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Salesforce for Associations: Everything You Need to Know

Karin Tracy
January 17, 2025

Associations require versatile software solutions to manage membership management, marketing, event hosting, and reporting tasks. Traditional association management systems (AMS) often come with rigid, hard-to-customize tools that lead to inefficiencies for staff and suboptimal experiences for members.

Salesforce stands out by providing associations with a platform that supports growth, adaptability, and deeper member engagement. From launching targeted marketing campaigns to hosting member communities and streamlining payments or donations, Salesforce brings everything together under one login.

In this article, we’ll answer common questions about using Salesforce as an AMS, highlight its benefits for associations, and share how Fíonta can help your organization thrive with Salesforce.

What Is an AMS, and How Does Salesforce Compare?

An association management system (AMS) helps associations streamline membership operations with capabilities like member portals, event management features, and engagement tools. While Salesforce isn’t a standalone AMS, it can be configured to function as one or as the foundation for AMS solutions built by providers like Nimble AMS and Fonteva.

Is Salesforce an AMS?

Salesforce is a customer relationship management (CRM) platform with tools for managing relationships, tracking interactions, and analyzing data. Although not a dedicated AMS, Salesforce can be customized to provide AMS functionality, offering:

  • Membership management tools: Manage sign-ups, renewals, and engagement.
  • Event hosting and marketing capabilities: Centralize communications and registration processes.
  • Data tracking and reporting: Gain insights to better serve members and convey membership value.

For associations with unique needs, Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud can be customized to include AMS capabilities. Fíonta specializes in configuring Salesforce to provide associations with key features tailored for membership organizations, including:

  • Membership portals: Empower members to join, renew, register for events, and more.
  • Staff CRM: Track member relationships and improve internal workflows.
  • Financial management tools: Manage invoices and revenue streams efficiently.

If packaged solutions don’t meet your needs, configuring Nonprofit Cloud with expert help is often the best route. This tailored approach ensures you get a system aligned with your organization’s specific goals and workflows.

Why Should Organizations Use Salesforce for Associations?

Salesforce stands out in the crowded AMS market for its flexibility, scalability, and comprehensive feature set. Here’s why associations are increasingly turning to Salesforce:

1. Centralized Data Management

Salesforce is a single source of truth for all member and organizational data. Integrations with third-party tools, available via the Salesforce AppExchange, ensure a seamless flow of information across platforms.

2. Enhanced Member Engagement

With Salesforce Experience Cloud, associations can create custom online communities for members to network, share insights, and stay engaged. These spaces integrate with the rest of your Salesforce system, ensuring every interaction contributes to a complete member profile.

Additionally, associations can offer personalized member experiences by leveraging AI. The Salesforce agent builder, Agentforce, allows users to create AI agents to manage various tasks, such as answering members’ questions. This saves staff time, provides consistent, positive experiences, and ensures member requests can be addressed anytime.

3. Top-Tier System Security

Salesforce’s enterprise-grade security features—like multi-factor authentication, encryption, and access controls—safeguard sensitive member data.

4. Unparalleled Customization

Salesforce can be tailored to meet your association’s needs, from automating member onboarding to generating detailed engagement reports.

5. Scalability for Growth

As your association evolves, Salesforce scales with you. Its adaptability ensures your system can accommodate everything from new revenue streams to expanded member services.

How Can Fíonta Help Associations Harness Salesforce?

Whether you choose an AMS built on Salesforce (like Nimble AMS or Fonteva) or configure Salesforce Sales Cloud for association use, Fíonta’s team is here to guide you.

For Smaller Associations: Sales Cloud

Sales Cloud provides a suite of tools that maximize association efficiency, reveal valuable insights and opportunities throughout the member lifecycle, and automate repetitive processes. These tools help busy, smaller organizations manage members and renewals, streamlining time-consuming administrative tasks. Fíonta can assist in configuring Sales Cloud to meet your specific needs, ensuring a smooth transition and effective use of the platform.

For Larger Associations: AMS & Salesforce Managed Services for Associations

Fíonta specializes in implementing Nimble AMS and Fonteva for associations with more complex needs, leveraging deep product expertise to deliver seamless systems tailored to your requirements.

Our approach goes beyond implementation. With Fíonta’s Salesforce managed services, your system stays updated, optimized, and ready to support your goals over the long term.

Introducing Salesforce Foundations

In September 2024, Salesforce announced Salesforce Foundations, a free upgrade that brings key cross-department features to every Salesforce customer at no additional cost. This suite includes Sales, Service, Marketing, Commerce, and Data Cloud features in a new, enhanced user interface. This makes it easier for organizations to get a unified view of their customers and build connected, AI-powered experiences across every customer touchpoint. 

For associations, Salesforce Foundations offers:

  • Opportunity management: Keep track of potential members and sponsors.
  • Case management: Handle member inquiries and issues efficiently.
  • Email campaigns with targeted segmentation: Engage members with personalized communications.
  • Secure payment links: Simplify the collection of dues and donations.

By leveraging Salesforce Foundations, associations can enhance their member management capabilities and streamline operations without incurring additional costs.

Ready to Transform Your Association With Salesforce?

Salesforce provides a powerful, tailored solution for your association, adding much-needed scalability to your AMS. Choosing a Salesforce partner to assist with implementation takes the burden of data migration, integrations, and data architecture off your plate. With managed services for associations, that partner will continue to offer long-term support so your association can focus on its programs and membership base—not your CRM.

Contact us today to learn more about how Fíonta can help your association scale up with Salesforce for association management.

Browse these additional resources to learn more about using Salesforce to power your association: