Nonprofit Membership Software FAQ
Q: What are Primary Uses of Nonprofit Membership Software
Answer: Typically organizations want one data location to organize and assist with:
- Managing Events & Education Seminars
- Collecting Donations & Measuring Marketing Campaigns to Members
- Facilitate Membership Billing
- Creating a Content Management System for Websites that Integrates with a Membership Database
Q: What are some of the Nonprofit Membership Software Packages Available?
Answer: The short list is Imis and CiviCRM. Other packages include Microsoft Dynamics, Convio or Salsa. Bottom-line a good nonprofit membership software developer should be able to assess your organizations needs and budget then align a package that will ultimately save your organization time and money.
Q: What if I Don’t Want to Build a New Website, but I Need Membership Management Software?
Answer: This is a common request nonprofit membership software developers hear. In many instances a nonprofit will have a website using a CMS (Content Management System) such as Drupal, WordPress, Joomla, or Sitefinity. Solutions like CiviCRM work well with Drupal and Joomla but fail with WordPress. Imis is another nonprofit membership software package and it will work with WordPress. Utilizing a development team that has experience with multiple CMS and membership solutions is key.
Q: What Experience Does Nonprofit CMS Have in Development of Membership Sites?
Answer: Here is a link to our portfolio of Nonprofit Membership Software Development:
- Event Registration & WordPress Integration – Southeastern Pennsylvania Resource Conservation and Development
- CiviCRM & Drupal Integration – Mid-Atlantic Off-Road Enthusiasts
- Membership Management, Conference Management, and a Web Redesign – The Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers
Q: What Is the Timeframe for Launching a Nonprofit Membership Suite of Tools?
Answer: The turnaround for a nonprofit membership development project depends on the complexity for several items such as integrating existing database sets into the new membership software, linking existing websites with new membership software, and redesigning any components of a website to work with the features of a new database system.
Q: What Costs Can I Typically Anticipated with a Nonprofit Membership Software System?
Answer: Cost variables usually depend on the time to create project specifications, integrating old database entries, and connect a website with a new membership database system. Often nonprofit organizations who want to implement a new membership software package usually would like a website redesign. In this case it’s a large addition to the project. Most nonprofits fail to account for the time that needs invested with learning a new system and developing new processes internally that utilize the membership software package. However, this time is well spent and in the long run will pay off.
Q: Can a New Membership Software Package Use Old Login Credentials for Current Members?
Answer: Yes, several nonprofit membership software packages like Imis and CiviCRM will allow you to use old logins and passwords with a new system.
Q: Can I Integrate Old Database Entries / Excel Sheets into a New Membership Database?
Answer: Yes, and No. This answer frustratingly is “It Depends.” Most of the time older database entries can be reworked and then integrated into a new platform. This process can generally be a tall task for a nonprofit membership software developer. The factors contributing are the number of members in your old system and what information is kept related to each member. In addition the formatting of the old database plays a role. Since excel sheets can be exported as XML data, yes, existing information about members, events, donations etc can be transferred. The main takeaway is that it is important to develop a good understanding of information a new database should hold and work backwards to find the best solution.
