The AMS Guy

Wrapping up another AMS Fest in DC. It is always good to connect with my colleagues in the AMS space and to strengthen relationships! I enjoy sponsoring and supporting this effort to gather these great minds together! I'd like to give a special "shoutout" to Laura Armstrong for keeping me entertained during AMS Fest! Association TRENDS

The all-in-one AMS is no longer the “it” thing. Now the technology stack is all the rage! This is due to niche areas in technology like marketing tech or learning management systems exploding with vendor offerings, creating their own markets, and advancing the technology in their space so far that AMSs can’t keep up. Instead of competing, AMSs have collaborated with these niche technologies to create this new offering that we call a Technology Stack. It will take some getting used to the technology stack, as it does change the way we think about associations technology. But that's what consultants like the AMS guy are here for, to help you navigate this new landscape.

Make your messages more powerful and personal! The mail merge tool, which has become a staple in AMSs, pulls specific fields (like first name, last name) from a profile in your database and merges them right into your messaging. The result is personalization that plays a fundamental role in improving response rates across various communication channels. If you’d like to explore more about mail merge functionality, please don't hesitate to reach out.

Gamification is a powerful strategy that can enhance engagement and motivation within an association. It can be effectively utilized to direct members towards mission critical activities. The impact on the bottom line is a more active and engaged membership. AMSs allow organizations to employ gamification through tools like Engagement Scoring. For help exploring how to develop gamification elements that align with your association's mission and important activities, call The AMS Guy!

Associations should think outside of the box of their constitutional definition of member types and use their AMS to its full potential! Today’s AMSs have the ability to serve as that CRM tool your organization needs and capture all of the constituents that the organization touches. I have some great examples of clients that I've helped get more out of their AMS by helping them to capture all of their constituents in their system. Let's talk if you would like to learn more.

There is always a time of the year when associations experience less business activity, but downtime doesn't have to be unproductive. Slow days at work can be a welcome opportunity to learn more about your AMS tools that you've yet to explore or aren't taking full advantage of. One such tool that many tend to leave behind is dashboards. One of the most overlooked and seldom used components of an AMS is the dashboard. This powerful tool provides real-time analytics that facilitate informed decision-making yet can take an advance degree to set up. But the return on this investment can be well worth it! Need some training on specific parts of your system that you have yet to explore? Let's talk.

I had a blast at the Summer AMS Fest in Chicago! I look forward to connecting with colleagues like Benjamin Muscolino ?, Moira Edwards, Rebecca Achurch, PgMP, PMP, CSM, CAE, Wes Trochlil, Javi Seera, Laura Armstrong, Stephen Schwinn, James Marquis each year. This year's event did not disappoint! It is great to have this opportunity to network and "talk shop" with vendors such as Impexium: Association Management Solutions, Fonteva, Aevus, ToucanTech, Mem360 and to meet associations that we can help solve their technology issues and help them achieve their mission! Thank you Association TRENDS for putting on another wonderful event!

When charting your desires in your new AMS, distinguishing between your organization's wants and needs is crucial for effective decision-making. Needs are essential for your organization's survival and growth, while wants are optional and may enhance operations but aren't mission critical. The AMS Guy is here to help you recognize those things that your organization needs and desires and to understand the difference between the two.

When you get to the AMS Fest 2024 in Chicago on June 11th through 13th, be sure to have your approach to the conference ready. At the AMS fest, you can learn about more than 20 AMS platforms and additional technologies helping association serve their communities. Even if you're not in the market for a new AMS at the moment, the conference is a perfect opportunity to compare features and learn about exciting technologies in the association marketplace. Also, it is a great time to meet wonderful AMS consultants like the AMS guy that can help guide you through the selection process!