The Ultimate Community Management Platform Buyer’s Guide

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Association management software has evolved in the past few years, and today, trade and professional organizations need dedicated community management platforms in order to adequately engage their members. But what exactly is a community management platform, and does your association need one?

To help trade and professional associations understand this technology, the role it plays in member engagement, and what to look for in prospective platforms, we’ve put together this complete buyer’s guide. In it, we’ll cover:

 

Every association’s community is unique, which means the right tool for one association may not be quite right for another. To address as many common concerns as possible, we’ll break down core platform elements and why they matter. But first, let’s explain exactly what a community management platform is.


What is a Community Management Platform?

A community management platform is software for associations that lets them create online spaces for their members to interact. These platforms create social media-like interfaces where members can post content, message one another, attend virtual events, and more depending on the specific platform’s features.

Why Should Associations Invest in a Community Management Platform?

Associations can use social media sites like Facebook and LinkedIn to host their communities. However, doing so is inadvisable for several reasons, including:

  • Member attention. Popular social media platforms have a lot of users, which means associations that host their communities on these sites are constantly competing for members’ attention. In contrast, a dedicated community engagement platform focuses attention on your association and keeps members on your website.
  • Privacy. Hosting your community on most social media sites is free. However, doing so comes at a hidden cost: your members’ privacy. Social media sites like Facebook generate revenue by selling users’ data to advertisers, and your members may not appreciate having their conversations mined for marketing purposes.
  • Professionalism. Community management software gives your association a branded space to professionally present your association. In contrast, social media limits your branding and customization abilities. Plus, many people might view Facebook Groups as overly casual or amateurish.

 

Social media is best used for marketing your member community and driving interest toward your community management platform. For example, you might post a blog article for free on Facebook and explain that it is part one of a series of posts exploring the topic. To get more valuable content, prospective members would need to sign up and log into your membership portal.

Community Management Platform Features

Community management platforms are created for a range of audiences, and as such, there are also a range of features to be aware of. For trade and professional associations, we recommend looking for platforms with the following tools:

1. Community Platform

The actual community engagement space itself is usually called the “community platform.” This tool acts as a social media-like interface where your members can post content and interact with one another.

 

When assessing this feature, look for:

  • User-friendliness. A community platform is user-facing and should be as intuitive for your members as possible. This includes not just posting content but also the processes for joining and navigating your platform.
  • Moderation controls. While your community platform is for your members, it still represents your association and is up to your team to moderate it. Look for tools that have moderation features, such as the ability to review and take down content, remove users, and pin announcement posts to the top of members’ feeds.
  • Content hosting capabilities. What type of content can members share? Ensure your platform supports long-form text, images, and video. There may be limitations on what a post can support, such as character and photo limits and max video file sizes.

 

While every association might have different priorities for their community management software, the community platform component is the defining feature of these tools. As such, finding one that fits your needs should be one of your top considerations.

2. Video Conferencing

Virtual events are for your association’s community, so it makes sense to host these online events in the same place where your community already gathers online.

Some community management software vendors have a major focus on virtual event software, while others provide video conferencing as a bonus feature. When assessing platforms, consider:

  • How many virtual events your association hosts. If your association only hosts a handful of virtual events throughout the year, it may be more cost-effective to invest in a platform with a range of tools, including video conferencing, than a dedicated virtual event management system.
  • Video conferencing must-have features. When your association hosts virtual events, what features do you need? For most associations, baseline event tools include screen sharing, breakout rooms, and live chat. Some video conferencing tools have additional useful features, like polls, pinned questions, and other ways to make online events interactive.
  • Cost of separate virtual event management software. While some vendors may have more sophisticated products than others, most community management platforms come with built-in video conferencing software. As such, determine if it’s worthwhile to invest in a separate event management system or purchase a community management platform with adequate video conferencing.

 

Additionally, consider how the video component of your community management software works in conjunction with the rest of your platform. Is it easy for members to access your virtual events from your community platform? Can you easily promote virtual events on the community platform? Are these desirable features for your association, or is video conferencing not even a concern?

3. Member Directory

Community management platforms provide your association and fellow members access to your member directory. This allows members to search for and reach out to one another, while your association’s team can use this information to manage your members.

When it comes to member directory features, be on the lookout for:

  • Number of contacts. How many members can you add to your directory? Many small-scale community management platforms place a cap on this, but some vendors that cater to growing organizations, like Tradewing, offer unlimited contacts.
  • Messaging features. How can members contact one another? Your member directory should include both direct messaging options and the ability to form group chats.
  • Search tools. Let members easily search your database by searching names, job positions, business names, or other identifying attributes.

 

Remember that a member directory differs from a member database. Your directory is a front-facing tool your members can use to aid their networking, whereas a member database is a backend tool with extensive data only for your association’s team.

4. Privacy Tools

Just because a member has joined your association does not mean they want to share every little detail about themselves with the rest of your community. Protect members’ privacy by allowing them to control who can view specific information on their profiles.

For example, here’s what a member would see when editing their profile within Tradewing:

As you can see, members can decide who can view specific profile attributes, whether that’s the general public, logged-in users, all members, or just the user themselves. For example, a member might make their name and place of employment visible to everyone, their email address visible to members, and their home address only visible to themselves.

This protects your members from unwanted communication, including harassment and spam. Ensure your community management software offers similar privacy features and also maintains strong security standards to protect against cyberattacks.

5.  Customization

Your community platform is an extension of your website and should include your association’s branding. As such, all community management platforms your association considers should have at least some customization features.

However, be aware that “customization” means different things to different community platform vendors. Some software might offer out-of-the-box tools that allow you to customize your branding, messaging templates, and website setup. In contrast, others might require working with a developer to finetune the platform to your specifications.

The former may be preferable for large associations with multiple chapters. These organizations require custom workflows and high levels of customization, even if that requires increased cost and administrative time.

