Clowder Blog

Managing resources, organizing event logistics, and creating a personalized experience for attendees are key to a successful event. Clowder’s latest features are designed to make these tasks simpler and more effective. With tools for advanced content organization, quick check-ins, and real-time updates, these updates help organizations run smoother, more engaging events. Here’s a look at what’s new and how these features address common event challenges. 

Because member inboxes are full, your emails often go unread. Communicating via email isn’t yielding the same results it used to. But you can still reach members in a non-obtrusive way via their phones.  

Your members are just like us. When they want to know something, they grab their phones. The members you most want to engage are the most phone-dependent of all.  

When association professionals were surveyed for the 2024 Membership Performance Benchmark Report, their top concerns were: 

The way your members are searching for information online is rapidly turning mobile. Remaining relevant, especially to younger members, is imperative to your organization and it’s clear that mobile is where they’re at.  

Alexandria, VA (December 7, 2023) — Advanced Solutions International (ASI), a leading global provider of cloud software and services for associations and non-profits — and the developers of the iMIS Engagement Management System (EMS) — announced it will feature Clowder and ASI’s full suite of association solutions in booth #948 at the ASAE Annual Meeting & Exhibition in Cleveland on August 10-13, 2024.  ASI is a proud ASAE Event Partner; see the full schedule of events at www.clowder.com.

The recently released The Ultimate Guide to Mobile Engagement shares that 90% of time spent on mobile devices is spent on appsnot mobile websites, due to better user experiences andfunctionality.If you're thinking about investing in an engagingcommunity platform for your association, then you don’t want to miss ASAE’sEngagement Platforms Demo Day on June 26. 

Your association's mobile app can serve as a pivotal point for engaging with your members more effectively. However, increasing app adoption and ensuring consistent usage can be challenging. Here are eight proven tips to not only drive your mobile app adoption but also boost member retention:

Did you know that 90% of time spent on mobile devices is spent on appsnot mobile websites? That's because mobile apps are designed to provide better user experiences, engagement and functionality.If you're thinking about investing in an engaging platform for your association, then you don’t want to miss seeing Clowder at ASAE's Community Platforms Demo Day on May 22.

Engagement and connectivity are paramount for associations looking to foster a vibrant and growingmembership. And a well-crafted mobile app can be the cornerstone of your association's strategythroughenhancing member interaction and streamliningyour communications. But what features are essential for making your mobile app a powerful tool for both your association and its members? In this article, we’ll explore the top features your association's mobile app should have, how they can drive engagement for your membership, and provide a handy checklist to help you assess and choose the right features for your app. 

The Importance of Mobile App Engagement

Mobile apps have become an integral part of our lives. In fact, people spent 3.8 trillion hours on mobile apps in 2022, according to data.ai.Whether it's for entertainment, productivity, or staying connected, we rely on mobile apps to enhance our daily experiences. However, with millions of apps available in app stores, it's becoming increasingly challenging for app developers to capture and retain users' attention. This is where mobile app engagement plays a crucial role. Mobile app engagement refers to the level of interaction and involvement users have with an app. It goes beyond just downloads and installations; it focuses on how users interact with the app, how often they use it, and how long they stay engaged. 

The recently released Guide to Mobile Engagement shares that 90% of time spent on mobile devices is spent on apps, while only 10% is spent on mobile websites, due to better user experiences and app functionality. If you’re thinking about investing in an engaging mobile experience for your association’s members, then you don’t want to miss the Novi Summit 2024 coming to Tampa, Florida next week.

Alexandria, VA (December 7, 2023) — Advanced Solutions International (ASI), a leading global provider of cloud software and services for associations and non-profits — and the developers of the iMIS Engagement Management System (EMS) — announced today that it has acquired Alexandria, VA-based Clowder®. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Learn more at www.advsol.com.

Association mobile apps are springing up in the thousands. 

It’s getting harder and harder to engage association members. As demands on the public’s attention proliferate, community managers need to work harder and harder to ensure that their members see enough value to renew their memberships. 

CEO Alexa Kade was recently featured in Tech Tribune's 'Profile of a Founder' series. Check it out here! 

Check out our new episode of Clowder Convos! We're joined by a member from the iMIS team, Global Vice President of Marketing at Advanced Solutions International, Edward Wendling. Edward and Alexa talk all about the benefits of integrating your AMS with mobile.

