Avectra

It took several weeks, much discussion, and consideration of quite a few bad ideas before we settled on how we would convey our message at ASAE Annual in LA.

We chose a Piano Dancer - a reference to the Tom Hanks movie BIG, using a full-scale and authentic "walking piano" and the very best dancer on the FAO Schwarz piano dance team (flown in from NYC).

First, given that we don't have a pushy and in-a-hurry sales approach, our primary objective was to put a smile on people's faces, and we love that we seem to have done that. Melody, the perfectly-named dancer, was absolutely charming and genuinely enjoyed herself, and this was contagious.

Second, the message - how did this relate to what we want people to know about us? 


The folks here at Avectra really do understand that association professionals have BIG wishes for their associations and for themselves, and one of the best things about working here is getting to hear customer success stories in the hallways and around the coffee machines as well as in meetings. These great results are what generate the high fives among my purple-clad colleagues, and that, too, is contagious.

We're hopeful that the piano dancer/BIG analogy made sense to people, brightened their day, and helps them think of us when the time is right. We definitely had fun doing it!

Wow!  A cell phone tour of architecture?  Maybe in a world of Foursquare check-ins and instant twitter updates it’s not that innovative.  But here’s why I did a double-take

I pitched this idea to a client 3+ years ago.

The concept was just starting to be used by a few museums and select locations. But while the client thought it was neat, they didn’t quite get it.  Now 3 years later, in the window of one of the most recognizable buildings in Chicago there’s a big poster promoting the very idea I pitched.

So was I being innovative 3+ years ago or just ahead of the curve?  If I had pushed harder would my client have been on a front wave of innovation or so ahead of the pack that their audience didn’t get it?  And what would have been the risks for them to try it (other than time and money)?

And what are the implications of this pattern for associations?

Let’s face it – associations tend to like safe.  They stick with the technology they have because change would be painful.  They stick with an outdated membership database because there’s push back from various departments that don’t want to change the way they have always done things. 

Or in many cases, they are so busy that they don’t know to look for another option.

The reality is that innovation takes attitude and time.  It takes an attitude to accept the risk and make the investment.  And it takes time to watch your efforts pay-off and eventually become mainstream.  And this is risky.

So why do it?  There’s a saying that goes “Unless you are the lead dog, the view never changes.”  It’s the decision between being a leader or follower.  But when you are an innovation leader you get to help decide where the rest of the pack is going.

Early adopters of a new technology give feedback to the developers who work to improve the code.  New feature requests, support calls related to real-world usage, meetings with the development teams.  All of these provide guidance and input that will take technologies from where you are now to where you are now to where you want it to be.

Last week, Avectra announced the upcoming Avectra Uses and Developers conference to be held in February 2011 in Orlando, Florida.  For all you innovators out there who are already using Avectra’s association management software it’s a chance to be a the lead dog and help shape the direction of the product.  And for those further back in the pack it’s the perfect time to see where the future of membership management technology is heading.

Go ahead and save the date and start planning.  It’s time to shift the attitude on innovation and help guide the technology.

And if you’re curious as to why the Tribune Tower is so cool but can’t get to Chicago, here’s a cool video and website with some information.

But do they know who has the most Twitter followers in your industry?  Do they know who has the most widely read blogs in your industry?  Are they prepared to identify that member and treat him with the respect he deserves when he is having issues registering for your next conference or are dissatisfied with a new position from your association?

Or are they going to walk into the social media landmine that Maytag did with notable power blogger Dooce when she told her million plus followers to “DO NOT EVER BUY A MAYTAG”?

The social media industry is starting to embrace the concept of Social CRM in response to fast moving consumers with a 24/7 online presence.  So how are associations responding?

The good news is there are several very powerful systems on the market to help identify who is talking about your association and what they are saying.  While these are great systems to have they are also very expensive.

But in the meanwhile, if you have a flexible membership database you already have a system at your fingertips to start capturing and sharing this information among all your departments and the front line membership contacts. 

