Associations have long used Association Management Software (AMS) systems to power their technology needs. AMS systems have significantly evolved over that time, improving various functionalities that are essential to overcoming associations’ unique challenges, like managing memberships, events, communications, and fundraising efforts.

There are many players in the AMS space. Salesforce became one of them around 10 years ago. Traditionally associations using Salesforce have relied on managed package solutions like Fonteva or Community Brands’ Nimble to help them customize the Salesforce platform for their needs. Fonteva and Nimble offer extensive pre-built functionality, right out of the box.

DCS has worked with numerous associations, with many of them using Nimble or Fonteva—but recently, we’ve noticed a new trend. Some associations are now choosing to leverage Salesforce Sales Cloud and Experience Cloud natively, customizing Salesforce to meet their specific needs without relying on a managed package on top of it.

In this post, we’ll look at the different ways Salesforce can be customized to meet associations’ needs and provide advice for determining which route—managed package or native customization—is right for your association.

The Early Days of Salesforce AMS: Managed Packages

Let’s start with a quick primer on AMS platforms: These products help associations streamline various administrative tasks, enhance member engagement, and support event management and fundraising activities. These systems typically offer features such as membership management, event registration, email marketing, financial processing, member portals and reporting. By centralizing these functions, AMS helps associations run more efficiently and effectively.

Salesforce has risen to prominence in the AMS space. Two companies guided the early adoption of Salesforce for associations: Fonteva and Nimble AMS. They built “managed package” solutions—software that customizes Salesforce right out of the box to meet an association’s needs. It’s important to note that associations choosing Fonteva or Nimble AMS must purchase Salesforce licenses and also pay licensing fees to Fonteva or Nimble, but in doing so, they get a kind of shortcut for quickly adopting Salesforce to benefit their organization.

Fonteva and Nimble offer extensive functionality and configurations built on the Salesforce platform. These main strengths of the Salesforce platform include: 

• Configurable platform: Salesforce offers robust customization capabilities, allowing organizations to tailor the system to their specific needs without requiring extensive coding.
• Scalability: As an association grows, Salesforce can too. The platform can manage increasing data volume and user numbers seamlessly.
• Security: Salesforce provides industry-leading security features, ensuring that an association’s data is protected and compliant with various regulations.
• Integration capabilities: Salesforce integrates smoothly with numerous other platforms, including billing and marketing solutions. If associations prefer to keep everything under one software umbrella, Salesforce offers its own options in these areas, such as Salesforce Billing and Salesforce Marketing Cloud.

However, many Fonteva and Nimble configurations cannot be customized. This limited flexibility can be a dealbreaker for some associations that require customization beyond what managed package solutions can offer. Other associations find they don’t need the full AMS package and just want to use specific modules from native Salesforce. These are the underlying motivations driving associations to native Salesforce customization.

Customizing Native Salesforce for Association Management

The choice of “native Salesforce” usually leverages two of Salesforce’s main Clouds: Salesforce Sales Cloud and Experience Cloud. Salesforce Sales Cloud is the core of Salesforce’s Customer Relationship Management (CRM). It is used to track sales, activities, marketing, and other key activities. Salesforce Experience Cloud creates a portal experience that members can log into and interact with. This portal communicates with Salesforce, utilizing its data and security.

Associations can leverage Salesforce Sales Cloud in the following ways:

• Membership management: Track and manage member information, renewals, and engagement in one place.
• Sales and opportunities: Monitor new member sign-ups, sponsorship deals, and other revenue opportunities.
• Event Management: Plan, track, and monitor in person or virtual events with your members using Salesforce’s campaign object.
• Tracking Activities & Member Engagement: From calls, to emails, to webinars, sales cloud provides an easy way to track all of the activities across the association.
• Automation: Create workflows for membership renewals, event registrations, and other routine tasks.

Associations can leverage Experience Cloud in the following ways:

• Member portals: Create branded, public portals where members can update their information, register for events, and access exclusive content, with all data syncing to Salesforce.
• Community engagement: Foster a sense of community by enabling members to interact, share resources, and collaborate.
• Custom experiences: Tailor the user experience based on member roles and engagement levels.

Beyond the basics, a customized native Salesforce solution can deliver these benefits for associations: 

• Greater control over the association’s technology stack allowing them to adapt quickly to changing needs.
• Scalability as your association grows Salesforce’s native tools can seamlessly accommodate increasing data volume and user numbers.
• Cost efficiency in the long term. Although the initial setup might require a more significant investment than a managed package, the overall cost of a native Salesforce customization may be lower because associations are not as dependent on third-party packages.

Fonteva or Nimble vs. Native Salesforce: How to Choose? 

For the record: We at DCS like Fonteva and Nimble! In our experience, these tools may be best for associations that want every “box” checked. The out-of-the-box functionality of Fonteva and Nimble can offer associations a lot to work with in terms of setting up their AMS.

But for associations with robust AMS needs or those who don’t want all of the customizations of the managed package tools, leveraging Salesforce Sales Cloud and Experience Cloud represents a compelling alternative. Native Salesforce customizations provide the flexibility to create a system that truly aligns with an association’s unique needs.

DCS experts have worked with associations of all sizes and types—so we know a blanket “this or that” recommendation doesn’t work where AMS systems are concerned. Choosing between these options can be challenging, so consider this an open invitation to contact us for a conversation about how you can tailor Salesforce to meet your association’s needs. Whether it’s launching a native Salesforce build-out or helping implement Fonteva or Nimble, we are always here to help!