Adding a mobile app to your association’s ecosystem is a smart move. But only if you take time to think through your goals, your audience, and your internal capacity.
Too often, mobile apps are treated as tactical tools for event logistics. But when chosen and implemented strategically, a mobile app can become one of your most powerful assets for engagement, retention, and revenue.
Here are six questions to help you make the right decisions from the start.
- What Are You Actually Trying to Achieve?
Start with clarity on your goals. Are you trying to:
- Improve communication?
- Boost member retention?
- Modernize the member experience?
- Drive non-dues revenue?
- Support chapter connections?
- Replace a single-use event app?
Your answers will shape everything from platform choice to content strategy to launch timing.
- What Experience Do Your Members Expect?
You’re not just competing with other associations. You’re competing with LinkedIn, Slack, and the Wall Street Journal. If your app is clunky, unintuitive, or generic, members won’t use it.
That’s why native apps – those designed specifically for iOS and Android – are far more successful than mobile websites or one-size-fits-all web apps. Members expect a seamless, familiar mobile experience.
- Who’s Going to Drive This Internally?
A successful app rollout needs more than just an IT team. You’ll want to bring together a cross-functional group that includes:
- Membership/marketing leaders
- Technical staff (or your app provider)
- Board and volunteer champions
- Event planners and program directors
This group should shape the content plan, promotion strategy, and ongoing management model.
And be honest: Does your team have the bandwidth to do everything that’s needed to implement your app? If not, look for a partner who can provide a dedicated client advisor to handle logistics, content calendars, and technical support on your behalf.
- What Systems Need to Integrate?
To make your app more than a silo, look for integrations with:
- Your iMIS system
- Event platforms like Cvent or OpenWater
- Your learning management system
- Single sign-on (SSO) so members log in just once
Apps that integrate deeply with your tech stack allow for smarter targeting, cleaner data, less manual labor, and richer member experiences.
- How Will You Keep It Alive After Launch?
The biggest mistake associations make is assuming the app will market itself. It won’t. You need a content and promotion strategy that includes:
- Regular news updates and resources
- Targeted push notifications
- Subgroup discussions or regional content
- In-app-only incentives (discounts, early access, etc.)
- Multi-channel marketing reminders
If your team doesn’t have the time or headcount to market your app and fully integrate it into your communications, you need to factor that into your platform selection and planning.
- Should You Build or Buy?
Some associations consider building a custom app. But there are real trade-offs:
- Custom builds offer flexibility, but come with higher costs, longer timelines, limited integration, and heavier maintenance.
- Configurable native apps (like Clowder) deliver a tailored experience using proven tech, with deep integrations, faster setup, and ongoing support.
In most cases, the configured approach gives you the best of both worlds: a branded, high-performing app, without reinventing the wheel.
Slow Down Before You Speed Up
There’s no question mobile is the future of member engagement. But before you move forward, it’s worth taking a week to pause and answer these questions.
A little strategy now will save you time, money, and frustration later, and position your mobile app as a long-term asset that members value.
Want help thinking through your options? Let’s talk.
Or join us for our webinar: How to Launch a Mobile App That Members Actually Use Year-Round