Here are a few tips to get started:

• Custom Demographics Fields – Avectra’s netFORUM Team and Pro Association Management Software has more than 90 customizable fields (and netFORUM Enterprise has even more).  Work with your community manager or social media expert to identify key contact fields to add to your CRM and member database.  Suggestions include:
  • Usernames for Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, etc.
  • Name and link of their blog
  • Relative influence such as number of followers or page views
  • Some sort of influence ranking as determined by your team
• Social Media as a Contact Method – Avectra’s netFORUM systems include a contact management system that allows staff to track member interactions and how the member contacted them - as well as the follow-up and next steps. Go ahead and add social media as a contact option.
• Be Prepared to Respond – Angry members aren’t going to rant online during 9 to 5 business hours or wait days for a response.  Put a plan in place to respond quickly and decisively when a member is dissatisfied and is asking for service online.
• Spread the Skills – While your community manager is your best front line person to monitor and engage, you will ultimately need support of more departments and staff to respond.  Make sure everyone in the organization knows how important this is and that they are trained and ready.

With a little bit of creativity and planning you can start building your own Social CRM within your membership system.

July was a very significant month for The Gideons International (TGI) and Avectra. The Gideons have gone live with Avectra's netFORUM Enterprise product.  TGI is a large international non-profit organization with more than a quarter million members active in over 190 countries.  You've probably heard of them.  (If not, open the bedside drawer next time you're at a hotel.)  To date, The Gideons have distributed more than 1.6 billion Bibles and New Testaments.  Now that I've been working with The Gideons I notice their Bibles all the time. From a Gideons Military Service Testament in The Pacific, to Leonardo DiCaprio using a Gideons Bible to press a bad check in Catch Me If You Can.  Tom Cruise uses a Gideons Bible to uncover the villain in Mission: Impossible. So how does one of the largest distributors of Bibles worldwide decide to implement netFORUM?

When TGI was looking for new Software to manage their Organization they first identified Association Management Software as the best fit for their business needs.  They have membership, committees, donations, and events.  They share many of the same core requirements that Associations have.  And, as you would expect, they have a strong need to manage publications.  Once they had decided on implementing an AMS, they set out to pick the best AMS on the market. This is where Avectra comes in.

Avectra’s implementation of netFORUM Enterprise supports TGI's two main activities; accepting donations and distributing Bibles.  It integrates with Great Plains (FMS), Bank of America, PayPal,  Group1 (AVS),  Fulfillment Warehouses, and SharePoint (CMS).  Most of these integrations were implemented with Web Services, allowing the efficient flow of information from one system to another with minimal oversight.  For example, when a Member enters a credit card order in the public website, the information is sent to netFORUM.  netFORUM processes the card and creates the appropriate financials.  The financials are reviewed by the Gideons staff and posted.  netFORUM then sends the financials to Great Plains and Order information to a Fulfillment Warehouse.  The Gideons ship almost 80 million scriptures a year, so a system that can automate as much of the work as possible is very important.

Avectra is attracting more and more non-Association Customers, like The Gideons International, as netFORUM continues to expand its functionality.  Avectra’s new CEO, Richard Davis, has doubled the size of Avectra’s Research and Development department and is looking to new markets inside and outside of North America.  The big winners are existing customers, who will benefit from added functionality.

Following the National Association of REALTOR®’s 2010 AE Institute back in April, there were a lot of questions about our netFORUM Pro for Real Estate Associations product as well as several other announcements about other AMS systems in development. 
 
We were excited to have the opportunity for Tom Schaaf, our Vertical Markets Manager, to catch-up with Matt Cohen, Chief Technologist at Clareity Consulting (pictured left). 
 
Earlier this week, Matt posted a recap of the conversation on his blog which you can check-out on the Clareity Website http://bit.ly/d9Dxgs
 
As Tom points out in this interview, Avectra’s solution is available right away and is already working for a number of associations.
 
