System Selection and Acquisition

Selecting an  Association Management System (AMS) requires a specialized body of knowledge, since non-profits operate differently from other typies of businesses.  The system that manages your organization serves a number of internal and external constituents, including both staff and members.  It also needs to track, repackage, and deliver a wide variety of information to those constituents, process financial transactions, and capture profile information through the web.  Our consultants guide you through the difficult process of AMS selection and acquisition through a series of well-organized and time-tested steps that include the following:

• A project orientation and planning meeting with the selection team.
• Staff interviews.
• Selection of vendors to receive the Request for Proposal (RFP).
• Preparation and distribution of the RFP.
• Collection and evaluation of RFP responses.
• An RFP evaluation meeting to select systems for demonstration.
• Initial system demonstrations.
• Demonstration debriefing meeting and initial vendor ranking.
• Due diligence to include reference calls, installation site visits, collection and evaluation of vendor financial information, and site visits to vendors.
• Targeted follow-up demonstrations.
• Final selection meeting with staff.
• Final recommendations document.
• Contract negotiations.