When an association management system (AMS) isn’t delivering, the system usually takes the blame. It frustrates staff, you can’t see the reporting you need or you are using 3rd party tools to meet the gaps.
Often teams then start to replace their technology or try and customise it to meet their needs more, only for challenges to reemerge – we refer to this as the vicious cycle.
The 2026 AES Technology in Associations report surveyed more than 60 Australian association leaders. Three in four said technology is part of their strategic plan. Yet only 10% described a comprehensive, aligned IT landscape. This is where the gap occurs. Teams have technology they want to use and organisational goals they want to achieve, but they don’t have a plan in place for how the technology will help them achieve their goals.
A new system, or a bespoke fix, rarely solves the problem. Without technology being aligned with strategy, these problems will keep occurring.
Before you replace or customise anything, ask three questions:
- What is our organisation trying to achieve this year?
- What does our AMS need to do to support that?
- Is the gap in the system, or in how we’re using it?
If the first two are hard to answer, that is a useful finding. It means the right next step is a conversation about strategy, not a conversation about software.
Signs it’s a strategy problem, not a system problem
Not every frustration points back to strategy, but these are three are common signs:
- You’re customising to make it fit. If most requests need bespoke work, ask whether the system is wrong or whether the goal behind each request was never clear.
- Teams want different things from the same system. Without a shared goal, every department pulls the AMS in its own direction. Or more third-party tools are needed.
- Nobody can say what the AMS is there to achieve. If the answer changes depending on who you ask, the system has no clear job.
How well are you using your technology?
Once you resolved any gaps in your organisation’s strategy, then you can then assess how well you are using the technology you have in place. This is the concept of digital maturity.
Digital maturity is a spectrum, mapped out into 5 key levels. The lowest being a chaotic approach where organisations struggle to see any real value from their system. These organisations are spending too many resources on fixing errors. Their system isn’t providing a beneficial experience for their staff or members.
On the other end of the scale, a predictive organisation focuses on how their CRM/EMS can support growth. They actively seek improvements to their processes. They use their system sustainably, and it helps achieve their goals.
Understanding your digital maturity level will help you understand the areas you need to improve.
If you want to assess your digital maturity level, take this short 8 question assessment.
For example, if an organisational goal is to increase member signups, then you will need to consider if your technology is helping with that goal.
It may be that you have the right technology but are not using it effectively, or that your tools do not integrate with one another. On the other hand, the technology you have in place might be holding your team back from achieving your organisational goal. If processes are still manual, clunky or regularly breaking then the technology you have isn’t helping you achieve your organisational goals.
Based on the gaps you find, you can create a plan to resolve them. Start with the strategy, then choose and improve the technology that will help you deliver it.
Where to start
Our Digital Success Guide shows how to connect your mission, goals and system, and covers eight areas worth reviewing.
If you’d like a quick read on where you are today, the eight-question Digital Maturity Assessment is a good place to begin.
Additional resources for you
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Inside the habits of high-performing membership organisations
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Digital Maturity: How to make sure your AMS investment delivers ROI
In this webinar, you’ll learn how the concept of Digital Maturity helps you measure the value you are getting from your AMS investments.
How to get long-term value from your CRM investment
How to get value from a CRM investment over the long term? Avoid custom coding and align your goals with your tech to reap the rewards.