Strategies to set your team up for technology budgeting success

Who controls your technology budget? According to research conducted by IDC, only 30% of CIOs believe they influence more than half of their company’s technology budget.  
 
As organizations gain more influence over their systems, technology responsibilities are becoming more democratized. And because organizations purchase software to serve their staff and member needs, technology budgeting is becoming a cross-organizational decision, rather than a solely tech-related decision. 
 
Discover why non-IT leaders are gaining greater influence over technology used to enhance the member experience. Read our blog to set your team up for tech budgeting success.

The purchasing priorities of member-based organizations

Research conducted by IDC found that many non-IT leaders predicted they would be more involved with technology budgets and decision making over the next few years. But how are organizations choosing to spend their tech budgets? 

According to the Community Brands Association Trends Study, more than half of association professionals say their top technology purchasing priority is the ability to impact the member experience. 53% and 51% of professionals are also looking for solutions that are easy to use for members and staff.

Of the organizations more likely to invest heavily, 45% feel technologically prepared for the future, 43% have a flexible technology budget, and 33% are large organizations.  

How to make technology budgeting a cross-organizational decision

According to the MuleSoft Connectivity Benchmark Report, the average company has more than 1,000 different applications across different departments. Often, the systems are poorly integrated, resulting in data silos and redundant processes. For 90% of organizations, data silos are a barrier to building a seamless staff and member experience.  

As you begin to research and eventually select your next association management software (AMS), it’s vital for your individual departments to work together to create a successful tech budget. Consider assembling a technology selection team with leaders from each of your departments to better understand your organization’s software requirements, ensuring you determine an accurate budget.  

Work together as a team to prioritize your technology requirements for each department. Ask the following questions to begin thinking about how the right AMS can empower your entire organization:

• Membership. Does our current tech make renewal simple? How can we make our current processes more efficient? Can we easily configure our software to represent different membership types?
   
• Education. Does our current software integrate with our LMS? Do our learning credits, certifications, and catalog automatically sync?  

• Events. What does our event registration process look like? Can members easily review registrations and upcoming event details on their member profile?
   
• Finance. Do we experience a lack of integration between our general ledger and current software? How user-friendly is our invoice process?
   
• Marketing. Do we have data silos between our marketing tools and current AMS? Do we experience challenges in tracking member behavior and location information? 

When you have a knowledgeable team leader representing the interest of all departments, you’ll create an accurate technology budget and select the right AMS for your association. Doing so will decrease data silos and increase the staff and member experience.  

Equip your team up for tech budgeting success

Learn even more tips to research new technology and exceed your organization’s needs! Watch our on-demand webinar, Beyond budget approval: Next steps for successful software selection.

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