Monday Buzz: What You Need in An AMS

Trying to figure out the right association management system (AMS) is an important part of every association’s growth.

Problem is, the one that makes the most sense for your organization most assuredly doesn’t make sense for everyone else. You can’t just go with what’s in the box; tweaks are downright necessary.

“Challenges exist with even the most configurable, highly-priced AMS software,” writes Socious Content Specialist Julie Dietz  (opens in a new tab). “It’s an unavoidable symptom of uniqueness.”

Dietz’s post breaks down the many considerations that associations should keep in mind when figuring out what’s best for them—including (among other things) what level of customer support is needed, how important member-facing features are, and how well it integrates with your other software offerings.

Ultimately, she says, it comes down to knowledge.

“The important thing is to be prepared for the most likely problems you’ll face,” she explains. “Do some soul-searching to decide what AMS platform features are important to you, and what shortcomings you can work around.”

Spot the Phish

Not all #cybersecurity  (opens in a new tab) solutions are technical. https://t.co/PM3CnJGI0S  (opens in a new tab) #assnchat  (opens in a new tab) pic.twitter.com/VehEYQqcJi  (opens in a new tab)

— DelCor (@delcor) June 23, 2016  (opens in a new tab)

Lost in all the chatter about cybersecurity is the fact that some of the most essential solutions to security headaches involve strong communication, not technical solutions.

Ben Sarker of Delcor breaks down important considerations in keeping your employees mindful, so they are better able to avoid phishing attacks or recognize when they’ve become victims of these attacks. He says that it’s important not to attack your employees for making security-related mistakes.

“Don’t punish ‘dumb’ behavior—that isn’t going to motivate anyone to behave differently. But do reward smart behavior,” Sarker writes. “Recognize people who pass every phishing test and who submit phishing emails to share. Make good security habits part of your organizational culture.”

Check out Sarker’s full post on the Delcor website  (opens in a new tab).

Other Links of Note

Quote of the day, from National Fluid Power Association CEO Eric Lanke  (opens in a new tab): “Be careful when you celebrate the cult of being busy. It sends one kind of message to one group of people, and an entirely different kind of message to others.”

Why just rely on your association’s social feed to drive new interest in your content? In a SocialFish guest post, Godot Media’s Disha Dinesh breaks down  (opens in a new tab) the value of “employee advocacy.”

Automation tools like IFTTT are common, but what makes one better than the other? Lifehacker breaks down the differences  (opens in a new tab) between three different services, including a new Microsoft offering.

(iStock/Thinkstock)