top of page
Search

Nimble AMS Software Review: Salesforce-Powered AMS


Nimble AMS is the first Salesforce.com based AMS in the market

Executive Summary: Where CRM Meets Association Management


Picture this: You're steering a midsize trade association through increasingly complex member needs, juggling disconnected systems while watching your staff drown in manual processes. Your board keeps asking for better member insights, but your current AMS feels like it was built when fax machines were cutting-edge technology.


Nimble AMS launched in 2012 as the first enterprise association management system built entirely on the Salesforce platform [1], fundamentally reimagining what an AMS could deliver. Rather than asking associations to settle for purpose-built software that becomes obsolete, Nimble AMS leveraged the world's leading CRM platform to bring Fortune 500-class technology to membership organizations.


As one association administrator noted in reviews, "After 1 year working with Nimble AMS and Salesforce, I already felt more comfortable configuring the system than I did after 13 years administrating our previous system." [2]


Introduction: The Salesforce Advantage for Associations


"If you don't love your association software, change it. Life's short. Be Nimble." This tagline captures the philosophy behind Nimble AMS—a conviction that associations deserve the same innovative technology that powers the world's most successful enterprises.


The Nimble AMS story begins in 1992 when NimbleUser helped its first association bring technology to their mission [1]. Fast forward to 2008, when association technology had stagnated, leaving the industry wanting genuine innovation. The team partnered with Salesforce and launched Nimble AMS in 2012, creating tools that associations use to enrich their member community and accomplish their vision [1].


Nimble AMS is now part of Momentive Software, formerly Community Brands [3], which provides cloud-based solutions to associations, nonprofits, K-12 schools, and faith-based organizations. This backing provides both infrastructure stability and continued innovation investment.


Purpose Statement: Empowering Associations Through Enterprise-Class Technology


Nimble AMS exists to democratize enterprise technology for membership organizations. The purpose is straightforward: help associations manage every aspect of their organization while leveraging the power of the number one CRM platform, Salesforce [4].


The core belief driving Nimble AMS is that associations shouldn't be trapped by outdated software that requires costly custom upgrades. Instead, they deserve a platform that evolves automatically, incorporates artificial intelligence naturally, and scales effortlessly—just like the technology Fortune 500 companies use.


What Makes Nimble AMS Uniquely Suited for the Association Market


The Salesforce Foundation


The fundamental differentiator is the Salesforce platform itself. Chatter, Mobile, AppExchange, Content, Workflow, Process Builder, Flows and thousands of other Salesforce features work seamlessly with the traditional AMS features needed to run your organization [4].

This means associations aren't limited to what their AMS vendor builds. The Salesforce AppExchange offers over 4,000 applications for email marketing, accounting, volunteer management, and project management—all integrating natively with your member data.


Continuous Innovation Without Cost Penalties


Here's where Nimble AMS breaks from traditional AMS vendors dramatically. For a full decade, Nimble AMS has been the only Association Management Software on the market to consistently follow the seasonal release model of Salesforce, with every customer on the same product version, upgraded three times per year at no added cost [5].


Nimble AMS celebrated its 30th seasonal release in February 2022 [5], demonstrating a decade of continuous improvement. One customer testimonial from Software Advice captured this value: "The automatic upgrades and ability to configure the system to exactly meet our needs have also been a great improvement over our previous system." [6]


AI-Powered Member Intelligence


In March 2024, Nimble AMS launched Nimble Intelligence, an AI-powered analytics solution built on Salesforce featuring enhanced reporting capabilities and intelligent predictions [7].

Jaclyn Baird, Director of Membership Services at Marine Corps Association & Foundation, reported that Nimble AMS built an AI-driven solution that automatically identifies members at risk of lapsing and helps take quick action to save memberships, leading to return on investment sooner than expected [7].


Training and Support Ecosystem


Nimble AMS upgrades three times a year on top of Salesforce's three-yearly upgrades, plus releases fixes and improvements between seasonal releases and maintenance releases [8].


Support hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 am to 5:00 pm EST [9], with comprehensive documentation, user community access, and customer success resources available. For those new to Nimble AMS or looking to expand knowledge, Salesforce Trailhead provides interactive modules for learning—the better you are at Salesforce, the better you are at Nimble AMS [8].


One administrator shared in peer reviews: "I've been a huge fan of the Trailhead training system Salesforce has that's allowed me to get up to speed as an Admin in a relatively short amount of time, and I'm still learning new things every day." [2]


Functional Goals and Core Feature Areas


Nimble AMS addresses the complete association management lifecycle:


  • Membership Management: The Nimble AMS Membership object and process enable easy management of current, future, and past memberships, tuned for professional associations where memberships are primarily individuals, trade associations where memberships are at the organization level with complex flow-down rules, or combinations of both [8].