We were also pleased to release an upgrade to our REALTOR association management software earlier this year which included a number of important features including:
 
Real-time, two-way data transfer with the National REALTOR Database System (NRDS)
Support for Supplemental/Secondary Memberships
 
You can read the details of the release on our website 

If you like what you see and want more information, visit our site and sign up for a product demo: http://avectra.com/registration/demo-registration.aspx

As association professionals who put on our own trade shows let’s set aside the fact that we understand the investment exhibitors make – and thus the revenue the associations are making – in attending a show. 

Annual meetings and conferences are always busy time for all participants and present the biggest opportunity to see and be seen for the entire year.  And yet, it’s also conflict filled – especially the relationship between exhibitors and attendees.

And so this dichotomy exists.  Attendees feel like they are being hounded by relentless sales pitches and exhibitors feel like they are being ignored and not getting the traffic they need to justify the expense.

So for everyone involved, here are some tips and considerations for attending the show and safely walking the Expo Hall.

5 Annual Meeting Attendee Tips

Change is constant. For you and service providers – Software updates, refurbished hotels, new tax breaks, new services – every vendor and exhibitor has changed something in the past year since you spoke with them.  Go visit your current vendor’s booths to see what’s new and what is in the works.   Then go visit their top 2 competitors to see what they have been doing as well.  You’ll either find reasons to stick with your vendor or a need to take a look at new options.

Exhibitors are in the business of solving your problems – Declining membership, shrinking sponsorships or reduced staff?  Is the board pushing for new revenue streams or expanded conferences? If you have a business challenge, exhibitors are there to help.  When you enter a booth don’t just say, “So what do you do and what’s new?”  Issue the person working the booth with a challenge, “I have this problem and need to do X.  How does your service solve my business problem?”  Give concrete issues and demand concrete answers.

Plan your floor time – If you plan it right, you’re going to hit several booths addressing a number of issues.  Don’t just wander aimlessly looking for the first shiny display.  Identify the issues you need to solve and go visit those areas.  Whether it is fixing your member database, adding social networking to your website or finding venues for upcoming meetings.  Have a plan and walk with purpose.

Be an evangelist for your vendors – Personal referrals are huge.  And if you love/respect/like your service provider partners your word is golden.  If you’re talking to someone in a session or networking event, feel free to direct them to your provider’s booth.  When  visiting your provider’s booth, engage a prospect and tell them you work with the company and what they have done for you. 

Manage expectations - You aren’t going to sign a new contract on the first booth visit, but you ARE starting a relationship.  If you are looking at association software, make sure it has the functionality you need to manage your members and is going to grow with your business.  If you’re looking at a new hotel for a long-term contract make sure they have enough properties (including various sizes) to accommodate attendance shifts (or declines).  Either way, this is the first conversation.  Make sure you like the people and product and plan to follow up after the show if you are genuinely interested (and if you aren’t interested, let them know).

5 Annual Meeting Exhibitor Tips

Listen. Listen. Listen. – It goes without saying that listening is part of the sales process.  But pay close attention to the people visiting your booth and look for trends in what they are discussing.  You may see a trend emerging that you can reference in other conversations.  Be prepared to help solve those business problems that you hear.

Attend the sessions – Did you read the point about solving business problems?  That’s what those sessions are about.  Attend them, listen to the conversation, contribute where you can (in a non-salesy way), and take notes.  Back in your booth, refer to those sessions and offer your insight.

Walk the floor – It’s easy to stay in that booth and just do demos.  But you won’t learn and see any other industry trends.  Plan booth coverage coverage so you can get out and walk the floor.  You’ll not only see what competitors are up to, but you’ll notice new services and technologies that may compliment your service.  If you see something interesting, take 2 minutes to make a quick introduction and learn a bit about what they do.

Be respectful and helpful – If the attendees have done their planning they are hitting a number of booths in limited time.  Don’t hog a booth visit’rs time showing them the nitty-gritty of your product.  And if they say, “I’m looking for X” and you know where there’s someone that does what they need point them in the right direction (you did walk the floor, right?).  You’ll be remembered as a helpful partner and not a blow-hard salesperson.

