The heartbeat of any association is its members.
But keeping that pulse strong takes more than good intentions. You must consciously track memberships, automate dues collection, and plan events and webinars while staying true to your organization’s purpose.
I’ve spent a lot of time testing Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems, and the last thing you want is a CRM system that works against you, not for you. You should be able to store and analyze all your data—such as retention strategies, sales opportunities, and marketing campaigns—in one central location.
The good news?
Many CRM software options are specifically designed to tackle the unique challenges you face in managing customer relationships.
This blog post breaks down the tools that actually work. Let’s dive in.
Top 10 CRM for Associations to Enhance Efficiency and Collaboration
- What Should You Look for in CRM for Associations?
- The 10 Best CRM for Associations
- 1. ClickUp (Best all-in-one CRM project management system)
- 2. WildApricot (Best for small-scale membership automation)
- 3. MemberClicks (Best for simplified member renewal processes)
- 4. YourMembership (Best for cloud-native design and association management automation)
- 5. Cvent (Best for large-scale association event and logistics management)
- 6. Naylor Association Solutions (Best for fulfilling extensive communications needs)
- 8. iMIS® (Best for real-time data prioritization and unified member views)
- 9. Aptify (Best scalable CRM for multi-chapter associations)
- 10. Personify ThreeSixty (Best for long-term member engagement tracking)
Summarize this article for me pleaseWhat Should You Look for in CRM for Associations?
Not all CRM systems are created equal. If you want a tool that truly helps you do your job well, you need something that delivers on the unique needs of running an association.
But what should you be looking for?
- Customization options: Your CRM software solution should allow you to customize fields, workflows, and reports to fit the unique structure of your association and adapt as it grows or changes focus
- Member management: Pick a tool that enables you to manage detailed member profiles, including contact information, membership status, dues, event participation, and other preferences
- Mobile accessibility: Your choice of CRM system should have a mobile-friendly interface or dedicated app so you can access member information, update records, or respond to inquiries on the go
- Reporting and analytics: Select a platform that offers robust reporting capabilities, giving you insights on membership trends, event attendance, financial health, and more
- Integration with other tools: Your CRM should integrate seamlessly with your existing tech stack, such as your website, accounting software, and payment processing systems
- Event management integration: Most associations host events like conferences, webinars, and training sessions—choose a CRM tool that enables you to handle registrations, track attendee participation, and manage post-event follow-ups
Bonus: Explore the 10 Best CRM Software Examples and Their Use Cases to streamline your workflow and achieve more with less effort.
Summarize this article for me pleaseThe 10 Best CRM for Associations
1. ClickUp (Best all-in-one CRM project management system)
ClickUp isn’t your typical CRM; it’s a project management powerhouse that gives you flexibility to build workflows that match your association’s requirements.
With ClickUp CRM, you can effortlessly visualize member relationships and lead pipelines. I use its 10+ view options, like the Kanban Board and Table View, to manage everything from prospective members to renewals. I can quickly see where each account stands without digging through multiple spreadsheets or tools. Everything I need is in one place.
ClickUp lets you eliminate silos and fast-track communication through email integration. Sending project updates, following up with potential members, and even collaborating with your team become easy on a single hub.
In addition, ClickUp CRM’s performance dashboards are helpful when analyzing member engagement and satisfaction.
The 50+ dashboard widgets help you visualize trends and monitor KPIs across departments. You can use these insights to make more informed decisions about where to focus your efforts to boost association impact, raise capital for activities, or check client vs customer engagement.
The platform’s reporting is supplemented by another valuable feature: Custom Fields. These enable you to capture unique details about each member or project, from geographic data to background history.
The best part about using ClickUp is that you don’t need to reinvent the wheel.
ClickUp’s CRM Template offers a ready-made framework for managing contacts, renewals, and event activities in one place. Seven Statuses bring transparency into task progress, and five functional Views streamline work.
For a simpler approach, check out ClickUp’s Simple CRM Template. While beginner-friendly, it offers additional Statuses, Views, and Custom Fields to help you get the most out of your CRM setup.
ClickUp best features
- ClickUp Docs helps maintain consistency across all internal processes. You can use it to draft member proposals, create SOPs, and build out wikis for structuring critical association data
- Assign Comments on ClickUp and notify team members for immediate action on time-sensitive tasks, like vendor inquiries or event logistics
- Brainstorm strategies and build roadmaps with ClickUp Whiteboards; add images, web links, and trackable tasks for a richer, more interactive experience
- Use Task Dependencies to define workflows, marking tasks like content approvals or scheduling as “waiting on” or “blocking” to ensure smooth project execution
- Create tables with rich data and insights using ClickUp Brain, organizing complex information—like vendor contracts or event schedules—into accessible formats
- Set numerical targets with ClickUp Goals to analyze progress, breaking down measurable objectives (e.g., stewardship touch points or event attendance) into actionable steps
ClickUp limitations
- It may take some time to master 100+ powerful features—luckily, ClickUp offers Help docs, demos, and courses for swift learning and adoption
- ClickUp Brain isn’t included in the Free Forever plan (although a limited free trial will roll out soon)
ClickUp pricing
- Free Forever
- Unlimited: $7/month per user
- Business: $12/month per user
- Enterprise: Custom pricing
- ClickUp Brain: Add to any paid plan for $7 per member per month
ClickUp ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.7/5 (9,800+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.6/5 (4,000+ reviews)
2. WildApricot (Best for small-scale membership automation)
WildApricot is a member management software solution that simplifies membership renewals, event registrations, and payments with minimal setup. It’s a boon for small associations where time is tight.