In contrast, small and medium-sized associations may value some customization, such as customized messaging templates and branding. However, excessive customization abilities can lead to unnecessary stress.

When assessing community management platforms, be aware what size associations the software is geared toward and what is meant by “customizable.” 

6. Messaging Alerts

Keep members in the loop and encourage them to come back to your community platform with messaging alerts. These can take the form of emails, text messages, or push notifications depending on your preferences and software’s capabilities.

Look for community management software with automation features to power this strategy. These can be used to remind members about upcoming events, alert them to community announcement posts, share when someone has messaged them, or check in if it’s been a while since they last logged onto your platform.

7. Integrations

Ensure your community management platform integrates with association management software (AMS) and any other tools in your tech stack. Doing so ensures data collected by your community management platform, like member engagement rates, is smoothly transferred to your member database and other relevant software.

If you choose solutions without ready-built integrations, you may need to work with a technology consultant to create a custom middleware solution. These can be costly and take time to develop. As such, prioritize vendors that offer a pre-existing integration with your current software when possible.

Community Management Platform Purchasing Considerations

When reviewing community management software, create a short list of top candidates by assessing each provider based on:

Association Capacity

Associations vary widely in size, budget, and purpose. Additionally, community management software appeals to a range of organizations outside of associations, including businesses and casual social groups.

As such, finding the right software for your association requires assessing your association’s:

  • Must-have features. What is your association looking for in a community management platform? For instance, you might be in desperate need of a social platform but already have event management tools you like, so event conferencing features are nice to have but not a priority. While tools built with other audiences in mind may serve your needs, it’s usually best for trade and professional associations to stick to association-oriented software.
  • Size. Some community management platforms are built to accommodate larger member bases than others. While a solution for enterprise-sized associations may seem like the go-to option, be aware that these platforms are often unwieldy and costly for small and growing associations that would be better served by a smaller-scale, out-of-the-box solution.
  • Budget. How much is your association able to spend on technology? Most community management platforms operate on a subscription model, and many have multi-year contracts that lock your organization into a set payment plan, regardless of whether you use their software or not.

 

While associations should aim to grow and evolve, it’s almost never worth it to invest in an expensive tool like Hivebrite or a general platform like Mighty Networks that does more than your association needs. Rather, assess your association to understand where your needs currently are and gear your technology to your association as it currently is, not where you hope it will be in 10 years.

Remember, if you need to upgrade to a new system in a few years, you always can and you’ll likely have a higher budget when you do!

Technology Needs

Association technology is extensive and varied, and your community management platform should fit into your existing technology stack. Outside of community management software, associations might also invest in a combination of these tools:

  • Association management software (AMS)
  • Customer management software (CRM)
  • Learning management system (LMS)
  • Content management system (CMS)
  • Email marketing platform
  • Event management tools

 

Depending on your specific vendors, some of these tools may contain overlapping features. For example, many AMSs include CRM functionality. Additionally, many AMSs provide some community management software features, though often in a limited capacity.

Assess whether your current technology supports your needs and what a new tool can provide. Then, research integrations to ensure your new software can be easily added to the rest of your software ecosystem.

Last, consider your team’s own technical prowess. If your association lacks an IT team, understand that means you will need to rely on your vendors for training and technical support. Additionally, if you purchase software that requires customization, a middleware application, or further development, you will likely need to work with a technology consultant, which takes time and adds an extra expense to your technology budget.

Vendor Reviews

Third-party review websites are useful resources that allow your association to accomplish two essential things:

  1. Discover new vendors. It’s easy to gravitate toward large platforms with name recognition. However, these may not always be the best choice for your association. Search review sites to broaden your range of candidates and discover smaller providers that fit your needs.
  2. Assess prospective platforms. After completing your shortlist of prospective vendors, check what past users have to say about their experience using the platform. Consider both the positives and negatives and how impactful those would be for your association.

 

Additionally, on vendors’ sites, look for case studies or customer testimonials. While these sources are biased, they provide a window into what each vendor feels they specialize in. For instance, if a vendor’s case studies primarily focus on their virtual event capabilities, you can assume that is one of their strengths.

Top Community Management Platform: Tradewing

The top community management software for trade and professional associations is our very own platform, Tradewing. Tradewing is a convenient, out-of-the-box platform for growing associations looking to manage their communities online. With Tradewing, your association can:

  • Connect with members anytime, anywhere. Tradewing is mobile accessible and excels in keeping association communities connected all year long. Post online content, schedule events, and invite members to interact with each other on your community platform to keep engagement high.
  • Focus members’ attention. Rather than sending members away from your association’s website to engage with your community, Tradewing keeps them on one centralized platform. This pushes members to engage with your content by limiting distractions.
  • Spotlight sponsors. Earn non-dues revenue by securing sponsorships and promoting their content on your community platform. With a sponsorship sidebar, sponsors’ content is always visible but not intrusive.
  • Plan, promote, and host events. With Tradewing’s conferencing software, members can easily toggle between your community platform and event site. Announce events on your community feed, send attendance reminders, and host your virtual events all on the same platform.
  • Maintain members’ privacy. Tradewing allows associations to create thorough member profiles with as many custom fields as they want. Once members complete their profiles, they can choose what information they want visible. This preserves members’ privacy as they engage with your community.
  • Create designated members-only areas. With Tradewing’s website builder, you can set up not only your community but also your entire website. Determine what pages will be visible to the public and which are members-only to lock your valuable content behind your member portal.
  • Monitor engagement analytics. Monitor engagement over time and drill down into specific members’ engagement metrics to see who is an active part of your community and who might be at risk of lapsing.

 

Even with all of these features, Tradewing’s biggest strength is its convenience. Compared to platforms that require extensive customization and developer assistance, Tradewing can beset up fast and operate with minimal administrative burden on your team.

More Community Management Resources

Community management software arms associations with the tools they need to communicate with, engage, and retain their members. When assessing top vendors, look for platforms that prioritize the member experience, like Tradewing, and make community management easy with ready-to-go features, an intuitive interface, and easy automation features.

To continue learning about community management, check out these free resources:

Member Engagement: 10 Creative Ideas to Excite Your Community

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From events to online courses, your association provides a variety of content and activities for your members. However, these offerings only have an impact if your members actually engage with them. Even for associations with high participation rates, engagement can drop significantly in between major events.

To help your trade or professional association consistently engage its community, this guide will explore ideas and strategies to energize your members.

But first, let’s define exactly what member engagement means and why it matters.

What is Member Engagement?

Member engagement includes all the ways members interact with your association. When members attend events, comment on your blog posts, or message one another, they’re engaging with your association. Associations with high levels of member engagement tend to be dynamic, financially healthy, and positioned to expand their offerings.

Member management and member engagement are closely related concepts, and strong member management often helps facilitate positive engagement. The main difference is that member management focuses on organizing members by collecting data, managing dues payments, and planning activity logistics. With this foundation, your association can host engaging events, create engaging content, and encourage members to engage with one another.

Member Engagement Benefits

Members who sign up but don’t engage with your association may contribute to your dues revenue, but these individuals likely won’t stay members for long. By creating valuable content and promoting it to members, you can increase engagement and reap several benefits, including:

  • Higher Retention. Members who know what your association offers and are excited about it are more likely to stay members long-term. Conversely, low engagement is often a key sign a member is about to lapse.
  • Increased Revenue. The more activities your members participate in, the more they’ll spend. This might involve upgrading to a higher membership tier, buying event tickets, or purchasing your association’s products or services.
  • Better Recruitment. Professionals want to join associations that have lively networks, so they can expand their professional contacts. If your association has an active base of highly engaged members, new members are more likely to want to join to participate in your community.

Essentially, member engagement measures your association’s health. If you have high member engagement, your community is likely loyal, valuable, and eager for your next offerings.

10 Member Engagement Strategies

1. Maintain an online community.

Many associations host just a handful of events every year, and these organizations tend to see flagging engagement during the months between in-person meetups. Increase your memberships’ value and maintain engagement throughout the entire year by building an online community.

On your association’s website, provide access to an online platform just for your members behind your member login. To create this platform, invest in community engagement software for associations. These tools allow trade and professional associations to create personalized social media sites just for their members.

For example, here’s what Tradewing’s very own community engagement platform looks like:

Platforms like Tradewing arm associations with several features for fostering lively online communities, such as:

  • Member feed. Your association’s staff and members can post content, comment on others’ posts, and scroll through a chronological timeline of the latest content. If there’s anything you need your members to see, your association’s team can create an announcement post and pin it to the top of all members’ timelines.
  • Groups. Members can reach out to one another and form groups where they can chat, plan events, and share. Tradewing’s platform allows users to create posts and schedule events that are visible only to their fellow group members. This means once members form connections, they can continue the conversation and arrange meet-ups right on your association’s platform.
  • Event hosting. Expand your association’s offerings by hosting virtual events on your community engagement platform. Many community engagement platforms like Tradewing come with basic event management software, allowing you to announce, promote, and host events all in one centralized hub.

Popular rivals like Higher Logic and Hivebrite offer similar features but often cater to broader audiences or come with higher pricing, making Tradewing a more focused and cost-effective option for associations and professional groups. Alternatively, some associations use publicly available social media sites like Facebook to host their communities. However, there are several downsides to this compared to a specialized community engagement tool, such as:

  • Limited moderation. Platforms like Facebook offer group organizers some moderation tools, but these are severely limited compared to a platform your association controls. This applies not just to moderating discussions but also to protecting members’ privacy, fighting spam, and maintaining your association’s branding.
  • Decentralization. By sending members to a third-party platform, you’re encouraging them to navigate away from your website and its content. This divides members’ focus and makes community engagement hard to measure. Not to mention, on social media sites like Facebook, your association will have to constantly fight for attention against all of the other posts in your members’ feeds.
  • Lack of professionalism. For professional and trade associations, using free social media platforms to manage your community can seem unprofessional. By investing in an online platform branded to your association, you’ll also invest in your association’s image and reputation.

There’s definitely still a place for social media in your association’s engagement strategy. Instead of hosting your online community on social media, you can use these sites to post enticing content that draws members to your website and private online community.

2. Create an onboarding process.

Joining an association can be overwhelming, and new members will appreciate a helping hand. Ensure these members have a positive first impression by creating a new member welcome series.

For many associations, this will take the form of an email series. For example, your messaging series might consist of:

  • An introductory email thanking new members for joining your association and providing a brief overview of your offerings
  • An email recommending offerings for members to explore, such as a mix of popular and new content
  • Encouragement to complete any new member tasks, such as publishing their profiles, finishing questionnaires, or signing up for community alerts
  • A personal invitation to your next event and instructions for how to RSVP to events in general
  • A survey asking about their new membership experience and if they have any lingering questions

Outside of emails, there are a range of other ways to onboard new members. For instance, you might create a welcome video, host new member welcome events, and announce new members to your community. Some associations even mail out new member kits containing mugs, pens, a welcome letter, and other branded merchandise.

3. Encourage user-generated content.

Your association should regularly create content—whether it’s blog posts, training courses, virtual events, or something else—to maintain engagement. However, even with a dedicated content creation team, you’ll likely be unable to produce a continuous stream of posts to keep members engaged throughout the year.

Fortunately, you don’t have to. Consider how social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook very rarely have posts for the actual site maintainers. Instead, users are invited to create posts of their own. Your association can do the same! By encouraging user-generated content, your members can create content to engage one another.

User-generated content can take many forms, including:

  • Images
  • Graphic design
  • Videos
  • Reviews
  • Written opinion pieces
  • Research reports
  • Discussion-sparking questions

To boost user-generated content, maintain an online community where members can easily share their creations and receive feedback from other members. You might also jumpstart the process by hosting competitions, posting discussion questions, or spotlighting model user-generated content.

4. Facilitate networking.

Many members join trade and professional associations to expand their networks. However, some members may need help figuring out where to start when it comes to reaching out. Additionally, associations have to balance encouraging member connections while protecting members’ privacy, which might make some members difficult to contact.

You can help members get around these obstacles and streamline the networking process by leveraging:

  • Suggested connections. Some associations set up programs where members can complete a short survey and have connections suggested to them or even have meet-ups arranged by your association. This process intends to pair up like-minded individuals and can be especially useful for new members entering your association with zero pre-existing connections.
  • Welcome events. If multiple new members join at once, host a welcome event or take time at your next event to introduce your new members to the rest of your community. This provides new members with a face-to-face opportunity to mingle.
  • Members-only spaces. In your online community, give members the opportunity to post publicly and engage with others in a low-stress environment. For example, you might invite discussion in the comments below a recent blog post. This gives members a natural opportunity to find others with shared interests and start conversations.

To help all members continually network, maintain an online membership directory where members can search for one another and send messages. Enable members to decide what information they want visible on their profiles, such as their contact information, job position, alma mater, professional interests, and personal hobbies.

5. Leverage gamification tools.

Gamification is the inclusion of game design elements in non-game contexts. For example, an association might create a reward system where members can earn points for posting content, attending activities, and logging into their online member portal every day.

Gamification incentivizes member participation in your association, pushing them to make additional comments, posts, and content to hit the next level, rise on the leaderboard, or earn a badge. A few gamification features you can add to your association’s online community include:

  • Badges. Acknowledge the actions your members take to engage with your association by awarding them badges, ribbons, trophies, stars, or any other virtual marker of success. These can be displayed on member profiles or next to their usernames when posting or commenting in your online community.
  • Leaderboards. Instill a sense of friendly competition by creating a leaderboard of all of your members. This allows members to see how they are performing in the “game” of engaging with your association compared to others and see their names rise up the ranks.
  • Rewards. While some gamification systems have no payoff other than the innate satisfaction of winning a game, you can attach tangible prizes to your gamification strategy. For example, you might show your appreciation for your community’s top posters by sending them a box of branded merchandise or offering a discount when it’s time to renew their memberships.

These elements boost engagement by adding an extra reward to participating in your community. Members have a record of their engagement, helping them quantify their participation and fostering a desire to continue adding to it.

6. Provide a late payment grace period.

The membership renewal process is a key moment for maximizing member retention, but it can also be used to boost engagement. In your association’s membership renewal letters, emphasize your various membership benefits, upcoming activities, and anything else valuable they can engage with if they continue their membership.

Additionally, offer members a grace period for missed payments before cutting off access to benefits. This gives members one final chance to see what they’ll be missing, which can encourage them to commit to another month or year of membership.

7. Contribute to a good cause.

Many businesses host corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs to boost their reputation and engage customers and employees. Associations can similarly engage their members and staff by scheduling activities related to giving back.

For example, your association might host an annual volunteer day related to your cause. To partner with a local nonprofit to organize a team volunteer activity for your members, follow these steps:

  • Survey members. Reach out to your members to learn what causes they want your association to support. Consider suggesting specific organizations in your local area or letting members share what types of nonprofit missions they prefer supporting. The cause you ultimately decide to go with might be related to your association’s regular offerings or simply something the majority of your members believe in.
  • Reach out to nonprofits. Contact nonprofits ahead of time rather than just showing up with a group of members to volunteer. This allows them to plan volunteer activities that accommodate a large number of people.
  • Work out logistics. Prior to your volunteer day, get a head count of the members committed to participating. Additionally, share other logistic details like you would with any other event, such as meet-up time, if food is provided, what attire participants should wear, and so on.

While volunteering might not be directly related to your association’s main benefits, it can still give members more than just a personal sense of fulfillment. After all, team volunteer activities are the perfect opportunity to network and build a sense of camaraderie. In fact, 35% of individuals volunteer specifically to socialize, and your members can do the same amongst themselves.

8. Stay up to date with industry trends.

Nearly a third of members at professional and trade associations say access to specialized and up-to-date industry knowledge is one of their reasons for purchasing a membership. As such, you should ensure you provide your members with relevant, valuable offerings that will aid them in their careers.

You can refresh your knowledge and develop expert content by:

  • Following industry blogs and news sites. Subscribe to journals, news sites, and industry blogs related to your association. Regularly reading up on the challenges, discoveries, and developments in your members’ fields will help you create offerings that speak to their interests, concerns, and questions.
  • Attending conferences. Participate in discussions in your industry by attending relevant conferences. This gives you and your association’s team opportunities to connect with other industry leaders, attend expert-led workshops, and hear on-the-ground stories from professionals.
  • Working with experts. Consider bringing in a variety of professionals to present at events, submit blog posts, and develop educational courses. This helps your association present different viewpoints and provide additional value to your members. Plus, advancing your association’s network of professionals benefits both your members and your organization as a whole.

When your association has cutting-edge content and activities, share them with members. Highlight these offerings through community announcements. This can also be useful content to promote on social media to attract new members.

9. Survey members.

If you’re not sure what type of content will engage your members, ask them. Create surveys that ask members about their experience with your association. You might ask them questions like:

  • In the past six months, what type of content have you engaged with from the following options?
  • What types of content have you found the most useful for you professionally?
  • How do you usually find out about current community offerings?
  • What types of member benefits would improve your experience?
  • On average, how often do you engage with community content?

Ask a mix of multiple-choice and short-answer questions. This allows you to quantify members’ responses while also giving them space to elaborate on their experiences.

10. Revamp your email strategy.

Many associations dedicate their resources to communicating with prospective or new members. However, your ongoing communications with existing members should be just as captivating.

Reinvigorate your email campaigns with eye-catching visuals and enticing subject lines. Break out of the traditional email format with interactive elements, like eCards, image carousels, or videos.

