How to digitally transform your organisation

July 15, 2022

The importance of embracing digital transformation has never been more important than it has now. The impact of the pandemic has meant that many membership organisations have had to revisit their digital strategy including privacy and security issues, and in-turn adopt a resilient business model that reflects the ‘new ways of working’.

As a MemberWise recognised supplier we have put together a series of tips following the release of their 2021/22 Digital Excellence Report, that will ensure your organisation remains at the forefront of the membership sector.

Implement a Membership Engagement Scoring (EMS)

Membership Engagement Scoring (EMS) can be measured through a variety of methods. Event attendance, website visits, membership upgrades, and even the number of complaints received provides your business with predictive data that will help you ultimately increase member retention and strengthen relationships with your organisation.

Despite it being a top priority, 47% of organisations do not have a clear EMS strategy or plan in place, and this is likely because it is difficult to measure.

Offer a personalised online member experience

As it stands, only 39% of organisations across the Membership sector personalise their member’s experience. Research from the report suggests the sector is still taking a basic approach to online member personalisation due to AMS, CMS and/or integration issues. If a more sophisticated approach is to be taken, this will require investment in new systems, which comes at a price.

However, for associations looking to integrate personalisation into their business model, what data should be personalised? Member details, interest area, location-based data and unique URLs in emails are all avenues you can explore that will create a unique members experience.

Choose a automation system

As your organisation grows, naturally it will become harder to manage membership data and ensure all information is up to date. But that’s where automation comes in.
Investing in automation will help your organisation run more smoothly and efficiently and will help you manage your memberships in a quick and simple way. It will also contribute to saving time and money in the long run which can be put towards other important tasks within your association.

Research from the report estimates that if the right systems/processes are in place and staff are properly trained to set-up/use automation functionality, this will save up to 35% of the time taken to administer memberships. For many organisations, this is the equivalent of having an extra member of staff join the membership team/department.

Invest in a Website/Content Management System

In a world where technology dominates how an association operates, it is now more important than ever that websites deliver on member expectations by giving their audience clean and concise content via CMS systems to ensure they remain active and engaged. However, with so many CMS platforms out there, it can be quite difficult to know which is the right one for the job.

Research suggests that many organisations invest vast amounts of money on CMS systems that don’t sufficiently meet their requirements and therefore lead to project failure. This is due to having their hearts set on the technology before engaging with their members and diving deep into what they’re trying to achieve.

So, if your organisation is looking to incorporate a new CMS platform, here are the top 10 for the membership sector:
Wordpress
Drupal
Umbraco
Bespoke system
PresideCMS
Sitecore
Imis(RiSE)
Kentico
Sharepoint (Microsoft)
DNN
To summarise, the data from the report suggests that for 2021 so far, Membership organisations have invested in digital transformation in response to one of the most challenging periods the world has ever seen. Most organisations have remained resilient and responsive by shifting their business towards more online channels.