If you’re looking for a new AMS, that’s one of the most important questions you can ask. What makes your association different or unique, as compared to other associations, in terms of the kinds of data you manage?
For example, one association I’ve worked with received over 80% of their revenue from grants of one type or another. Sure they managed membership, events, committees, and other things that “typical” associations do. But what makes them unique (as compared to the vast majority of associations) is their grant management. So that’s what needed to be communicated to the AMS vendors most clearly.
The reality is, the vast majority of AMSes can manage membership, events, committees, and all those other typical association activities. Yes, they do them to different degrees and in different ways, but the vendors have seen it and understand it. What will trip you up most often is those things the vendor hasn’t dealt with frequently, if at all.
That’s why it’s important to identify what makes your association different.