Additionally, determine a cadence for sending creative emails. For example, design holiday eCards to send on Valentine’s Day and Christmas. Or, plan an email series around the anniversary of your association’s founding that includes images and videos of founding members and background information on the organization.

More Member Engagement Resources

Associations with highly engaged members set themselves up for growth, earn more through their offerings, and cultivate a positive reputation in their industry. For professional and trade associations looking to improve their membership rates, start experimenting with engagement strategies and invest in the software you need to connect with your community.

For more member engagement resources, explore these guides:

Community Management Software for Associations: 10 Options

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Your association’s community is one of its greatest strengths, but are you making the most of it? When it comes to association software, there are several types of platforms to consider, including tools designed to manage your community.

Community management software equips associations with the tools to engage members, encourage connections among one another, and foster a lively community.

To help you find the right platform for your association, we’ll explore 10 tools with community management features. But first, let’s explain exactly what community management software is.

What is community management software?

Community management software for associations enables organizations to bring their members together online. These software solutions usually create an online interface similar to a social media platform like Facebook or LinkedIn. While exact features vary from platform to platform, members usually have the ability to post content, comment on each other’s posts, and message one another directly.

Community management software differs from association management software (AMS) in that it focuses on the frontend user experience and is ultimately a tool for members to engage with. In contrast, AMSs include many backend features, such as dues management, event planning, and association-to-member communication.

In truth, there are actually very few platforms dedicated specifically to community management. As such, this guide will call out which tools are AMSs with community management features and which are true, dedicated community engagement software.

Best Community Software for Associations: Tradewing

Tradewing is one of the few community management software solutions on the market dedicated specifically to community engagement. Built for trade and professional associations, Tradewing provides an intuitive, out-of-the-box community engagement platform for fostering member engagement, maintaining active communication, and building your association’s community.

Pros

  • User-friendly. Tradewing is built so that members can pick it up quickly and start engaging with one another and your association’s team. If they’ve used social media before, using Tradewing should come second nature. Additionally, after just a few guided onboarding sessions, your association’s staff should be able to leverage the platform with ease, saving time and creating an association community that runs itself.
  • Member-focused. As mentioned, Tradewing is one of only a handful of community engagement-focused tools available. Tradewing’s platform gives members the tools to ask questions, share content, and make the industry connections they joined your association to secure.
  • Flexible. Outside of community engagement tools, Tradewing can also double as your virtual event platform. Host events through Tradewing’s conferencing software and promote upcoming activities through your new community social feed.
  • Cost-effective. When compared to other community management solutions, Tradewing is the cost-friendly option. With its focus on streamlined efficiency and additional event and email management tools, many trade and professional associations find Tradewing provides a greater return on investment than subscribing to several separate software solutions.
  • Integrations. Tradewing has AMS features, but if your association already has a dedicated AMS, Tradewing can integrate with your current system to provide community management features.

Con

Tradewing is primarily built for small and medium-sized associations. While Tradewing successfully powers nationwide associations like the American Association of Physics Teachers, enterprise-sized organizations looking for a fully customizable solution may need more robust platforms.

Best Community Management Software for Large Associations: Higher Logic

Higher Logic offers multiple engagement tools. Their Higher Logic Thrive solution is perhaps the best-known community management software currently available. Built for enterprise-sized associations, Higher Logic’s customizable solution powers trade and professional associations to build active member communities.

Pros

  • Customizability. If you’re looking for a community management solution to truly make your own, Higher Logic is the go-to solution. Higher Logic even assigns an expert advisor to all customers to provide guidance for implementing your platform.
  • AI-powered. Make managing your community easy with AI tools that help create automated newsletters, draft emails, and suggest post tags.
  • Gamification tools. Higher Logic enables associations to push their members to engage with badges, ribbons, and leaderboards.

Con

Higher Logic is built for large associations. This means it requires a degree of customization that may be unnecessary and costly for small and medium-sized associations. Additionally, Higher Logic’s complexities mean the backend is often unintuitive for most of your association’s staff, leading to unnecessary complications. Check out our list of Higher Logic alternatives for other platforms with comparable features.

Fonteva

Fonteva is primarily an AMS, but it does include a handful of valuable community management features. Fonteva is also built on Salesforce, meaning associations interested in Salesforce can access a platform that transforms their Salesforce instance into a suite of association and community management tools.

Pros

  • Self-service options. Save staff time by providing members with a range of self-service tools, from setting up their profiles to managing their membership status.
  • Salesforce native. For associations already or interested in using Salesforce, Fonteva is a logical choice. Thanks to Salesforce’s regular security updates and wide library of apps, associations using Fonteva can rest assured their member data is secure, and they can experiment with various add-ons.
  • Scalable. As a Salesforce native solution, Fonteva is highly customizable and built to scale as your association grows.

Con

Fonteva is foremost an AMS. As such, its community management features may feel limited in comparison to a platform built specifically to host member communities. Fortunately, Fonteva integrates with a variety of other solutions, including Salesforce apps and third-party community engagement tools.

Best All-in-One Community Management Software for Associations: Glue Up

Glue Up is an association management software that offers numerous software applications, including CRM software, event management tools, and community management. For associations looking for an all-in-one solution, Glue Up may be a worthwhile investment.

Pros

  • Digital business cards. Members can network with one another by creating and sharing digital business cards, letting them connect on Glue Up’s community platform and meet up offline at their own discretion.
  • Custom privacy settings. While members want to connect with one another, your community management software should still have adequate privacy settings. Tools like Glue Up allow members to create private groups and determine who can see their information.
  • Phone app. Glue Up allows associations to create an app to host their communities. This way, members can log in and catch up with their community, no matter where they are.

Con

Some customers have expressed dissatisfaction with Glue Up’s emailing capabilities, citing struggles editing emails and managing notification settings. Additionally, while Glue Up offers a wealth of features, familiarizing your association’s staff with the platform can be challenging.