Clowder is very excited to share the promotion of our newest CEO, Alexa Kade! 

International Dairy Deli Bakery Association Launches Year-Round App

Host Alexa Kade sits down with Danielle Valenti Mahoney and Evin O'Shea from the Web Scribble team to chat job boards, the 'Great Resignation,' hiring struggles and more.

We are feeling the Rhythm over here at Clowder. 

Here at Clowder, nothing makes us happier than seeing our clients excited about their apps. So when we see an awesome app promotion like the one Texas Retired Teachers Association (TRTA) recently sent out through their organization's newsletter, we just had to share!

Alexa Kade hosts the 2021 State of Associations Panel presented by Clowder Convos. She is joined by Reggie Henry, Chief Information and Engagement Officer at ASAE, James Willey, Chief Product Officer at Higher Logic, Mark Lowry, President and Chief Revenue Officer at Association Analytics, Edward Wendling, Vice President of Marketing at ASI, and Jenn Norman, Director of Customer Experience at Novi AMS.

The current state of associations - let’s talk about it. Who better to weigh in than those serving them? The team at Clowder has assembled a panel of community thought leaders to share eye-opening insight and experiences that’ll highlight the successes, challenges and opportunities associations are facing today.

On October 6th @ 2 pm, tune into the virtual event hosted by Clowder's COO Alexa Kade with special guests from ASAE, Higher Logic, Association Analytics, ASI and Novi AMS. An open Q&A with our speakers will follow.

RSVP here! 

When it comes to defining our mission and values here at Clowder, it starts with our people and our culture. To put it simply, our employees are our biggest asset. We believe the key to a successful business is engaged employees that can help magnify our brand. This is Kelsey Druggan in a nutshell. Kelsey is a Senior Account Manager of our Client Success team and she serves as a guide for building long-lasting relationships with our clients and getting the most out of our product value. We sat down with her for a Q&A that showcased her journey from where she started to where she is now. 

How can your organization define success? Do you know about the 5 Why's or the 1% better rule? Which data tracking parameters should you have in place? We recently sat down with our very own Client Success Managers, Kelsey Druggan and Mary Schmitt to address all of these questions and more! Click here to view their thoughts and insights on how to elevate your app engagement strategy.

If you’re trying to wrap your head around what an engagement app is and how it works, we’re here to help put those minds at ease. We understand there’s A LOT to process. So, what exactly does engagement mean? How would it benefit your community? At Clowder, we go way beyond creating a mobile solution - we're all about connecting people, so we want to take the time to ensure all of your remaining questions about our engagement platform are answered. 

Last week, we were invited to attend HeySummit's Lightning Summit. Our very own Alexa Kade, VP of Client Success joined tons of association leaders to provide an inside scoop on keeping your membership engaged, developing a stronger sense of community and maintaining a robust and enjoyable end-to-end mobile experience. Watch now!

Host Alexa Kade sat down with the American Society of Association Executives' Chief Information and Engagement Officer Reggie Henry! We were fortunate to form a friendship with Reggie when ASAE partnered with Clowder to bring their members their first year-round engagement app. As someone very familiar with the importance of mobile, Reggie has great insight to share on the organization's evolving member experience and path to modernization. 

We virtually sat down with HeySummit's CEO Robert Gelb for a discussion on what goes into building successful virtual events, how they have evolved since the start of the pandemic, how our mobile platform complements their services, and more!

Recently we had special guest Brenda Faught from the Texas Retired Teachers Association join our Client Success Team to discuss the TRTA app and its promotional and content strategies, how they've utilized the app for events, and how well their older demographic has adopted their mobile features. Watch now!

Our VP of Client Success Alexa Kade sat down with Association Analytics for a webinar that focused on the importance of driving member engagement through mobile-first communication and turning insights from your mobile data into actionable decisions for your association. Check it out here.

If it’s one thing this pandemic has shown us, it’s the power of adapting to unforeseen circumstances. Throughout the course of last year, organizations were scrambling to adjust to a new normal when it came to hosting events through a virtual setting. Now it has become the expectation. The key element to a successful virtual event is the amount of attendee engagement that's brought about both during and after. While many organizations are discovering that going virtual now makes it possible to include a larger audience, the biggest question in need of addressing is how do they keep their attendees drawn in for the entire event? 

Welcome back to Clowder Convos! 🎉

Host Alexa Kade is excited to return after a long hiatus. She's joined by Billy Barnes, Sean Cirone and Sean Moriarty from the Clowder Sales Team to discuss what their experiences have been over the last year as they've spoken with many organizations throughout the pandemic on their plans for mobile. They share insight on what's either holding organizations back or finally pushing them towards making the leap to a dedicated membership app.

As email traffic continues to grow, one might think open rates would follow suit. The average American receives 80-100 emails per day - but who has time to open that many emails every day? This overload causes important messages to get lost, accidentally deleted, or just plain forgotten. Open rates have been on a decline over the last few years and utilizing this channel as a stand-alone communication strategy has now become outdated. Organizations should be continually evolving as ongoing technology advancements are enhancing the ways in which people are receiving information. Your members are looking for that experience. In order to increase the likelihood of your members not only staying up-to-date with your industry content, but also remaining engaged with your organization, a more efficient form of communication is what’s needed. In today’s mobile-first world and on-demand economy, it’s the usage of push notifications that help to cut through the noise of constant emailing. 

2020 was… rough to say the least. Professionals throughout all industries were thrown numerous unforeseen challenges. Association members leaned heavily on their trusted organizations for guidance and resources to help them navigate the uncertainties. There were associations that succeeded in providing the necessary value during their members’ time of need, and there were those that did not meet the moment… and people took note. When cancellations and the need to distance began to affect connectivity, it was technology that became the glue for keeping communities intact. Because of this, what 2020 should have taught associations is the importance of meeting modern technology demands.

New year, new technology! Kicking 2021 off with our first webinar of the year next Wednesday @ 2 PM. Participants can earn 1 CAE credit. Register here! 

Your organization may be kicking itself for not going mobile sooner - like pre-pandemic times sooner. Or maybe after debating whether or not it's needed, the idea of mobile has just been sitting on the back burner for awhile. Regardless of what stage you’re in, it’s important to understand what it really means to take your membership and make it mobile.

Welcome to a new monthly series where you'll hear from Clowder COO Brad LaTour. He'll speak to news within the membership and technology space, industry trends, and company insight. Enjoy!

Check out our latest press release!

ABCA's Deputy Executive Director Jon Litchfield sat down with our Client Success Team to chat about the advantages their organization has seen by providing a mobile app to members throughout the pandemic.

Take a look at the clip below from our recent client-exclusive webinar:

Associations that have resisted making their membership mobile often echo the same excuses for not doing so. However recent statistics from Facebook’s user demographics and ad revenue shoot holes in these tired old adoption myths.

We recently sat down (virtually) with Web Scribble's Director of Marketing, Dawn DiLorenzo, for a discussion on job boards, our new partnership, and job accessibility after the recent COVID-19-related effects on employment. Check out our conversation:

The coronavirus pandemic and the social distancing it's sparked around the world has put a lot in perspective for many both personally and professionally. Just as people have quickly had to change their daily habits, so have businesses, industries and membership organizations. But before we talk about what's expected in the future, let's think back to before all of this when the buzzword "digital transformation" was thrown around a lot within the association space. New web-based engagement strategies were continually being introduced as well as platforms for deploying more email. This current period of adapting however has shed light onto whether or not those transformative initiatives made have had their intended effects on members now. We know one thing to be certain - if these previous digital transformations did not include mobile, then they probably are not making the impacts that were hoped for.

We're giving everyone an inside look into what service and resources look like as a Clowder client. Michelle Berrones of the Pennsylvania Dental Association joined Client Success Manager Kelsey Druggan for a discussion on how the PDA Go app has served as mission control throughout the COVID-19 crisis. 

We have all had to adapt, rather abruptly, to the new way of interacting – with our families, professional communities, and businesses we patronize. We have changed our daily routines and altered our consumption habits, and, in the process, mobile devices have emerged as somewhat of a lifeline keeping us connected with one another and with the goods and services we need and rely on. Here are a few stats on app usage during the pandemic.

We were excited to join Association Analytics for a recent webinar that focused on effective member communication. Our COO Brad LaTour spoke as a guest alongside ASAE's Reggie Henry. 

