Associations Evolve 2025 and Beyond

Summary: Associations must focus on member experience and team readiness when selecting technology. By aligning tools with strategic goals, maintaining systems, and prioritising people over platforms, associations can enhance member engagement, streamline operations, and remain adaptable in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.

Association management is a complex business. Multiple events, programs, and initiatives, along with the continuous effort to build and maintain member relationships and grow the community, are a lot to handle for usually small association teams. Unlike transactional businesses, associations thrive on ongoing engagement, requiring a constant connection with their members. This is further complicated by the fact that associations often operate with smaller budgets and leaner teams compared to their corporate counterparts. Managing an association and delivering member services increasingly rely on smart technology use. In recent years, a number of digital tools have emerged specifically designed to enrich customer interactions and streamline the way we connect with our members. As we look to the future, it’s clear that the success of associations will be deeply influenced by how effectively they adopt and integrate these technologies.

Cutting Through the Tech Jungle

Thankfully, we live in an age where technology can significantly ease the burden of association management. The number of technological tools available today is staggering. In 2024, the marketing technology landscape alone saw a 27.8% growth, with 14,106 marketing technology (MarTech) products on the market*.

However, the abundance of options can make choosing the right technology overwhelming. It’s tempting to stick with the systems you’ve been using for years, especially when internal resistance to change is high. But the reality is that your members’ expectations are continually evolving. In their daily lives, they experience seamless interactions with consumer brands that offer topnotch user experiences. If your platforms are slow, clunky, or difficult to use, you risk losing their attention and engagement and being seen as an old-school ‘stale’ organisation.

The Mission-Critical Objective: Member Experience

Improving member experience (MX) is not just a business objective; it’s mission-critical. In both the 2022 and 2024 Association Industry Digital Trends surveys, enhancing member experience was highlighted as a top priority for association executives.

Starting your technology selection process by reviewing your member and team experience ensures that the tools you choose are aligned with what truly matters: delivering value at every touchpoint. By focusing on MX first, you’re setting the foundation for a technology infrastructure that enhances member satisfaction, drives engagement, and ultimately supports your association’s
long-term goals. This approach ensures that your strategy dictates the technology decisions, allowing you to select tools that genuinely support your goals rather than adapting your organisation to fit the limitations of a preselected solution.

Where to Begin?

Start with Member and Team Experience Review: Begin by asking yourself what member and team experience you’re aiming to deliver and consider how technology can help.

Use Member Journey Mapping Tool: Map out your members’ entire journey, from initial awareness to their involvement as volunteers. Identify key stages and touchpoints where members interact with your association. Understanding these interactions helps you see where technology can enhance the experience
by delivering relevant, timely and personalised content and improving your team’s efficiency by automating certain tasks.

People Over Platforms: A Holistic Approach to Technology

Whether you’re looking to implement a new Association Management System (AMS) or find ways to make the most out of your current technology, it’s essential to focus on more than just the software itself.

More often than not, the technology itself isn’t the issue. Sometimes, an organisation may outgrow its current system or, in contrast, isn’t ready for advanced tech. In other cases, the technology might not align with the organisation’s culture or team capabilities.

Think of it like giving a 15-year-old a Porsche to drive. If the car gets damaged, it’s not necessarily the driver’s fault—the vehicle might simply be too advanced for their current skill level.

Technology is not just about the software; it’s about culture, change management, and the readiness of your team. It’s about how well it’s set up to meet the needs of your organisation and how well your team understands its capabilities.

Before choosing a solution, consider the lifecycle and culture of your organisation, the readiness of your team, and how well the technology aligns with your strategic goals.

Technology Maintenance: It’s a Journey, Not a Destination

Imagine buying a car and expecting it to run flawlessly without any maintenance. It’s not going to work like that. You need to learn how to drive, get a license, and perform regular maintenance like filling up the tank, checking the tyres, and visiting a mechanic for routine inspections. The same principle applies to your technology stack.

Firstly, it’s important to understand the difference between an AMS (Association Management System) and a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system. An AMS is tailored to support associations by managing memberships, events, and member engagement, while a CRM is focused on tracking and nurturing individual relationships, often used in sales and marketing.

There’s a common misconception that once an AMS, CRM, or MarTech stack is launched, it will manage itself. Moreover, there’s often an expectation that internal teams will suddenly become experts in managing these systems without any external support or training. This is unrealistic and can lead to significant issues down the line.

Just as you wouldn’t hesitate to hire an accountant or outsource your annual tax return preparation to a financial professional, you shouldn’t shy away from seeking external expertise to manage your technology. Regular tuning and updates are necessary to keep your systems running smoothly. It’s not an extra cost—it’s a critical part of maintaining your investment and ensuring you get the most out of it.

A Balanced Approach

Technology is a powerful tool, but it’s not a magic bullet. It requires careful planning, regular maintenance, and a focus on people and strategy over platforms. By taking a holistic approach to your technology strategy, you can ensure that your association remains agile, responsive, and ready to meet the needs of your members— both now and in the future.

By asking the right questions, focusing on member and team experiences, and recognising the importance of regular maintenance, ongoing team training, and further investments, your association can not only keep pace with change but also lead the way in delivering exceptional experience and value to your members.

This article was originally published in the Associations Evolve: 2025 & Beyond in December 2024.

MemberBoat is a digital marketing agency dedicated to helping professional associations, industry bodies and other membership organisations embrace emerging digital marketing tools, create a more commercial mindset and simplify their journey to digital transformation.