Follow-up – Just like the point above about managing expectations and not signing a contract in the booth, timely follow-ups after the show are the first indicator of the level of service your company is going to provide.  I’ve attended a number of shows where I said “I’m interested” and no one called.  Don’t be that guy.

With a little bit of planning and respect, walking the expo hall doesn’t need to be the sales equivalent of walking the gauntlet.  Both parties have reasons and expectations for being there and it’s a prime opportunity for conducting business.  Just make sure you optimize the experience.

So for your summer-beach-time-and-I’m-on-vacation-but-I’m-peeking-at-my-computer-anyway reading, here are some of the latest and great blog posts from various association bloggers...
 

Micro Payments, Micro Profits? – Considering how e-Commerce is so important to so many associations and they are playing with new pricing models, this is a worthwhile read from David Gammel (also easy to test because e-Commerce is built into Avectra's association management software).  Hint:  Just because you can, should you?

e-Mail Usage and Membership Recruitment – Tony Rossell from Marketing General offers a follow-up post from their recent membership benchmarking study.  As someone who has seen first hand how excessive some associations are about sending e-mails to sell membership, event registrations or programs, this will make you think twice.

Custom Software vs Off the Shelf – Wes Trochlil from Effective Database Management has published a new case study with some considerations for purchasing software.

Asking the Right Questions – Jeff Hurt points out that if the answers you are getting don’t move your association forward, maybe you aren’t asking the right questions.

Relationships are Better – Jamie Notter’s recap from the second installment of Buzz2010 hits the nail on the head when it comes to risk management and social media for associations – Relationships rock.

Mountain Biking and Social Media – Speaking of Buzz2010, I’ve got make sure to include my own recap of the event which recaps two key learnings from the event.

Happy Reading (from the beach).

A few months ago I sat down with a number of Avectra customers using the company's netFORUM Enterprise membership management system.  Several were clearly "power users" and others were in the “I know we could do better but I’m not quite sure how to get there” categories.

So what was the key difference between the two?  System adoption by the rest of the organization.

Let’s start with the “we can do better” org.  This group has about 15,000 members and 40 staff members working in 15 departments ranging from member services to publications to government affairs.  The database manager works in the membership department and is clearly a power user who can get the association management software to do amazing things.  However where she starts banging her head against the wall is when she sees e-Mails about a product go out to an old list (she hears about it because unhappy members contact her) or the event team sends her an excel file after an event to add to the membership database. 

The issue? Other departments haven’t bought into the association management software and aren’t using it.  They have their own databases.  When a member changes an address they call member services who updates it in the AMS but because the other groups won’t use the system, they don’t have access to the current information.

Now let’s look at the “power user” org.  This association serves 126,000 members with just over 50 staff members.  The first thing that jumps out is that while they have only about 10 more staff they are serving almost 10 times as many members.  In this association, every action is tied to the AMS.  Any member call gets logged in the system and all records are updated.   When someone wants to do a mailing, they have the most up to date list.  When a scholarship fund raising campaign is needed, they not only immediately know who the right people are in a region but they know who has already donated so they don’t need to fatigue their members?

What are some of the differences and how did these organizations get where they are?

• Change Management – in the Power User org, AMS adoption was mandated from the top down.  With executive buy-in and backing, membership and IT departments not only had funding, but had authority to assimilate each of the organization’s individual databases.
• Usability Issues – in the “almost there org”, other departments complain that they don’t like the system and that it’s too hard to use.   They keep saying, “I can do all I need to in Excel and it’s faster” while thinking about their individual needs rather than the needs of the member and the entire organization.