One thing I liked about the tool is its email integration functionality—sending renewal reminders or event invites is easy on this platform.
Moreover, all your association data is stored safely in the cloud, allowing you to search, update, and share your member database with teammates from any device.
WildApricot best features
- Personalize your member application form with multiple membership levels, discount counts, and administrator approvals
- Use the advanced contact search to find the exact information you’re looking for about your members
- Set up various sales taxes or VAT—depending on your member locations—and receive accurate payments
WildApricot limitations
- There’s no simple option to set up and email a post-event survey to attendees, which is inconvenient
- Customer support can be inconsistent, with some agents being knowledgeable while others requiring repeated explanations
WildApricot pricing
- Personal: $60/month for 100 contacts
- Group: $75/month for 250 contacts
- Community: $140/month for 500 contacts
- Professional: $240/month for 2,000 contacts
- Network: $440/month for 5,000 contacts
- Enterprise: $530/month for 15,000 contacts
- Global: $900/month for 50,000 contacts
WildApricot ratings and reviews
- G2: 3.9/5 (40+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.5/5 (500+ reviews)
3. MemberClicks (Best for simplified member renewal processes)
MemberClicks, built for associations, chambers, and nonprofits, has one huge USP: personalizing renewal campaigns that adapt according to member engagement.
This means that this membership management software can develop messages and offers based on how active or inactive a member has been.
Want to automate receipts, event confirmations, and reminder emails? You can either send a blanket email or targeted messaging. MemberClick is PCI-compliant, which makes online payment processing safe and secure.
MemberClicks best features
- Craft membership applications for your website
- Get instant visibility into real-time event attendance and performance with built-in dashboards
- Define a dues reminder workflow that sends your members automated reminders and emails as their renewal date approaches
MemberClicks limitations
- The platform isn’t very user-friendly and requires training to navigate
- It doesn’t accept all forms of payment, which can be frustrating
MemberClicks pricing
- MC Professional: Custom pricing
- MC Trade: Custom pricing
MemberClicks ratings and reviews
- G2: 3.8/5 (45+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.3/5 (450+ reviews)
4. YourMembership (Best for cloud-native design and association management automation)
Don’t think of YourMembership as just another CRM tool for associations. It empowers you to manage member databases, events, and email campaigns and build a member-facing website without hiring a web developer.
This would be a great functionality if websites were central to your member engagement. Need to promote an event or want to create a special campaign for your professional and trade associations? Building an intuitive web experience is a breeze with YourMembership.
YourMembership best features
- Generate and send invoices automatically or with one click
- Configure multi-tiered membership models, including individual and organizational memberships
- Create a custom registration pathway for attendees, speakers, and sponsors, only displaying relevant tickets and event sessions
YourMembership limitations
- The API is non-standard, making integrations with third parties difficult and expensive
- The terminology is confusing, with the tool using non-standard names for common industry features
YourMembership pricing
- Custom pricing
YourMembership ratings and reviews
- G2: 3.3/5 (22+ reviews)
- Capterra: 3.8/5 (170+ reviews)
5. Cvent (Best for large-scale association event and logistics management)
If your association is big on events, Cvent is the clear winner. What was really interesting was how it manages every aspect of an event’s lifecycle, from custom registration forms to post-event analytics.
You can check in attendees for in-person meetings or auto-capture attendees for virtual meetings. This association management software also allows you to automatically sync new leads and existing contacts to your CRM platform.
Plus, it ensures compatibility and consistency based on your tech stack and CRM process.
Cvent best features
- Facilitate meetings between attendees, sponsors, employees, and exhibitors with appointment scheduling
- Share member data across teams through a comprehensive list of sales and marketing software integrations
- Collect timely feedback to boost overall business success with a premium survey builder
Cvent limitations
- Customization for unique events can be complex due to Cvent’s restrictions
- There’s no central system for managing work orders, making it challenging when multiple users are involved
Cvent pricing
- Professional: Custom pricing
- Enterprise: Custom pricing
Cvent ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.3/5 (1,800+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.5/5 (950+ reviews)
6. Naylor Association Solutions (Best for fulfilling extensive communications needs)
If your association produces a lot of content (like magazines or member bulletins) and you want to monitor its performance, Naylor will not disappoint.
The CRM marketing software syncs with your newsletters, publications, and even advertising programs, revealing how your members interact with your content. Naylor also integrates with the top marketing tools like MailChimp, MonkeySurvey, and Zoom.
