4 signs your association has outgrown spreadsheets for managing member data

Is your association still using spreadsheets to manage member data? It’s fairly common for smaller associations to start out using spreadsheets to track new memberships, member renewal dates, event sign-ups, etc. But spreadsheets can only take you so far. As your organization grows and evolves, you need member management tools that can keep up.

So how do you know when your association has outgrown using spreadsheets for membership management? Here are four signs that it’s time to take the next step and move on to a more modern membership management system.

1. You’re handling more member data than ever before.

Your association isn’t as small as it used to be. Your membership has grown, and you’re handling more data. You may find that your spreadsheet is becoming unwieldy. You may have even moved to using a combination of multiple spreadsheets and other systems to manage all aspects of your membership. It’s becoming more difficult to pull together a complete view of your membership because data is in too many different places.

2. Your membership processes are more complex.

Over time, your membership management processes have evolved and matured. At the same time, they’ve become time-consuming. Your team is spending time on manual processes that could be better spent developing member programs and benefits.

3. The demand for member reports has grown.

As your association has grown, so have the executive staff and board member demands for information. You’re being asked for increasingly detailed reports on things like member acquisition and retention. You’re finding it increasingly difficult and time-consuming to pull those reports.

4. Your members are asking for more.

Your members have started asking for more benefits. They want modern perks such as an online community and a mobile app to interact with your organization and other members. You simply don’t have the tools to provide these benefits.

If one or more of these signs sounds familiar, it’s time to move to a system that’s built for associations at your stage of growth. Taking this step can help your team operate more efficiently while improving member engagement and enhancing member value.

YourMembership is built for small-and-growing associations like yours. It offers a single platform for membership management and includes features such as automated workflows to simplify and streamline your association’s day-to-day processes. It also offers online community capabilities and a mobile app for a modern member experience, and configurable dashboards and reports for insights on the health of your organization.

Need help convincing your organization it’s time to move forward? Read this article on building the case for new membership software.