Best Community Management Software for Associations with Multiple Audiences: Raklet

Raklet is an all-in-one member management system, meaning it also includes community management features. Set up “boards” for your community to interact with one another and keep your members engaged.

Pros

  • Free price tier. For small associations looking for a basic community platform, Raklet has a free version. While features are limited, associations can still leverage basic community features at no cost.
  • Moderation controls. Keep your platform secure and fight spam with Raklet’s moderation control. Set whether content is available to the public or just your members and review comments before they go live.
  • Multiple content streams. Does your association support multiple audiences with unique interests? If so, Raklet allows you to create separate content boards for various topics, enabling members to follow the content they’re most interested in.

Con

Raklet’s most expensive tier may be out of reach for the smaller associations that will gravitate toward this platform, meaning its premium customization and security features may not be accessible to all customers.

Best Community Management Software for Educational Courses: Circle

Unlike many of the platforms on this list, Circle is not designed explicitly for associations. Rather, Circle is a community management solution for all kinds of member-based organizations, including businesses, social clubs, and associations.

Pros

  • Interactive livestreams. Many of the community management solutions we’ve discussed so far have livestreaming and video conferencing features. Circle takes virtual events to the next level with immersive livestreams that can support multiple co-hosts and automated video transcripts to ensure all members can participate.
  • Educational course support. When it comes to content, Circle is particularly effective at sharing educational courses. Users can create cohort-based group discussions, create in-platform curriculum tools, and set up weekly office hours.
  • Supportive community. To get up to speed with Circle and ensure your association always maintains best practices, Circle hosts weekly trainings and workshops for the over 10,000 organizations also using the platform.

Con

Given that Circle is not designed specifically for associations, it may lack the capabilities associations and their members are used to, such as robust membership engagement tools and networking features.

Best Community Management Software for Member Management: YourMembership

YourMembership offers both association management and member management tools, including community management software. The online platform claims it can “turn members into super members” by transforming sporadic conversations into long-term, dedicated engagement.

Pros

  • Sponsorship promotion. Associations looking to boost non-dues revenue can leverage YourMembership’s advertising and sponsorship recognition tools to secure mutually beneficial corporate partnerships.
  • Suggested connections. Help members shortcut the networking process with suggested connections that link them to members with shared interests.
  • Surveys. Not sure if your engagement strategies are resonating with your community? With YourMembership, you can reach out to members via surveys and polls to gather their feedback.

Con

YourMembership has been around for over 20 years, and its community interface may feel outdated when compared to modern community management solutions.

Best Lightweight Community Management Software for Associations: Breezio

When it comes to overlooked community management software, Breezio is one to keep an eye on. Breezio is a community engagement platform dedicated solely to bringing associations’ members together online to connect with each other and your organization’s content.

Pros

  • AMS integration. Breezio isn’t an AMS, but it does integrate with a wide range of AMSs and CRMs.
  • Single sign-on. As part of its many integration capabilities, Breezio has single sign-on technology, so you can start managing your community as soon as you log onto your AMS.
  • HTML-responsive content creator. If your team is handy with code, Breezio allows you to customize your platform exactly how you want it to look on every device.

Con

Compared to other community management software for associations, Breezio has a relatively small user base, meaning few reviews exist. Customers may struggle to compare their options and assess if the platform is right for them.

Flexible Community Management Software for Associations: Hivebrite

Hivebrite markets itself as the “most powerful solution” for community management and engagement. This billing is thanks to the platform’s extensive customization and flexibility options that allow it to serve commercial, nonprofit, education, and association audiences.

Pros

  • Customizability. Hivebrite allows associations to make the platform their own with extensive branding options.
  • Community matching.  Hivebrite has recently acquired an AI-powered community matching platform. Community matching asks participating members to fill out a short form with their interests and contact information. Then, the system connects them with members who share interests, automating the networking process.
  • Content library. Members can access archived content in  Hivebrite’s digital library. While you’ll ensure old content doesn’t go missing, members can easily find what they’re looking for.

Con

While Hivebrite does offer extensive customization options, some customers have found these challenging to navigate. Like with other platforms with extensive features, initial onboarding can be a long and tricky process. Consider going with one of these alternatives to Hivebrite for a better experience.

Best Mobile Community Management Software for Associations: mosaic apps

mosaic apps is a phone-based community management software. While most community management software has an app, mosaic apps is specifically designed for mobile users and provides an optimized experience for on-the-go users.

Pros

  • Robust event hosting. mosaic apps is ideal for hosting virtual and hybrid events with optimized pre-event messages listing schedules, presenters, sessional evaluations, and more. For the events themselves, associations will have access to livestreaming, live chats, and event recording options.
  • Secure. To keep your members’ data safe and protect your members’ privacy, mosaic apps is ISO 27001 certified and complies with General Data Protection Regulation laws.
  • App-oriented. mosaic apps works on desktop, but it excels in its app form. Additionally, if your association needs an app with features mosaic apps doesn’t currently offer, you can reach out to them to develop a custom app.

Con

Due to its app focus, mosaic apps lacks integration capabilities, making it hard to connect other association management software to it.

More Community Management Resources

Community management software transforms your association’s community, allowing disparate members to come together online. Research various community management platforms to find a solution that fits your needs, budget, and association type.

To build a thriving community with the right software and strategies, check out these free resources:

Member Engagement Platform: Getting More out of Memberships

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Joining an association is an investment, and if your organization is experiencing high lapse rates, chances are your members aren’t seeing enough of a return. If this situation sounds similar to your association, ask yourself this question: does your membership program lack value, or are members just not engaging with your content?

If the answer is the latter, there’s a solution: invest in a member engagement platform. Member engagement platforms give your association the tools to connect with members, attract attention to your association’s offerings, and cultivate an energized community.

To teach your association about the purpose and benefits of a member engagement platform, we’ll cover:

 

Before diving into how to better manage your members, let’s go over a few basics about these platforms.


Member Engagement Platform FAQ

What is a member engagement platform?

