Let’s face it… making a choice to move your membership and web platform from one to another is never a light undertaking. There are so many options and many more details which can make or break the move. We have outlined a few below:

1- Open a free account and test out the new platform under consideration. Wild Apricot offers the ability for you to open a new account free of charge. Click here to open free count: Free Wild Apricot Account

2- Once you have a free account setup, please take the time to familiarize yourself with the platform. In 5 to 10 minutes you can determine if the basic features are intuitive and worth the time to continue to learn: add a page, add a member, add a new event, post a news or blog post, create a forum and make an initial post.

3- Member profile management is crucial. The main reason to move from one membership management platform to another is often based on the amount of ‘extra work’ the none functional platform is creating for you. If a member cannot intuitively access, edit, update and manage his own data, then the platform is crating more work for you.

4- What are the main drivers for your organization’s website? Are you using it for content management? Are you using it to drive memberships and / or donations? Is it events? Based on your needs you will have to choose a solution that best fits your organization’s main objectives. Not 1 platform will do everything you need, but there is 1 that say does 90% of what you need. That might be a good fit.

5- Support is good, but taking the training wheels off and managing the platform yourself [given you have time to do so] is ways best. Learn the platform and find solutions from knowledge base articles and user groups.

6- Pricing is always a factor. You cannot spend more on a platform than your organization is able to generate in membership, donations, events sales right? But spending too little is also not a smart move. We have had clients tell us that 50% to 75% of their organization’s revenue is generated from site content and memberships. So then why would one consider the percentage spent on the platform a minor investment? Invest on a platform based on your organizations reliance on it; if 100% of your revenue comes via your website, 10% budget for web is not realistic.

7- Finally, have fun with it. Finding a new platform should not be a burden. Rather, like a fun road trip – it can be a whole lot of fun if you follow the right paths. Ask other organizations what they are using. Reach out to your counterparts in other similar organizations. And by all means, speak to a tech expert about the things you will need help with.

Let us know how we can help – Nicasio Design is a Wild Apricot Partner.