There are so many things to think about when looking for new membership software. Here we talk about the 3 most important factors in evaluating and selecting which membership software is best for your organization.

Affordability

While the best membership software will help you save time it should also provide more value than cost. When evaluating the cost of the software there are 3 main things to consider.

1. What is the total cost? Many software providers advertise a base cost but don’t tell you about all of the additional costs that you should consider. When getting a quote you should be sure to find out if there are any other charges outside of the quote. This could include payment processor fees, fees for additional administrators, fees for customer service and fees for using some of the features like job board postings. That’s an awful lot of fees!

2. Will you be able to afford the software if your organization grows or shrinks? Many organizations change over time. There may be periods of growth in your membership or periods where you have fewer members. Finding a software that will easily allow you to both upgrade and downgrade your plan as needed without extra penalties or fees will help ensure you don’t get trapped in a software you can’t afford.

3. Will you be blindsided by large or frequent price increases? Over time everything gets more expensive. It is not reasonable to believe that your membership software price will never increase. But how often and how price increases are handled can make all the difference. Find out how often price increases have happened and how large they are so you can budget for them. Also, do they grandfather in current plans, give you a 6 month notice or surprise you with the new price overnight? 

Ease of use

Membership software is supposed to save you time. If you can’t figure out how it works, or get help when you need it, you may find that it costs you time. What should you look for to know if a software is easy to use?

1. Does it have automation that makes sense? It’s great to have things automated in a way that actually saves you time. For example, if you have auto renewal notices you need to be able to include a link to where members renew and any directions they need. To avoid confusion the information for someone on auto recurring billing should be different than for someone who pays by check.

2. Do they provide free customer service that actually helps? AI customer service can help with simple questions but for more complex questions having someone you can call, email or schedule a training with will save hours of frustration. As you get new employees and volunteers you’ll want them to be able to reach out to customer service instead of coming to you for everything as well.

3. Can your members easily navigate the system? You shouldn’t have to field constant requests for new passwords, receipts or updating member account information. Your membership software should allow members to easily log in and make payments, get receipts, update accounts, register for events and all of the other common tasks members do. 

Has the features you need

1. Does it have the most important features on your list? It’s rare to find a software that has 100% of the features on your dream list.  At the same time you don’t want to have to cobble together a bunch of different platforms as it could be clunky and take longer to learn. Look for a software that has the majority of your must have features and discuss how you will reasonably handle any features that are missing.

2. Do the features work the way you need them to? Many blogs and websites have long lists of all the features each software has. But having a feature and it working the way you need it to can be two different things. For example, a system might check the box for event registration but it only handles simple individual sign ups requiring each attendee to register separately. If your organization frequently hosts events that require group ticketing, sponsorship registration or specific member discounts, that basic feature won’t actually serve your organization’s real needs.

3. Are you counting on promised features? While doing a demo you may be told that a feature you need is being developed. If it is a key feature you should evaluate the software as if that feature doesn’t exist. Things happen in development that could mean a feature slated to be released this year doesn’t get released till the next year. It also may be that the feature is released but doesn’t work the way you need it to. 

If you’re not sure how to start your search for new membership software you can check out our series that walks you through how to Identify Your Organization’s Needs, Evaluate Software Options and get the most out of software Demos and Trial Periods.

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