A member engagement platform is a tool associations use to interact with members and guide them toward content and activities. Member engagement platforms are often called community engagement platforms, as your members make up your association’s community.

However, membership management platforms and member engagement platforms are two different things. Member management tools allow associations to keep their members organized by providing features for dues collection and association-to-member communication. In contrast, member engagement platforms have features like a community platform and member-to-member communication. There is some overlap between these types of platforms, as both will often have analytics and event management tools.

Why does member engagement matter?

Associations only exist because of their active membership bases. If members aren’t attending events, responding to your content, or interacting with one another, your association lacks purpose and direction.

When members are invested and engaging at high levels, your association will experience increased:

  • Retention. When members engage with your content and activities, they are more likely to see the value of their membership and want to continue being a member. This leads to increased loyalty and retention rates.
  • Value. For trade and professional associations, highly engaged members tend to spend more on event tickets, certification programs, and add-ons. As members continuously engage with your content, they’re more likely to want more content and increase their membership levels.
  • Recruitment. Active members are more likely to recommend your trade or professional association to their friends and colleagues. This leads to improved word-of-mouth marketing and easier member recruitment.

 

Engaged members understand the value of your association and want to continue accessing your unique benefits. Ensure your association leverages tools that make engagement easy.

Is an AMS a member engagement platform?

No, association management software (AMS) is not the same as a member engagement platform. While AMSs offer some of the same features as a member engagement platform—such as website builders, external marketing tools, and eCommerce setup—these tools ultimately focus on different aspects of running an association.

In general, AMSs focus on:

  • Member recruitment
  • Member analytics
  • Backend organizational tasks

 

In contrast, member engagement platforms prioritize:

  • Member-to-member communication
  • Content creation and sharing
  • Frontend tools for members

 

Due to these differences, many associations employ both an AMS and a member engagement platform. For example, you might use your AMS to set up your member application forms and collect monthly due payments. However, your association’s actual offerings, such as community opportunities and webinars, are hosted on your member engagement platform.

For a seamless experience, choose an AMS and member engagement platform that integrate with each other. That way, your two systems can work together to create a more efficient and enjoyable member experience.

How Member Engagement Platforms Benefit Associations

Improved Communication

Member engagement platforms, as the name implies, are designed to maximize member engagement. As such, associations can use these tools to improve communication by:

  • Promoting engagement opportunities. Members can only engage with content if they’re aware it exists. Member engagement platforms have marketing tools for promoting opportunities and re-engaging members, such as email and push notifications for when new content goes live.
  • Personalizing content. Take note of what types of content and activities members engage with, and use your member engagement platform to create communications that target their interests. For example, you might create a new member welcome series that promotes a variety of opportunities, such as webinars, events, and community groups. Then, for your next round of communication, you could send messages based on which content they engaged with.
  • Enabling open conversations. 71% of trade association members cite networking opportunities as one of their top reasons for purchasing a membership. As such, a platform that enables open communication between members is ideal for professional and trade associations.

 

Some member engagement platforms are accessible through your organization’s website and have an app. This allows members to engage with your content from anywhere without distractions.

Increased Retention

Engaged members are much easier to retain. While member engagement platforms often lack recruitment tools, they still help associations grow by providing tools for retaining the members you currently have.

Use your member engagement platform to:

  • Facilitate engagement opportunities. A member engagement platform can double as a content hosting tool. Host online events and webinars, post blog content, and share videos and photographs.
  • Improve networking. Networking is a core part of any association, and member engagement platforms allow your members to engage directly with one another. Members can create profiles, search your database, start private messages, and create public posts viewable to the rest of your community to start conversations.
  • Provide retention tools. A member engagement platform helps you create a lively community, which can help retain members. However, some community engagement platforms have tools specifically designed to improve retention, such as community notifications, engagement analytics, and membership grace periods.

 

Of course, remember that your engagement platform is just a tool in your retention strategy. To build a loyal community, always show appreciation, provide valuable opportunities, and listen to members’ feedback.

Enhanced Membership Value

66% of prospective members don’t join an association because they fail to see the value of a membership. With a member engagement platform, you can contact members with association offerings, encourage user-generated content, and turn a membership into a community.

In the membership funnel, member engagement platforms power the retention and re-engagement stages of membership marketing.

In these stages, associations continue to market content and provide members with engagement opportunities. However, don’t think of your member engagement platform as just one more marketing channel to post the same content that you would on social media.

Instead, member engagement platforms create members-only areas that are dedicated to providing gated content. By ensuring this content is valuable and members can engage with it, you reinforce your membership program’s value and increase retention.

Member Engagement Platform Features

While various member engagement platforms will have different tools based on their audience and vendor’s focus, most platforms for trade and professional associations should provide the following features.

Online Community

Member engagement platforms with a community engagement element give associations the ability to create an online space where members can interact with one another like they would on social media. This includes being able to:

  • Post content
  • Comment on other members’ posts
  • Scroll through posted content chronologically
  • Use a search tool to find specific posts
  • Browse notifications
  • Message members directly

 

Additionally, some member engagement platforms allow your association’s staff or members to create groups. For example, a professional association might create a group for board members, encouraging board members to interact with the rest of your community. Their member engagement platform may also double as a board meeting planning and communication tool.

Communication Tools

To encourage members to use the platform, many solutions provide communication tools designed to foster engagement. For instance, Tradewing’s real-time discussions and knowledge sharing give associations the ability to:

  • Have instant member interaction
  • Enable focused peer-to-peer learning in curated spaces
  • Boost member collaboration with intuitive features
  • Invite members to join their online community

 

While your member engagement platform should keep members on your website, your email strategy should bring them back to your website after they log off from your membership portal the day. Use insights gathered by your member engagement platform to determine what kinds of content spark engagement, and highlight those posts in your next email newsletter.

Event Management

Many associations invest in separate event management and member engagement tools. For complex events, it makes sense to have dedicated event management software, but for smaller trade and professional associations, a community management platform with event hosting features can be a cost-effective alternative.