Here at Clowder, we pride ourselves on our service. Our approach has always been that we're not just selling apps, but continuous, hands-on partnerships. Our Client Success team strives to serve as guides for building longevity and strong engagement in each of our apps. To showcase just how valuable our Client Success team is, we sat down with COO Alexa Kade for a Q&A. Here's what she had to say:

Social media feeds are often rife with misinformation or interpretations of information that are designed to influence audiences in a particular way. Two-thirds of Americans get their news from social media (Pew Research) but sifting through opinions and rumors to consume accurate and unbiased news is a massive undertaking in today’s world. Furthermore, the clutter and randomness of social media apps can be a time-suck and a major distraction. What if you instead had one focused mobile hub for sharing with your members? That's where a membership app comes in. You can think of a membership app’s news feed as a Facebook-esque platform specifically for your unique professional community. 

We know old habits can be hard to break. But at a time where new information is constantly coming in and needing to be dispersed immediately, people are getting over inundated with email (our emails are probably the 2,353,296,413th you've gotten about COVID-19, which just further drives our point 😉). We understand as member-based organizations, that's been the go-to method for communicating with members for decades. However, we can't stress this enough - you should be relying heavily on a membership app throughout this crisis instead. Here's why:

For more than 20 years, Advance Solutions International (ASI) has hosted their annual iNNOVATIONS conference for partners, clients and staff. The conference is a chance to strengthen their community, participate in training on new and evolving technologies and solutions, and recognize and celebrate the innovation and collaboration in the community through their global partner awards and coveted Great Things Awards for clients. It’s a fun conference with high energy and a full agenda.

Our clients have really stepped up for their communities during the current COVID-19 crisis. This pandemic has caused numerous disruptions to member initiatives, events and other in-person interactions. Despite that however, they've been able to maintain a level of connectivity from afar through each of their respective membership apps. The use of mobile technology has played a key role in making this distance feel much more manageable.

We've sparked a lot of great feedback and discussions from this webinar. With everything going on, we wanted to spread the important messages and lessons from this presentation as much as possible. View and share now! 

“It’s important to note that social distancing does not mean social isolation.” Dr. Chaudhary (The New York Times)

It’s no secret many organizations are currently in a state of scramble as they restrategize the cancelled events, meetings and educational opportunities they rely on each year to bring their members together. The Coronavirus has affected countless gatherings and continues to do so. What’s ultimately been brought to light throughout this tumultuous time however, is the power that technology solutions hold in being able to bring us together when congregating in person isn’t possible. A great opportunity to showcase adaptability has presented itself to organizations. How they’ll be able to handle these cancellations and disruptions in general will be very telling to members as they evaluate how prepared and capable the organization really is. To quote our COO Brad LaTour, "When this is all over, they'll remember what you did to help them during this crisis."

By now, you’ve probably heard an array of information regarding the Coronavirus outbreak. From the reports, data, stories, myths and theories - there’s a lot circulating out there. While it can be overwhelming, it’s important to stay in-the-know of aspects of the virus that could have a direct impact on you, your job, future plans or everyday life. For that reason, we felt compelled to shout out and applaud a few of our clients who are helping to provide that knowledge to their members.

When you’re in your search for new technology solutions, some companies may claim to do everything desired for half the cost of better trusted solutions. But when you cut corners to shave down costs, you’ll always end up paying for that in the long run. While technology does not have to be outrageously expensive to be good, it is worth an investment in order to avoid wasted time and resources. The technology you put out to your community directly reflects your organization. You should aim to deliver the best experience.

Our goal with this new video series is to present casual conversations about apps and the evolving trends we see around mobile engagement. We also want to make this collaborative, so after each video, we’d love to hear your thoughts as well as what questions or topics you’d like us to cover in our next episode. In the Clowder Demo app, there will be a new Clowder Convos Forum. You can use that thread to drop your questions, requests and responses there, or use the hashtag #ClowderConvos on Twitter! 

We talk a lot about influencers. I mean think about it, they're everywhere. Social media, the news, politics. Telling you what to buy, what's cool and influencing the actions you take. Clowder client Shelley Seavers from AGC San Antonio recognizes the importance of influencers. She sent out an email to 11 individuals she identified as potential app influencers to help drive engagement. Read more about her thought process and expectations below from our one-on-one interview.