The good news is that it’s not that hard to change and get your organization on the same page (ok, it’s hard as in “some work” but it’s not hard like physics or calculus):

• Usability Concerns or Complaints – Are staff saying “I can’t use the system” just because they are complaining or do they have legitimate issues?  Survey them and find out.  Maybe what you need is more training, to add functionality, or review your business processes?  But you don’t know if you don’t ask.
• Promote Wins – People like to be associated with winning projects.  When you’ve implemented a new process or done something great with the system, make sure the entire staff knows about it.  “Did you know we processed twice as many memberships in half the time last month?”  I’ll be that those other departments come ask you how you did it – and now you can convert them.
• Be the Hero – Look for opportunities to save the day with your super-human AMS skills.  Once you show other departments there’s a better way, they’ll say “how can I do that?”  They’ll be thankful when you tell them they can do it themselves and they can make their department look even better.
• Create Evangelists – Every organization has someone who others look up to and has quite a bit of influence.  Find that person and show them all the cool things your AMS does.  Get them to talk about it in meetings or when someone asks for help make sure they now how the AMS can help.  You need a strong personality to push adoption and this is just the person to do it.

In addition to revisiting your change management program when you implemented your AMS these ongoing activities will slowly convert naysayers in to power-users.  And along the way your association and your members will reap the benefits with more efficiencies and better member data.

“We bought something that is growing and continuing to evolve with new features,” said Guerrieri. As sudden business opportunities or challenges have arisen, netFORUM Enterprise’s extensibility has equipped Guerrieri’s team to respond quickly.

Sounds like open technology to me.

I recently had a conversation with a VP of Marketing at another association who is experiencing the exact opposite situation.  They want to add a CMS and other basic technologies.  However, in order to perform what should be simple tasks they need build workarounds in the data fields of their AMS and get two outside vendors to do specialized customizations – which ultimately costs extra and may “break” the underlying structure of the core database.  This is an example of a legacy, closed database that isn’t able to talk with current technologies.

The lesson is that there are many available technologies and some try to be all things to all situations/departments/applications.  

However, what this work by Agilutions and ASHA points out is that it is important to look for technologies that know what they do well – and when they don’t do something specific (or don’t do it well) have the ability to be extended or integrated by 3^rd parties to do it better.

As you look at the membership database that is running your association, ask the following questions: 

• Is there an easy way to integrate this with other systems?
• Is there an opportunity to work with a certified partner who can develop what you need or extend your system?
• What would you say are the core strengths of the system? If you need something that doesn’t fall within that checklist, can you modify your internal processes to work with what they have?

The days of “walled-off” software are over.  Systems need to be able to talk to each other, partner and be extended to meet the users needs.   And when they can’t do that, it is time to evaluate existing systems and invest in new ones that offer an open platform to extend beyond the core competency. 

Don't miss the opportunity to preview Avectra Social Community

I invite you to join one of our webinars this afternoon where we'll be highlighting Avectra's game changing strategy to utilize social marketing with netFORUM AMS to achieve high member value and improve retention.

There are 2 convenient times this afternoon to choose from:
12:00 Noon – 12:30 pm ET 
and 
3:00pm - 3:30pm ET 

You can sign up now at http://bit.ly/91SRVl and you'll even be able to submit questions live during the event by using the tag #AvectraSocial.

Hope to see you there!

Join me and other Avectra staff tonight, Monday, June 14^th at L’Enfant Plaza Hotel in the Degas Ballroom from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. as we “pop the cork” on out latest solution following the ASAE’s 2010 Marketing & Membership Conference!

We are shaking up the way that associations engage their members.  Our new product is sure to help organizations connect with their membership when and where they prefer via relevant content and ongoing conversations about the topics that matter most to them.

Don't miss the party - be there!

Good news, association friends: a recent survey of association managers indicates that finding and hiring staff is up! According to to a tidbit published in today's Association Trends about the TRENDS Spring 2010 Association PULSE Report, 85.7% of executives found filling staff positions in the second half of 2009 to be an easy task. 

We'll be optimistic and hope that that means associations are starting to hire more staff and add more services.

So as new staff members come on board at associations across the country, having an easy-to-use association management software (AMS) system is more critical than ever for getting those staff up, running and adding value as quickly as possible.

In a shameless plug (with a little help from two of our most recent clients), here's how Avectra can help.

