Many associations start their technology search with a feature list: more insightful reporting, easier renewals, and better events management.

However, technology bought without a clear view of organisational strategy rarely delivers what it promised. The Association Management System (AMS) works, but it doesn't move your association forward, because there wasn’t a clear plan of what moving ‘forward’ actually looks like.

Associations that get long-term ROI from technology start with strategy. They decide where the organisation wants to be in three to five years, and then evaluate which systems will support that direction. 

They will also determine their digital maturity to develop their technology strategy. Digital maturity considers how well organisations use its available technology; there's a range of five levels, from chaotic to predictive. Associations on the lower end of the scale, will have a vastly different strategy those digitally mature associations.

Dependent on the digital maturity level, actions might include deciding to implement a new AMS solution, integrating third party tools with an AMS system, or creating a plan of improvements to get more value from your technology.

There are 7 key areas of digital maturity, these include: continuous learning, data accuracy, AI, and system knowledge.

In Zentso’s digital maturity guide, we explore these 7 areas in more detail. For leaders weighing their next technology decision, the guide is a useful first step: understand your digital maturity, then let that help shape your technology and association strategies.

The guide is available to download here.

Zentso helps membership organisations, associations, and unions reduce digital transformation risk, align technology with strategy, and make systems work. We’re trusted iMIS partners and have a catalogue of award-winning add-ons that help you achieve your goals with clicks-not-code.