associations struggle with the relationship they have with their software vendor. There are many reasons for this, but a primary one is expectations. Too often, associations expect immediate response from their vendors, and perhaps more importantly, they expect immediate resolution to their problems. Rob Gates of SHRM recently posted the following note to the TMA
Working with your vendor Read More »
A client of mine sent me a note last week pointing out that L-Soft, the makers of Listserv software, has voluntarily entered bankruptcy (Chapter 11) in order to deal with a long-term legal battle they've been having. You can read all about it here. For those of you using L-Soft products, I don't think you
L-Soft Voluntarily Enters Bankruptcy Read More »
On behalf of a client, I had the opportunity to see a brief demo of iMIS 15 last week. My client is on iMIS 10.4 and is wondering whether they should upgrade to iMIS 15. Following the demo, it was unanimous: there is no compelling reason to upgrade at this time. ASI has been advertising
iMIS 15: Color Me Unimpressed Read More »
Over the years I’ve frequently heard and read about associations looking for good RFP models for selecting a new association management systems. I have an RFP model that I’ve used for years with my clients, and now I’m making that RFP available to the association masses. You can read all about it here. This RFP
New RFP Shell Available (Shameless Plug) Read More »
The key to successful data management is not choosing the right AMS (though obviously that's critical) but rather how you use the AMS once you have it. My clients who are most successful are those that actively manage their database, rather than just allowing it to be used as a giant electronic card file. So
Active vs. Passive Data Management Read More »
When developing an RFP on behalf of my clients, one of the items we'll discuss is "nice-to-haves" vs. "must-haves" on the list. That is, identifying which functionality the system must absolutely provide, or otherwise it cannot be considered. This activity can actually be more difficult than it sounds. For example, working with a client recently,
Must-haves vs. Nice-to-haves Read More »
One of the cardinal rules when buying a new association management system is to be sure to check references. Presumably the references the vendor provides you are clients of theirs that are happy with the product and services. Of course, it's important to check with references, but one element of reference checking that is often
Checking references; look for the older clients Read More »