Many organizations have trouble pulling the trigger for large initiatives because they want assurance that the ROI will be worth the manpower and money it will take to launch. They want assurance that their staff won’t be overwhelmed and that their tech team has the bandwidth to provide support. While these are valid concerns, our advice when it comes to contemplating mobile is simple – don’t overthink it. Trust us, your members want an app.

When considering a mobile solution, some organizations have a hard time wrapping their heads around what exactly their members will do with an app. In their attempt to justify the investment, they want to know what functions their members will consider “worthwhile.”

In Fall 2019, the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) launched its mobile app, My ABCA, to its 12,000+ members. Their promotion of the app, execution of its launch and commitment to user on-boarding is illustrative of their dedication to their membership value and to exemplary service. Earlier this month, ABCA welcomed 5,000 of its members to Nashville for its annual conference (#ABCA2020) where they discussed coaching strategies, networked and learned from other coaches and companies who love the game of baseball and have built their livelihoods around it.

It’s an easy thing to do when you’ve been operating similarly for decades. Resting on your laurels happens out of comfort in doing things the way they’ve always been done. In the case of associations, it’s not a great habit to possess.

Proven Design Practices are Key to an App’s Success

No matter what industry you’re in, what demographic you serve, or what initiatives you’re launching, everything you execute should have your audience experience in mind. How do you meet their needs? How can you be of service, how can you delight them and keep them engaged? Creativity and innovation are valuable assets of course, but when it comes to mobile app design, using tried-and-true best practices is what will garner the adoption and retention you're after and will deliver the greatest experience.

Commerce has naturally progressed from a brick-and-mortar model to e-commerce and, more recently, into mobile commerce, a.k.a. m-commerce. M-commerce includes any monetary transaction using a mobile device or tablet, including banking, investing, peer-to-peer payments, donations and shopping for consumer goods and services. M-commerce is a subset of e-commerce and is rapidly outpacing all other kinds of commerce.

DCA Live recently interviewed top association leaders which included President & CEO of Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America, Michelle Korsmo. She was asked - “What will the biggest issue facing ALL association leaders in 2020 be?” She responded with, “Knowing the association’s value proposition. The days of joining associations because that’s what industry members do is past. Associations have to earn their dues like every business must earn their customers.”

HR teams know that the employee experience is as important as the customer experience. But keeping employees happy doesn’t just happen; it requires an ongoing effort to implement strategies that will resonate. Employees crave two-way communication, team building, feedback, recognition, and the belief that they are valued for their contributions. Today’s mobile-first workforce uses apps to manage most of their personal and professional lives, so it stands to reason that a dedicated organization app is a clear solution for fostering real employee engagement.

It’s recent college grads that make up the oldest members of the generational group known as Gen Z. These are 21 and 22 year-olds eager to find their stride in the workforce. While Millennials are the generation to witness the shift in mobile technology throughout their teen and early adult years, that's all Gen Z-ers have ever known. As we like to put it, if Millennials are mobile-first, Gen Z is mobile-only. And if your organization has not put forth an effort to capture the interest of Millennials, then it’s definitely not looking great for drawing in those of Gen Z.

Social media influencers are the hottest form of marketing right now. Think of them as a combination of today’s version of celebrity endorsements and word-of-mouth marketing. A company or brand uses a personality that is well-liked and credible to spread awareness and tout their product with the hopes that their adoring fan-base will be compelled to purchase. An authentic endorsement from someone you adore and respect is more impactful than a generic advertisement or promotion. Today’s marketers and PR firms are increasingly using influencers and according to Mediakix, a leading influencer marketing agency, for good reason:

We hear “digital transformation” thrown around a lot in this market. However we question much of the “transformation” we see. Can you fully say your organization has digitally transformed if mobile is not involved? Are new web and email strategies truly going to transform the way your members are engaging with you currently?

We’re now a mobile-first society. Mobile apps are how we conveniently choose to consume content, receive information, register, book, purchase and communicate. Your members are no different.

In this webinar, we take a look at how associations like the American Society for Association Executives (ASAE), the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC), and the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) are using a year-round mobile app to communicate, connect and engage with members.

Just as the world of commerce has changed drastically in the last decade, the banking industry has seen some rapid changes in the past couple of years. Leading for-profit companies have yielded great results by launching mobile apps—increasing their customer base and gaining loyalty by creating value with consumers. Banks have joined the ranks with other big brands to leverage the benefits that a mobile app can offer customers.