Your member engagement platform should allow you to alert members to upcoming events, whether in-person or online, and host virtual events through your website. Look for software that comes with the following features:

  • Virtual conferencing
  • Event chat
  • Sponsor promotion options
  • Event alerts

When investing in event management software, consider your association’s entire technology budget. In some cases, purchasing a more expensive member engagement platform with event hosting tools makes more sense than buying subscriptions to separate community engagement and event management tools.

Plus, by hosting your events in the same place your members already go to engage with your community, you can easily alert them to upcoming events and boost attendance.

Analytics

Ensure your engagement strategies are work using your member engagement platform to monitor your community. These tools should allow you to view:

  • How many posts members are making
  • Whether members are interacting with each other’s content
  • How active each member is

With these tools, you can determine what content resonates with your members, when members are active, and which members are at risk of lapsing due to a lack of engagement.

 

Top Member Engagement Platform: Tradewing

When it comes to member engagement platforms, we recommend our very own community engagement solution: Tradewing.

Tradewing is an out-of-the-box community engagement platform for trade and professional associations. It offers competitive features and robust customization options, rivaling popular leaders in the space such as Higher Logic and Mighty Networks, all while maintaining affordability.

With our tools, small and medium-sized associations have a convenient, cost-effective way to connect with their members, encourage community engagement, and promote their association’s offerings. Here’s an overview of a few of Tradewing’s top benefits:

  • Centralized member engagement. If your association’s community currently operates on third-party platforms like Facebook, chances are that you’re not adequately capturing their attention. On external sites, like social media, your association constantly fights for your members’ focus. But when you host your community on Tradewing, all of your association’s members are brought to one place to engage with your offerings.
  • Quick setup. Tradewing has customizable features, but its real strength is its out-of-the-box functionality. Rather than spending hours customizing your solution or requiring developer assistance, associations can set up Tradewing quickly and leverage its automation tools to save time and keep everything running smoothly.
  • AMS integrations. For associations already using an AMS, Tradewing doesn’t have to replace their current system. In fact, Tradewing integrates with many top AMS solutions, allowing you to plug its community engagement platform into your current system.

 

For trade and professional associations looking to engage members, build communities, and increase their offerings’ value, Tradewing is the go-to cost-effective solution on the market.

More Member Engagement Resources

Member engagement platforms give your association a toolbox for interacting with members and increasing your membership program’s value. When researching platforms, look for solutions that offer the tools your association needs and also align with your size and budget.

For more information on effective member engagement, check out the following resources:

Tradewing Secures Investment to Boost Community Engagement

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We’re thrilled to share some exciting news with our valued clients and community!

Tradewing has secured a strategic investment led by mission-driven software veteran Lomesh Shah, marking an important milestone in our journey.

This partnership will help fuel our growth and allow us to continue delivering innovative solutions to trade and professional associations, empowering them to thrive in a rapidly evolving digital world.

What This Means for You

This investment is more than just a financial boost—it’s a reflection of our ongoing commitment to you, our clients.

Tradewing has experienced tremendous growth in both clients and users, and with additional resources at our disposal, we’re ready to take bold steps forward.

This means faster development of new features, enhancements to our platform, and even more value for your associations.

Welcoming Our New CEO, Lomesh Shah

We’re also excited to welcome Lomesh Shah as Tradewing’s new CEO!

With over 25 years of experience in the mission-driven software industry, Lomesh brings a wealth of knowledge and a proven track record of leading companies in the association and mission-driven sectors.

His expertise will be instrumental as we enter this next chapter, continuing to strengthen our platform and deliver new innovations to help your associations engage and succeed.

“We are thrilled to take this next step in Tradewing’s journey,” said Lomesh Shah.

“Our mission is to empower associations to thrive in a rapidly evolving digital landscape. With this investment, we’ll build even more innovative tools to strengthen community connections, enhance member engagement, and create lasting impact for associations.”

Eric, who has been the driving force behind Tradewing’s incredible growth over the past five years, will remain with the company to continue sharing its growth.

Reflecting on this new chapter, Eric shared:
“It has been an incredible privilege to help build Tradewing into what it is today. I couldn’t be more excited about Lomesh joining the team. His leadership and expertise will take us to the next level, and I’m looking forward to working alongside him to serve our clients even better.”

What’s Coming Next: Our Shared Vision for Growth

With this new investment, Lomesh’s leadership, and Eric’s continued contributions, we’re gearing up to significantly invest in product innovation and growth.

We’re building on Tradewing’s strong foundation, focusing on developing tools that will empower your association to engage its members and community.

We’re Investing in Our Solutions and Support!

We are ramping up software development on our community platform to support our growth and deliver new features and innovations that align with our client’s priorities.

In addition, we realize that our clients need and want stellar support, and we are hiring to increase the size of our onboarding, client success, and support teams.

What You Can Look Forward To

Here’s a glimpse of what’s on the horizon as we grow:

  • Faster Feature Development: With greater focus and increased investment, we’ll be able to deliver new features and upgrades at a much faster pace.
  • Innovative Enhancements: Expect cutting-edge tools and improvements that will make association management smarter, more efficient, and more impactful.
  • Expanded Support: With our onboarding, client success, and support teams growing, you’ll receive even more personalized guidance and assistance as we continue to evolve.
  • Exciting Opportunities for Collaboration: As our platform grows, we’re excited to create new opportunities for you to engage with our expanding ecosystem, helping you build deeper connections with your members.

Thank You for Your Continued Trust

We wouldn’t be here without the trust and loyalty of our clients and community. This new chapter is a big step forward, and we’re committed to continuing to invest in the future so we can serve you even better.

We can’t wait to show you what’s next—stay tuned for more updates and exciting developments.

Here’s to the next phase of growth, innovation, and collaboration!

Warm Regards,

Lomesh Shah & Eric Meisel