Choosing the right CRM is one of the most important technology decisions a membership organisation can make. Whether you’re managing an association, union, or professional body, you need a system that helps you build relationships, increase engagement, and grow your membership base.
Salesforce, one of the world’s leading CRM platforms, has become an increasingly popular choice for membership organisations. Whilst Salesforce is not an AMS (Association Management Software), meaning it wasn’t built specifically for associations, it offers a range of benefits and opportunities.
How Salesforce supports Membership Organisations
Flexible membership management
Unlike some association management systems (AMS), Salesforce is built to be highly flexible.
Salesforce can be a great option if you have specific needs that you might be struggling to make work in other solutions.
For example, it can be customised to suit different membership models, whether you offer individual, corporate, or tiered memberships. Salesforce can be adapted for your organisation’s structure.
Increase your understanding of your members
Salesforce was built to allow organisations to have a greater understanding and way of managing their customers, or in this case, your members.
With Salesforce, you can consolidate member data into single source of truth.
With Salesforce, you can manage:
- Contact information
- Membership history
- Event registrations
- Communication preferences
- Donations or advocacy actions
- Support tickets or service requests
This complete member view helps your team deliver more personalised services and ensures you never miss an opportunity to engage.
In-depth, accurate reporting
Understanding member behaviour is key to delivering value. Salesforce includes powerful reporting and dashboard tools that help you:
- Track key metrics like retention, acquisition, and engagement
- Measure campaign performance
- Identify at-risk members
- Forecast trends with built-in AI (Einstein Analytics)
Having this level of insight helps you make better strategic decisions. Data is also updated in real-time, meaning your data is as accurate as possible.
Training and maintenance
Salesforce is a secure cloud-based solution (meaning there are no servers to access), and you can log in at any time and anywhere, as long as you have internet access.
Salesforce is regularly updated with new features and security enhancements. There are clear processes in place if there are any issues with your system.
You can also access a wealth of training and support resources. You can complete training courses via their tool, Trailhead, and complete certifications.
Integrate with 3rd party tools
Salesforce integrates with countless platforms and scales with your organisation as it grows.
Whether you’re small and growing or a large international body, it can adapt to your evolving needs.
You also have access to thousands of pre-built apps through the Salesforce AppExchange, including association-specific add-ons.
Need help deciding if Salesforce is right for your organisation? Our team of Salesforce consultants specialises in helping membership organisations, associations and unions make the most of their CRM.