A note from our CEO Sergei Dubograev:

Every now and again I hear people saying mobile is a fad. "Apps fail." "Websites and email are here to stay." Without being too disrespectful, what I want to say to those people is... good luck, because you’ll need it.

As far as the website vs. app debate goes, it’s not an Either/Or Situation - both are needed. Just as we always like to say – websites are for attention, apps are for retention. It’s time to put your website’s most utilized features and resources in a native app so your members can access them right through their phones. When it comes to keeping your association engaging, it’s important you know your people, what they need, and how to best deliver that.

Many associations are utilizing an online, web-based forum to digitally connect their community. The experience however tends to be clunky, delayed and disjointed.

In this webinar, we explore the value in relocating that engagement to a mobile format, and more specifically, inside of a dedicated year-round mobile membership app. 

Membership retention is the name of the game when it comes to associations. With so many new resources and programs introduced in the market, how can you get members to stay and continue finding value in your organization? What can’t happen is remaining stagnant in your offerings and benefits. A lack of innovation will equate to a lack of interest towards your membership.

When your organization makes the wise decision to invest in an app, you have some choices to make. The most important being, “Should our app be native or web-based?” To help answer that, we've illustrated a helpful scenario:

As our upcoming webinar - Web Forums Out, Mobile Forums In (Oct. 2, 2 pm!) approaches, we wanted to dive into what makes an organization's mobile forums a success.

Forums through Clowder are user-generated and serve to continually engage your community. When a user creates a post, it opens up communication within the app. Readers are able to comment on, like and subscribe to content in the feed. Forums are the perfect way to get people talking and collaborating on a consistent basis, right on their mobile device.

Mobile devices have become invaluable business tools and the primary channel people conduct many aspects of their personal and professional lives through. The proof is indisputable - mobile has overtaken desktop and apps have overtaken websites. Even back in 2017, a study conducted by Samsung to gauge mobility trends at the workplace found that 93% of respondents used cell phones at work to complete professional tasks, reporting they spend 33% of their workday using their phones. In the two years since then, it’s very likely those statistics have increased. 

When McKinley conducted a recent survey identifying the association market's three highest priorities for the following year, the goal of generating non-dues revenue topped the chart. Increasing non-dues revenue allows for organizations to rely on alternative sources of income and not solely on membership payments. 

All organizations understand the necessity of a web presence. Your website is how your audience finds you and accesses the information, products and resources you provide. It should reveal a bit about your culture, your values and your personality. It’s an invaluable tool for communications and for personal and consumer transactions. However, nearly 80% of internet usage in 2019 is likely to be mobile, so simply having a good website isn’t enough.  

Associations are often well-versed in event-only mobile apps as they’re continually utilized for meetings, conferences and conventions. But what happens when an event is over? Well, 99% of the time, these single-use apps become deleted.

In this webinar, we explore the benefits of instead taking a year-round approach to mobile and what it means to extend mobile member engagement beyond just events.

Elevated Resources, Inc., a premier global talent acquisition and management services company, and Clowder, the leading provider of year-round mobile engagement solutions for communities, have collaborated to drive the development and enhancement of the Elevated Resources’ ELEVATE Mobile Direct App. The talent pool engagement platform was released earlier this year and provides a rich feature set to enhance connections between employers and their contingent pools of talent.

The Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) is the leading association for the construction industry. AGC represents more than 26,000 firms, including over 6,500 of America’s leading general contractors, and over 9,000 specialty-contracting firms. More than 10,500 service providers and suppliers are also associated with AGC, all through a nationwide network of chapters.

A common misconception among smaller organizations and often regional chapters of larger organizations, is that because of your size, you don’t need a mobile app. We would argue that that perspective is flawed because it’s not about how many people you are reaching, it’s about how you are reaching your people. How many members or partners you have is beside the point when determining how to best reach them and how they choose to consume content. Whether it’s 250 people or 25,000, your goal to provide an excellent service and experience is the same, isn’t it? 

Pushback is inevitable when pitching a new technology solution. Mobile solutions in particular are commonly subject to much apprehension. That’s because many organizations are still in the early stages of understanding the full value of a comprehensive mobile strategy. But to the uncertainty of mobile we ask: What’s your alternative? Is it more email? More web pages? More in-person meetings? What’s a better answer to decreasing engagement and increasing membership churn?

