For your nonprofit to remain vibrant and vital, you must be in a state of consistent and continual improvement. Membership programs are an effective way to build a community around your mission and receive steady revenue to continue fulfilling your purpose. That’s where essential tools like a nonprofit membership platform come in.
These platforms are cloud-based solutions that streamline and optimize the nonprofit membership management process. Like more commonly known customer relationship management (CRM) software, which works to streamline data available to for-profit organizations, a nonprofit membership platform provides similar benefits for nonprofits.
Let’s take a look at nonprofit membership software and how it can improve your program.
What are nonprofit membership platforms?
Nonprofit membership platforms, also referred to as membership management software, are designed to help you create fulfilling experiences for members.
By investing in one of these solutions, you can:
- Use staff time more efficiently and automate critical yet time-consuming tasks. These can include member onboarding and communications, event management, social media management, outreach, and more.
- Increase and improve member engagement by better tailoring communications with individuals, steering toward their individual interests and preferences.
- Collect and evaluate data. A membership platform allows you to gather and manage information critical in identifying ways to improve your organization and its membership program.
- Build a stronger membership community by facilitating consistent and thoughtful communications.
A nonprofit membership management platform, in essence, allows you to enhance the member experience and retain more of their support over time.
What are the key features of nonprofit membership software?
When adding a nonprofit membership platform to your technology stack, you should be aware of the different features various platforms provide. While many solutions have shared features, others may offer unique benefits. Determining which platform has more of what you need is key.
Keep an eye out for these essential features:
- Member application forms. Member application forms are a fundamental feature in nonprofit membership platforms, crucial for the efficient and swift enrollment of new members. These forms not only facilitate a straightforward and user-friendly registration process but also serve as a vital link in the system, integrating new member data directly into your database.
- Automated membership renewal reminders. Membership platforms automatically alert members when it’s time to renew memberships. This function plays a crucial role in retaining members by preventing lapses in membership and maintaining continuous engagement.
- Secure payment processing. Making donations easy and secure through a wide variety of payment options is fundamental in fundraising. Nonprofit membership platforms streamline the donation process and cater to the diverse preferences of donors, significantly aiding in fundraising efforts.
- Central member database. A comprehensive database is crucial for maintaining accurate and easily accessible member information. This centralized system enhances communication efficiency, reduces the likelihood of errors, and plays a key role in consistent member engagement. By consolidating all member data in one accessible location, you can streamline operations and foster stronger connections with members.
- Members-only content creation. Membership platforms can provide members with unique, members-only experiences and resources, enhancing the perceived value of membership and fostering a deeper connection with your organization. This exclusive access is key to maintaining member engagement and satisfaction.
- Membership website builder. Your nonprofit needs a vibrant and up-to-date member website. With a website builder, you can ensure your web presence effectively reflects your mission and activities. With easy-to-use functionalities for website maintenance and updates, a membership platform empowers you to keep your online portals engaging and relevant to members and the broader community.
- Real-time reporting. Access to real-time reporting on fundraising efforts is important in keeping your efforts on track. This is particularly true when monitoring fundraising efforts tied to a specific event.
Along with ensuring the platform you choose has features that are important to your organization, it is also critical that it functions well with your current software. Seamless integration should be a significant factor in your decision process.
How to Choose a Nonprofit Membership Platform
Choosing a nonprofit membership platform that best suits your organization takes some due diligence. Follow these steps to make the most of your research process:
- Define your goals. Know the problem areas that membership software can help resolve and the areas of greatest opportunity for potential improvement. These should be at the top of your goal list.
- Consider factors unique to your organization. Do you have a large organization or a small one? Is it growing or mature? Do you feel you are making the best use of staff and volunteers? What makes your organization unique and stand out from the crowd?
- Research options online. Read user reviews and product ratings. Make sure you understand what features are and aren’t included in a particular software package.
- Ask friends and colleagues in the industry about their experiences. Use the power of networking to help clear the path in your decision-making process.
Most nonprofit membership platforms will offer demos or free trial periods. Take your time and give the software a test drive. Involve key stakeholders in your organization who will be impacted by the final decision. Develop an implementation plan for introducing the software to staff and volunteers and how training will be conducted.
Additional Membership Tools to Boost Your Results
If you’re interested in building out your technology toolkit even further to boost your membership program’s results, consider looking into these additional tools:
Email and Text Marketing
Use email and text marketing tools to inform members of your membership program and its benefits, and engage members during membership drives to get their support. Email marketing tools can help you stay connected with members and help relieve the communication burden on staff and volunteers. (That said, a great membership software solution should already include an email tool.)
Graphic Design
Graphic design plays a critical role in your nonprofit’s marketing and communications. High-quality graphics can attract attention and encourage engagement. Unless you have a skilled graphics person on staff or serving in a volunteer capacity, the value of drag-and-drop graphic design tools can be immeasurable.
Social Media
Social media is a necessary tool for today’s nonprofits. It can, however, quickly become overwhelming. With social media management tools, you can promote your program online and reach a broader audience. Schedule posts for later dates and times to create consistent, high-quality content for your existing and prospective members.
Event Planning
For most nonprofits, in-person, virtual, and hybrid events are powerful ways to engage your members and raise funds. Event planning software can help you maximize the overall impact of these events. Membership platforms with event management features can help you balance your event calendar throughout the year without overwhelming your staff.
Online Community
Use forums, online communities, and social media groups to engage your members. By fostering relationships between your members, you can build a tight-knit community and retain their involvement for the long term.
Choosing the right nonprofit membership platform can significantly improve the membership experience while making the operations of your nonprofit more efficient. Once your tech is in place, connect it all together as part of your overall membership strategy so that you’re running your membership program as efficiently as possible.