There's a Short Learning Curve

With any new system, "There’s always a time period where you’ll have some pain and suffering around the office as people learn to do things in a new way,” said Joan Menzer, director of member services at the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges (AGB). "But with netFORUM Pro, that period was much shorter than it would have been with a different system."

WHY?

• A Familiar Interface: “netFORUM Pro is very user-friendly, and the interface looks very much like what we’re used to seeing on our desktops everyday in Microsoft Office products,” said Menzer. “Our first impression was that this is something that everyone in our office could use, understand very easily, and not be intimidated by."
   
• User Accessibility: "Knowing we were expanding our office staff, we didn’t want to have to hire someone that specialized in database management," said Justin Apel, assistant executive director for the Golf Course Builders Association of America (GCBAA). With netFORUM, raw data is translated into reports, queries and dashboard metrics that association staff at all levels can use to make informed business decisions (no database expertise needed!)
   
• Convenient Training: Not only did Apel find Avectra's netFORUM to be user-friendly, but with Avectra's complete array of free Web-based resources – including regular live webinars, recorded webinars, online help, 'Tip of the Week' e-mails and access to user groups – help is always at his fingertips. "netFORUM definitely makes life easier," he said.

Yesterday we were pleased to host a great Avectra Academy webinar which got beyond the “theory” of social media and dove into what associations are really doing to generate success with these new tools. 

Here are a few highlights.

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Suzanne Carawan from ThePort presented their findings from the 2010 Nonprofit Social Network Benchmark Report (you can download it here). (Disclaimer:  ThePort is an Avectra partner). Some of the report’s key findings included:

• 90% of the organizations surveyed are actively using commercial networks including Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube
• 22% of the organizations surveyed have private social networks or communities
• Organizations typically make monitoring and managing these communities (both public and private) the responsibility of ½ of a full time employee
• Facebook is the most commonly used public social media platform
• While public networks tend to have more than 1,700 members/followers, two-thirds of the private networks have fewer than 500 members.

Tom Morrison from the Metal Treating Institute highlighted his experiences building a private network using a solution provided by NFI Studios (Disclaimer:  Tom Morrison is an Avectra client and NFI Studios is an integration partner with Avectra). Tom’s highlights included the fact that:

• The biggest advantage of their private social network is that it has created a unified approach to touch all members.
• The network has delivered a number of advantages including providing a:
  • Competitive advantage
  • Voice for their smallest members
  • Connection with members who don’t attend meetings
• Tom started the network with 612 users and now has over 800 members
• 60% of their membership actively uses the system
• Tom highlighted that a key to success was to funnel members directly into the community after the member login and not merely provide it as an option off a side-bar link on the site.
• The key to launching the community was a successful marketing plan that not only built hype before it was launched but made a big deal of the launch and then sustained the buzz to keep people excited and engaged.
• Tom highlighted the need to make sure that you can integrate your private social networking platform into your Association Management Software (AMS). His recommendation was to select your social network platform first and then select your AMS so that you know you have something you can integrate with.

Avectra Comment: our association management software easily integrates with all of the leading social networking platforms including ThePort (Suzanne’s company), NFI Studios (who Tom uses), Higher Logic, Socious and more.  For more information, contact one of our sales reps.

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Tom and Suzanne covered a good bit of information in the webinar and this is obviously just the tip of the iceberg. If you would like to view the recorded webinar or download the slides, you can get them from our Avectra Academy website.

We also know that the subject of social media for associations is one that a lot of people are interested in and are trying to gather more information about. With that said, you may want to keep the following events in mind:

Association New Media Summit – June 8

Presented by our friends at Peach New Media, this one day event will include a number of speakers including Tom Morrison, Jeff DeCagna, SocialFish and me. For more info and to register.

Social Media Lunch and Learn – June 16

Presented by Avectra and Bisnow, this lunch and learn session will featuring Jennifer Edwards Abernethy, author of The Complete Idiots Guide to Social Media Marketing and a panel discussion with Kiki L’Italien, Suzanne Carawan and Maggie McGary. For more info and to register.