When your organization’s employees and members log in to your web site, membership database, sales tools or HR dashboard, do they use one set of login information to access all the applications? OAuth 2.0 is the industry standard protocol that allows organization to authenticate user data across all applications. Without geeking out on the technical aspects of OAuth 2.0, here’s an overview of why it matters.

Raise your hand if you love stealing good ideas? If you're in the office and don't want to look silly, a smirk and little nod will do just fine. We know that members want to keep conversations going all year long, outside of the mixers, workshops and the conference. And it was this need for connecting and sharing that prompted us to launch the SocialLink community forum in the first place. Fast forward a few years later, and we've found a tool we think you'll like a LOT more -- the LTEN On-the-Go app.

Your members and your mission are the heart of your organization, but your Association Management System (AMS) is arguably your most valuable business tool. It might occasionally be the subject of ire, but the truth is, your AMS enables you to successfully create, manage and engage with the community you serve-- whether it’s member renewals, event management, registrations and payments, or activity and education tracking. 

With a mobile app, you have the opportunity to integrate with your AMS in order to add greater value to your communications and membership strategies and further complement your AMS’s functionality. 

As organizations strive to remain relevant and valuable in today’s mobile-first culture, they must chart a course for mobile member engagement. With a well-designed native mobile app, the paths of technology and communications converge and create a new avenue to increase member satisfaction, foster an active community, and advance your organization’s mission to provide resources and information to your members. The key to staying on course in this mobile journey is design. 

User Experience (UX) -- UX is a tech buzzword because it’s paramount to the success of any app. The UX relies on several factors that are directly related to design:

When the Culture Transforms, So Must Your Organization

ACDA membership consists of choral directors who represent more than one million singers across the United States. ACDA members teach choral music in public and private schools - kindergarten through senior high school - and at the college and university levels. They conduct a variety of choral groups, including boy choirs, children's choirs, men's and women's choruses, junior and senior high school choirs, college and university choruses, ethnic choirs, vocal-jazz ensembles, and symphony choruses. They also conduct choirs in their communities and in their places of worship. Membership is established by submitting a membership application and annual dues.

ASI’s annual iNNOVATIONS conference brings together employees, iMIS clients and partners from across the globe to build stronger partnerships and share ideas and opportunities related to iMIS. The 2019 conference was a great success, and the new year-round ASI Connect app helped attendees navigate the event and communicate with ease. 

Events Drive Downloads 

Marketing professionals are focusing more and more on mobile marketing as a primary element of their brand awareness and advertising campaigns. If your organization does not have an app or has not yet structured a sponsorship program for your app, then now is the time to change that so you and your industry partners can benefit from the opportunities this platform affords.

To maximize the efficiency and success of our solution, we take a configured approach to app development. And while we stay away from full customization, there are still many options we make available for tailoring and personalization of each app such as feature selection and naming, colors and branding, integrations and logo usage. This allows our clients to experience the feeling of customization without taking on all of the risks involved. 

The risks of full customization include:

Clowder® is excited to present its new self-service ads platform. The simple-to-use tool lives right inside each client’s web-based admin and offers a wide array of display ad placements - 40 to be exact. In-app ads allow sponsors to reach an organization’s network through a modernized method. Advertising in this dedicated environment helps sponsors place themselves in front of a highly targeted audience in order to gain greater results. .

The following piece is an article published in TADA's most recent issue of Dealers' Choice Magazine: 

Your membership is now at your fingertips with the new TADA app! The Texas Automobile Dealers Association is dedicated to bringing its over 1,300 Texas Franchised Automobile Dealers together in one simple, mobile hub for news and information. The organization is excited for the increase in member connectivity the app aims to bring about. TADA CFO Albert Ploch expressed, “The app provides the TADA membership with news updates, event information and an easy way for members to discuss issues and be more in direct contact with their fellow dealers.”

The app was developed by Clowder, which provides associations with native apps uniquely tailored to their organization for greatly enhanced member engagement year-round. “We’ve discussed having a TADA app for years,” Ploch explains. “Most of the apps we’ve had in the past revolved solely around events. TADA needed an app that was relevant all year long, easy to manage, and available at a cost-effective price. That is why we chose Clowder®. They checked all the boxes.”

