I work with associations of all sizes, ranging from zero staff (all-volunteer run) to over 700 staff. One thing I’ve noticed over the past couple of years is that, regardless of association size, more and more associations are seeing an increasing demand from their members for online learning. As a result, more of my clients are adding learning management systems (LMS) to their technology ecosystem.
This importance is reflected in the industry itself, as we’ve seen at least two AMS vendors in the past year acquire LMS companies in order to integrate those products into their core AMS offering. And other AMS vendors have been or are soon to offer their own version of LMS products within their AMS.
I think this is a trend that is not going away. As this Forbes article notes (from a year ago already!), the LMS market is big and getting bigger. Not just in the association market, but across all market segments.
As these products proliferate outside the association market, it is only a matter of time before your members start asking for similar options and opportunities from your organization. So if you haven’t considered an LMS for your association, it might be time to start looking.