By 2025, the global LMS market is expected to have grown by more than 50%. The ideal LMS has many features that allow professional growth and meaningful membership experiences. We’ll look at some of the distinguishing characteristics of a stellar association LMS today.
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1. E-Commerce
Profit is the ultimate goal of any business. However, associations are not the same. Your membership is the most important thing to you.
Even so, associations do not operate for free. Dues alone will not be enough to keep them afloat. According to ASAE, they contribute only 45 % of an association’s annual revenue.
A fantastic partnership with non-dues revenue can also be generated through the LMS. For example, consider a platform that offers full e-commerce capabilities, so you can monetize events, courseware, and other materials however you like.
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2. Integration of Events
When it comes to non-dues revenue, events are crucial. Combining virtual and hybrid events with your education opens up revenue possibilities you may not have considered before.
When you run events through your LMS, they become a perpetual revenue opportunity instead of a one-time event. Long after the event has ended, you can monetize the recording, and it will provide your members with an invaluable educational experience.
It’s time to look at your events and educational initiatives from the same perspective. They are now treated as two sides of the same coin by technology.
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3. Singular Login aka SSO
To provide an exceptional experience to members, associations rely on various software. As a result, you may have more passwords than you can recall. This is aggravating for both you and your members.
SSO connects your LMS to your existing software ecosystem. As a result, your members will be able to access your online learning platform with ease, resulting in a more consistent user experience. SSO is beneficial to any association. It is, however, a requirement for associations.
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4. Integration with AMS
Let’s not forget the importance of integrating with association management systems before we get too far away from seamless integrations.
Your AMS is responsible for a wide range of membership functions, including payments, contact information, and areas of interest. All of this information is important for your e-learning initiatives. It’s all shared with the AMS-LMS integration.
It’s not a suitable LMS for you if it doesn’t integrate with your association management system.
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5. Online Social Networks
When people learn together, they know better. COVID-19 reaffirmed our belief in learning as a social act. But, in an increasingly virtual world, is social learning possible?
Your learners will benefit from a great LMS for associations that do more than just host traditional, self-guided courseware. It will be a focal point for engagement and interaction throughout the year.
Look for a learning management system that includes forums and other ways for your community to communicate and interact. A suitable LMS can help associations connect their members, one of their main goals.
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6. Solid User Management and Tracking
Members and learners need to know where they stand in terms of their training progress, whether through a course, certification program, learning program, or other required training.
Therefore, an LMS that provides this level of user management will be highly beneficial to its users and encourage them to return to the system to review and manage their training regularly.
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7. All Types of Content Can Be Delivered, Managed, and Tracked
For your training to be engaging and relevant, it must support a variety of delivery methods and content types. For example, your LMS should be able to track and manage a virtual classroom, online webinar, on-the-job, testing, external training, blended learning, and other types of training.
To support these training formats, the system must also support a variety of content types, including audio, video, text, webinars, HTML, recorded web sessions, and so on. Keeping these types of training modes and content while adhering to educational content standards ensures that your members and learners receive engaging training.
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8. Certifications
An LMS serves many purposes for associations. Providing continuing education to your membership is one of the most important.
This is just one of the differences between an LMS designed for associations and one intended for businesses. Of course, learning and development are critical in the workplace. However, every dollar you spend on learning and development is ultimately an investment in your company.
In the association space, things appear to be different. Yes, you do benefit from the CEU distribution. But, in the end, it isn’t about you. It’s all about your customers.
Learning has its rewards and recognition. However, it’s even more satisfying when it directly benefits their professional development. That’s why having a certification-distribution LMS is so essential for associations.
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9. Member Learner Collaboration and Communication
Social media tools are increasingly becoming a requirement for member collaboration. This necessitates the formation of discussion groups, forums, and interest communities.
By enabling these tools in your LMS, your association members will be able to form relationships with other members who are in the same class, belong to a specific type of group, share similar interests, and communicate for a variety of different reasons that are all related to learning from within the LMS.
In addition, this feature will give your members yet another reason to return to your LMS, as it will serve as a form of informal learning support, especially for members who are dispersed across a large geographic area.