Buzz 2010 – June 16 | July 20 | August 18

Organized by SocialFish and SmartBrief, this series of breakfast meetings where top association and non-profit executives can hear directly from the leading minds in social media for business. For more info and to register.

It’s an exciting time for associations as they figure out what to do with social media and how to create their own networks. The good news is there are a lot of good sources of information out there and the early innovators like Tom are providing good case studies and road maps for success.

‘Customize’ is a buzzword when it comes to association management software (AMS). Many vendors highlight their product’s power to be customized—but just because you can, does that mean you should?

Here are a few points to consider before rushing to customize your AMS.

Examine Your Processes

The software of many AMS vendors, especially those with large client bases, is built on association best practices. At Avectra, we’ve seen more than 1,000 organizations streamline operations with our software. If you think your organization is so different that your software must be customized, you might want to ask—does it make sense to be that different, considering that the software meets the needs of so many other organizations? Take an open-minded look at your SOPs. Might it be more cost-effective and efficient to adjust your processes, rather than write custom code?

It’s time for soul searching, and perhaps the need to overcome the “We’ve always done it this way” mentality. It’s hard to break from habit, but maintaining the status quo might make your job more difficult—and you don’t want to sink costs into customizations that will later be rendered obsolete.

Configuration & Extension vs. Modification

Imagine a house. Replacing windows or adding a porch onto the existing structure is generally okay, but if you want to rearrange the dishwasher, oven and fridge, you’ll have to work with plumbing, gas and electricity. And when you’re finished you might not have a much better kitchen– you’ll merely have given yourself a headache.

The same is true when it comes to your AMS. Configuring or extending the software to work for your organization is a much safer option than modifying its base code. Look for a product that is inherently flexible, with definable fields and built-in tools to tailor the existing system – or integrate with third-party applications – to meet end user needs, all without leaving the upgrade path. If modification is absolutely necessary, be sure your vendor guarantees that such modifications will work with future upgrades.

Calculate the ROI

Take a close look at the business model for customization. You might find the possible returns on investment of your exceptional items aren’t worth the cost or complications to pursue.

The Association of Governing Boards (AGB), for example, recently moved from a highly-customized product to Avectra’s netFORUM Pro, which “met 90% of our needs right out of the box,” said Joan Menzer, director of membership services. Rather than investing in customizations, AGB now saves money by tweaking business processes and configuring the system to address the rest of its needs.

Or you might find it’s more expensive not to customize if the labor for high-volume processes is more costly—and there are cases where customization not only makes sense, but it’s smart strategy.

For example, the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA) has doubled its business volume since 2001 without needing to add staff, largely due to its business automation strategy that required customizations to Avectra’s netFORUM Enterprise, said Thomas Nordby, NDIA’s assistant vice president of business operations.

The key to choosing smart customizations is to examine the reasons for any particular project. Will it generate incremental revenue? Save money? Or is it simply because that’s how you’re used to doing it?

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The bottom line? Just because you can does not mean you should. Rather than start with customization, see if there’s a way to modify your processes. Explore configuration and extension. Calculate the risks and benefits of customization, and move forward only with those that make strategic sense.

As we look to facilitate communication and ensure our clients, partners, and Avectra staff are all on the same page, we are going to change to a single naming convention, using only the year as the name. 

The upcoming build due to be released in September will be known as netFORUM 2010.  We’ll also be retroactively updating a few areas to switch over the names for the currently supported builds to the internal name, converting netFORUM 2.2 to netFORUM 2008 and netFORUM 3.0 to netFORUM 2009.  The wiki, R&D Central, and the ‘About netFORUM’ box for the June service packs are all being converted over.  

We don’t anticipate this affecting day-to-day usage of our enterprise association mangement software; this will only be a change to how you answer the ‘what build are you on’ question. 

Hopefully by moving to a single name for each build we’ll all be able to more quickly communicate about what version of the application is being used and reduce confusion.