You’ll find many features in the app that help keep you up-to-date with TADA. Once you opt-in to the app’s Push Notifications, you’ll never miss a beat when it comes to association announcements and happenings. The Newsfeed is where you’ll have access to the latest content posted such as industry articles, legislative updates and regulatory changes impacting your business. Users are then able to easily bookmark and share. To also stay updated with TADA events, you can find everything coming up listed in the Events Tab with coordinating information.

“I think the biggest mistake that we made as a company is betting too much on HTML5 as opposed to native. We just never were able to get the quality we wanted from the HTML5 apps we were building. We burned two years. That’s really painful.” - Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook

1. They’re not afraid of “no”

“But can’t we just use social media? How’s this any different?”

Association Retention

According to comScore, 50% of all digital media time in 2017 was spent on mobile apps while only 34% was spent on desktop and just 7% on mobile web. From the total time spent on mobile throughout the year, a whopping 87% was spent on apps and only 13% was spent on web. These stats alone should be enough to convince any organization to go mobile - and we don’t mean a mobile-responsive website.  

When Facebook’s 2017 usage was broken down, 70% of time spent in the platform was accessed through its mobile app. Only 22% of time was accessed through desktop and just 8% through mobile web. This reflects the major shift in how we now communicate and consume content. We want the convenience of mobile apps over lagging and disconnected website experiences.

When your organization has its own native app, it should not completely replace your social media channels. Social media should be used to enhance your mobile efforts. The goal is to take the wide audience you’re able to reach through social media and direct traffic towards your app. Posts through social media platforms bring attention to your app, its content, features and updates. These posts help to keep app retention high. The frequency in which you should be sharing posts about your app is at least once a week.

Promotion drives downloads. Content then drives retention. Continued promotion must be made a priority. Your network should not just be told to download your app, but shown why they should.

Traditional advertising through TV, desktop and print is dwindling. An ever-growing shift towards in-app advertising has officially surpassed TV spend as of last year after beating out desktop spend the year before. Native mobile ads are predicted to drive 74% of total ad revenue by 2021 (Business Insider). That’s a huge percentage for associations to ignore. Sponsors are heightening their awareness of the ROI they’re able to gain through mobile as opposed to what they’ve had access to in the past. Without a native app, associations are increasingly missing out on opportunities for major revenue generation.

A vital question for associations to ask themselves - what are you doing to attract Millennials?

When it comes to events, your organization should rely heavily on mobile for enhancing involvement and coordination. This is done by influencing users to take full advantage of mobile-exclusive content and functionalities especially as they’re on the go. Clowder™ apps accomplish what event-only apps have continually failed to do - build lasting engagement. Utilizing the features and strategies below before, during and after events are a surefire way to avoid an event-only app’s 99% delete rate.

Exclusive content builds value. When your network can only access specific content via your app, they are driven to actively stay involved with it. Exclusive content can come in different forms including:

The headache of most associations - dues collection. Despite deploying reminder email after reminder email, members aren’t in a rush to login to a website and submit payment. It’s simple - it isn’t convenient. This form of paying requires members to dedicate more interrupted time tending to the process. Even if they’re one of the few actually opening these reminders, the task doesn’t stay top-of-mind for long. So much leniency is given because of this, making the collection process span for months. But what if you could minimize a normally 90-day process into just 30, making it easier on both your association and its members? We promise, it’s possible.

So your board feels it’s time to take a look at mobile. Everyone's doing mobile, right?

Opt-In

You’ve got a new app! Now how do you get people to actually use it?

If an association still isn’t convinced an app is for them, they probably haven’t realized how powerful push notifications truly are. Having access to this tool can result in a total member engagement overhaul.

Alexandria, VA (October 5, 2017) - Clowder™, the #1 collaboration app platform for member groups, is proud to announce their approval as a new Product Partner for Advanced Solutions International (ASI) to support their market-leading iMIS member and donor engagement management system (EMS)™.

Event-specific apps have become the standard for associations and nonprofits. Development companies like Cvent and EventMobi have helped organizations consolidate content and information for large events such as conferences and conventions into a single app for attendees to use. The major downside to these apps however, is that 99% of users delete them within 30 days. The other 1% probably just forgot the app was still on their phone. The reality is there is no real purpose for these apps once an event is over. It begs the question, where is the longevity and ROI in an investment like this?