Naylor Association Solutions best features
- Generate non-dues revenue from sponsors and advertisers with event activity and management promotions
- Position your association as a thought leader with Naylor’s blogging platform and online user community
- Quickly visualize and understand data with dynamic pre-built reports
Naylor Association Solutions limitations
- There’s no option to merge duplicate records, which is a problem given the inevitability of duplicates entering any system
- Reporting and organizational setup features restrict data management
Naylor Association Solutions pricing
- Essential: Up to 2,500 records
- Go: Up to 5,000 records
- Pro: Up to 15,000 records
- Premier: Up to 45,000 records
Prices start at $195/month.
Naylor Association Solutions ratings and reviews
- G2: Not enough reviews
- Capterra: Not enough reviews
7. Salesforce (Best for complete customization with deep data insights)
Think sales CRM strategy,’ and it’s hard not to think of Salesforce.
But you’ll be surprised to know it can come in handy for associations in building member relationships.
Its custom dashboards are invaluable. You can pull in real-time data on member activity, event participation, or even fundraising and display it all in one place. It’s apt for associations with complex data needs and large member bases.
Salesforce best features
- Build custom management systems for your association with advanced features like constituent data reporting and constituent portals
- Use Salesforce’s drag-and-drop interfaces and dashboards to navigate the CRM with ease, even if you’re not tech-savvy
- Personalize your messaging for your members with branded email templates and survey forms
Salesforce limitations
- Slow speeds and occasional downtime disrupt operations, especially when handling large datasets
- The mobile version lacks key backend membership management features, making quick updates and changes difficult on the go
Salesforce pricing
- Enterprise: $60/month per user
- Unlimited: $100/month per user
- Einstein 1 for Sales: $300/month per user
- Einstein 1 for Service: $300/month per user
Salesforce ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.4/5 (22,700+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.4/5 (18,500+ reviews)
8. iMIS® (Best for real-time data prioritization and unified member views)
iMIS® is an engagement management system that supports association, union, and membership management.
You can create a unified view of each member, pulling in everything from their event participation to donation history. The built-in engagement scoring helps you identify which members are highly involved and which might be at risk of lapsing.
I think it’s the kind of tool that gives you actionable insights at a glance—without the hassle.
iMIS® best features
- Handle all of your association’s finance and accounting tasks directly through the system
- Create unforgettable member experiences using flexible pricing options, microsites, and mobile features
- Provide L&D benefits to your members with streamlined credentialing, licensing, and CRM certifications
iMIS® limitations
- While data is easily accessible, a third-party report writer is needed to create the formatted reports
- Finding certain functions and performing tasks can be challenging initially
iMIS® pricing
- iMIS® Professional: Custom pricing
- iMIS® Enterprise: $7,200/year (for a minimum of 3 users)
iMIS® ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.1/5 (180+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.4/5 (100+ reviews)
9. Aptify (Best scalable CRM for multi-chapter associations)
If your association is spread across different regions, you must give Aptify a try. It has all the right tools, dashboards, and reports to help you run your complex operations smoothly.
Aptify’s flexible dues management is particularly useful. Whether you’re managing tiered memberships, different pricing for chapters, or complex dues structures, Aptify handles it with ease.
Aptify best features
- Support your member association, regardless of your location, with multi-language, multi-currency, and multi-time zone capabilities
- Custom-brand your member-facing portals, upgrade, and add modules— without needing to rebuild the core system
- Enjoy industry-leading cloud-native security, scalability, and performance provided by Microsoft Azure
Aptify limitations
- It delivers extremely slow performance, with tasks like running lists, syncing campaigns, and generating reports taking time
- It freezes frequently, leading to data loss if the program is shut down
Aptify pricing
- Custom pricing
Aptify ratings and reviews
- G2: Not enough reviews
- Capterra: Not enough reviews
10. Personify ThreeSixty (Best for long-term member engagement tracking)
Personify ThreeSixty powers your association with an incredible Collaborative CRM solution. I was amazed to see how the system collects data from every interaction—an event signup, a content download, or a donation—and ties it back to the member’s profile.
Personify360 provides the in-depth insights you need to understand your members.
Personify ThreeSixty best features
- Track fundraising campaign progress and funds collected and contributed with ease
- Manage transactions, disbursements, deferred revenue, reversals, and more using GAAP standards
- Create new simple, zero-price meeting products and manage meeting registrants
Personify ThreeSixty limitations
- It requires the use of eBusiness controls that are confusing and irrelevant to association management
- Error messages are frustrating; changes must be manually reverted before leaving a page, which can slow down workflow
Personify ThreeSixty pricing
- Custom pricing
Personify ThreeSixty ratings and reviews
- G2: Not enough reviews
- Capterra: 3.7/5 (25+ reviews)
Summarize this article for me pleaseConnect, Support, and Grow Your Association with a Robust CRM Software
Your association’s success depends on the connections you build, not the tech you wrestle with.
The right CRM should fade into the background, quietly doing its job so you can focus on yours: engaging your members and advancing your mission. Hopefully, the software solutions we’ve discussed will show you how smooth your operations can be.
Of course, ClickUp takes association management to the next level with its extensive features and capabilities. Everything you need—projects, tasks, templates, AI, and automation—is in one place.
But don’t just take my word for it. Experience it yourself—sign up for ClickUp for free today.
Everything you need to stay organized and get work done.
