The American Motorcyclist Association (AMA), headquartered in Pickerington, Ohio, is a cornerstone of the motorcycling community in the United States. With over 219,000 active members, the AMA serves as a powerful advocate for motorcyclists' rights, promotes recreational riding, and supports competitive racing at both amateur and professional levels. The organization also represents Team USA in international competitions, showcasing its global reach and influence.
Founded in 1924, the AMA has a long history of promoting the motorcycle lifestyle and protecting the future of the sport. Its mission is rooted in advocacy, education, and community building, with a focus on "rights, riding, and racing." The AMA's Hall of Fame Museum, located at its headquarters, celebrates the rich history and culture of motorcycling, further solidifying its role as a leader in the industry.
Challenges Before MemberSuite
Before adopting MemberSuite by GrowthZone in October 2019, the AMA faced significant challenges in managing its operations. The organization cycled through various Association Management Software (AMS) solutions, including an on-premises version of Personify. According to AMA Director of IT Shaun Holloway, managing the local servers for Personify was "very laborious" and "unscalable." He explained, "It took a long time to get that product to be up to date and modern and connect with other systems."
These limitations hindered the AMA's ability to simplify its processes and integrate with other applications. The lack of flexibility and scalability in previous systems made it difficult to adapt to the organization's growing needs. As Holloway put it, "We needed a solution that could align with our business processes without requiring custom development."
Discovering MemberSuite
The AMA's search for a new AMS led it to MemberSuite, a product that stood out for its flexibility, open Application Programming Interface (API), and strong user community. "MemberSuite rose to the top as a consideration with regard to its open API, its configurability to align with our business processes, and its ability to integrate with other systems," Holloway said.
The decision to adopt MemberSuite was also influenced by Holloway's personal experience with the platform. Having used MemberSuite since 2012 in previous roles, he was well-versed in its capabilities. "One of the strengths I brought to the AMA was my ability to leverage MemberSuite’s capabilities for the good of the organization," he said.
The implementation process took 8 to 12 months, a timeline that accounted for the AMA's large dataset and the need to map fields during migration. Holloway praised MemberSuite's implementation team, stating, "They can move as fast as the organization. The process involves a lot of mapping, conversations, and business rules, but MemberSuite's team was there every step of the way."
Growing Membership by 4,000 in 1.5 Years
Since adopting MemberSuite, the AMA has experienced remarkable growth in its membership, adding 4,000 members in just 18 months. This success can be partially attributed to the platform's robust data segmentation and targeting capabilities.
"The segmentation and targeting capabilities allowed us to focus our content, marketing, and messaging in a way that resonated with different audience segments,” Holloway said.
By leveraging MemberSuite's tools, the AMA was able to identify and target specific demographics, such as racers, recreational riders, and lapsed members. Holloway likened the process to a baseball game, saying, "We’ve been hitting singles and doubles instead of home runs. It’s the small, consistent efforts that have added up to significant growth."
The AMA also improved its data hygiene, ensuring its campaigns were more accurate and effective. "We’ve been mining our data, strengthening its integrity, and combining that with targeted messaging," Holloway said. "There’s no silver bullet. It’s about doing our jobs better and more efficiently."
Exceptional Customer Support
One of the standout features of MemberSuite is its exceptional customer support. Holloway shared several examples of how the support team has gone above and beyond to assist the AMA.
"The speed and reliability of the support team have been wonderful," Holloway said. "They’ve been very responsive and have even helped us with tasks like writing custom SQL queries."
In one instance, the support team saved Holloway's team considerable time by directly writing a calculated field in the sandbox environment. "Instead of just giving us the resources to do it ourselves, they went ahead and did it for us," he said. "That level of support is invaluable."
Holloway also praised MemberSuite's approach to customer service, contrasting it with other AMS providers that charge for support hours. "The nickel and diming has never been a MemberSuite way," he said. "Their support model is a breath of fresh air in the association space."
Favorite Features of MemberSuite
When asked about his favorite features of MemberSuite, Holloway highlighted 3 key aspects:
- Open API: "We wouldn’t be able to run our business without the open API. It allows us to push and pull data from various systems, which is a definite requirement for us."
- Custom Configurability: "The ability to create custom fields and objects is a game-changer. It allows us to import government data, lead generation lists, and more."
- Comprehensive Functionality: "From joining and renewing memberships to processing donations and product sales, MemberSuite serves as our database of record for a wide range of activities."
Holloway also emphasized the platform's flexibility, noting that it accommodates different workflows and learning styles. "There’s more than one way to accomplish a task, which makes it easier for our team to serve members effectively," he said.
'The Platform Will Exponentially Help You Improve'
The American Motorcyclist Association's journey with MemberSuite is a testament to the platform's ability to transform operations and drive growth. From overcoming scalability challenges to growing membership and enhancing customer support, MemberSuite has proven to be an invaluable asset for the AMA.
As Holloway succinctly put it, "MemberSuite will deliver what you put into it. If you take the time to understand your processes and data, the platform will help you improve exponentially."
