Wild Apricot can help your association or nonprofit

Over the past year and a half I have completed about a dozen Wild Apricot system implementations.   The leading factors in this have been, 

1) Cost, with a free version that converts to easy to estimate levels of service payable on a monthly basis.  The cost is at the lower end of the spectrum of this model.

2) Ease of use, As a software as a service model, (SaaS) Wild Apricot does not require technical training or support to keep the system running.   Software updates and patches are applied automatically, the system is backed up and uptime managed by the provider.

3) Integration, Wild Apricot includes membership management, website front end, donation management, mass email function, event management,  and more.  All of these features in one place makes a very capable and efficient system.

4) Excellent training and support resources, Wild Apricot provides on the page help resources, video training, webinar training, and a support call in line.  This is by far the most attractive feature of Wild Apricot.  

5) Multi administrator functionality, With the ability to delegate administration functions, Wild Apricot is a great fit for non-profit / volunteer environments.   You can delegate event management, website updates, member management, all without allowing full system access. 

Examples of types of organizations that use Wild Apricot, 

Professional Associations

Business/Trade Associations

Online Business Directory

Chamber of Commerce

Nonprofit Organizations

Charity Organizations

Sport Clubs

Social Clubs

Homeowner Associations

Community Associations

Some examples of Wild Apricot Sites, 

Rockies Venture Club, http://www.rockiesventureclub.org/

Berkeley Regis United Neighbors, http://www.brundenver.info

Red Sunsent Merchant Association, http://www.rsmasm.com/

If you ready to find out more about Wild Apricot, please feel free to contact me. 

Have you read your EULA?

I am a big proponent of knowing what you agree to, and even then I do not read all the End User Licence Agreements (EULA) that I agree to (What is a EULA?).   Recently I stumbled across an article in Wired with excerpts / examples  from some current EULA's .  

Dear parents or legal guardians of ___________

As you may be aware, your daughter is one of ______ children in your neighborhood who recently applied for a jointly operated StreetApp® of the category “Lemonade Stand.”

As the owner / operator of the street on which you live, and on which this proposed app would operate, StreetBook is required by law to obtain parental consent. By clicking on the “yes” box at the bottom of this window, you acknowledge you are __________’s parent or legal guardian, and also agree to the following conditions:

1. A percentage of up to 30% of revenues will be kept by StreetBook.

[This clause reflects the revenue model established in app stores.]

2. You will submit lemonade recipes, your stand design, signage, and the clothing you will wear to StreetBook for approval. StreetBook can remove your stand at any time for noncompliance with our approval process.

[This provision is also inspired by the practices of app stores.]

3. All commerce, not limited to lemonade purchases, will be conducted through StreetBook. Customers must have StreetBook accounts even if they live on a street owned and operated by a StreetBook competitor. StreetBook will place a hold on all moneys in order to collect interest, and might place a longer hold if any party makes claims of fraud or activities that violate this agreement or any other residential use agreement.

[This provision is inspired by the business models of online payment services.]

4. A $100 annual fee must be paid to be a lemonade stand developer.

[This is again an example of following in the successful footsteps of app stores.]

Here is more detail, 

This EULA Will Make You Rethink Every App and Online Service You Use

Next time you sign up for a service, take a look at the End User Licence Agreement.

Microsoft Office 365 Online vs. Google Apps for Business, Fight!

Vs.

For most small / medium businesses one of the biggest challenges with email hosting is deciding between Microsoft Hosted Exchange/Office 365 and Google Apps for business. Lets take a closer look at the two systems and who wins which battle, 

Calendar integration and Email Client, Tie

Google Apps for Business (GAB), a more mature interface and tighter calendar integration, Office 365 is a more recognizable interface and common functions.  Check this out here.

Cost, Winner Google Apps for Business

Google Apps for Business (GAB), is about $70 per user cheaper per year.

Uptime, Winner Google Apps for Business

Take this sample of uptime for both services,  the winner is obvious, GAB. 

Apps integration, Winner Google Apps for Business

Google Apps for Business (GAB) has a much more diverse ecosystem and is more open to integration and development.

Migration, Microsoft Office 365 

Microsoft Office 365 is easier by far, even for Google Apps for Business from a current Gmail account.

Each battle has a winner, but what you need to keep in mind are the features and functions that are most important you and your user base.