  • Events Management: Staff can set up events of any size, from webinars to large week-long conferences, as simple or advanced as needed, with constituents able to register and modify registrations in Community Hub [8].


  • Financial Management: Orders management allows tracking any products constituents purchase from an association, including memberships, event registrations, subscriptions, certification fees, or store merchandise, plus donation processing [8].


  • Community Engagement: Administrators can set up one or more Community Hub to create custom online experiences for constituents, with different components working together to shape site experience and behavior [8].


  • Analytics and Reporting: Analytics are tied together through point-and-click reports and dashboards that leave plenty of room for unique configurations [8].


  • Advanced Capabilities:


  • Nimble Create gives admins power to create flexible, dynamic custom reports and communication templates formatted with HTML without code [8]

  • Nimble Query makes building SOQL queries extremely easy [8]

  • Business Events allow app builders and administrators to use declarative tools to react to common system actions and activities [8]


Market Position and Ideal Client Profile


Tier Classification: Tier I Enterprise AMS


Based on the SmartThoughts Tier Classification Framework [10], Nimble AMS firmly positions itself as a Tier I solution bridging midsize and enterprise associations.


Tier I Enterprise Characteristics Met:


  • Comprehensive, sophisticated system with flexible, powerful core database

  • Open API and extensive tailoring options

  • Advanced analytics, including AI-powered predictions

  • Professional services for setup, training, and business process consulting

  • Designed for organizations typically with operating budgets of $2.5 million and above


Ideal Client Profile:


  • Organization Size: Midsize to large associations with 20-100+ staff members

  • Budget Requirements: Organizations with operating budgets of $5 million and above + annually

  • Technical Sophistication: Organizations ready to embrace cloud-based, platform thinking

  • Growth Orientation: Associations planning for scale and future expansion

  • Data-Driven Culture: Organizations wanting to leverage analytics and AI for member insights

  • Integration Needs: Associations requiring connections to learning management, career centers, accounting systems, and other specialized tools


One reviewer on Capterra explained their decision process:


"After months of staff demos and vetting, it was a tough call between Nimble AMS and IMIS, but Nimble's multiple links on every page, which allow us to quickly and clearly get to the information we need, won us over." [2]

Investment and Pricing Considerations


Nimble AMS pricing starts from $160 per month per user with a subscription pricing model [11]. However, understanding true AMS investment requires looking beyond the base price.


According to Tirrah Switzer, VP of Product Marketing,


"Asking how much an AMS costs is like asking how much a house costs. There are a ton of factors that go into pricing a home, including location, number of bedrooms, lot size. The same can be said for how the primary investment components influence how you price an AMS." [12]

Primary Investment Components:


  • User licenses and functionality tiers

  • Technology requirements and scope

  • Implementation services and timeline

  • Training and onboarding

  • Integration with existing systems

  • Ongoing support and maintenance


Nimble AMS pricing is designed to accommodate unique organizational needs, ensuring maximum value for investment [13], with customized proposals available based on specific requirements.


In the end, it is strongly recommended to contact Nimble AMS directly for the latest pricing information specific to your organization's needs and configuration.


Peer Reviews: What Association Professionals Actually Say



Ease of Use and Navigation:


"It is very intuitive to use and the pages are well thought out. You can pretty much click to anywhere from anywhere (person account, organization, financial, etc), which greatly improves our efficiency. No more taking 6 clicks to get to the info you want." [6]

Power and Flexibility:


"It's been a lot of work, but I'm really loving the power and flexibility of Nimble AMS compared to our previous system. Over the past year since we moved to Nimble AMS, I've also been able to replace most of our other third party integrations with improved tools that live directly in Salesforce." [2]

Learning Curve Advantages:

"After 1 year working with Nimble AMS and Salesforce, I already felt more comfortable configuring the system than I did after 13 years administrating our previous system." [6]

Strategic Investment Value:


"We view Nimble AMS as a strategic investment in our association's future. It's a robust, well-built product that we believe will scale effectively as we add additional system functionality." [13]

Reporting Complexity:


"While the ease of reporting is great overall, the limitation of not being able to connect a parent object with multiple child objects in a single report was unexpected and disappointing. That said, I've generally been able to figure out workarounds to still get the data I need." [6]

Learning Investment:


"Pulling reports is robust but complicated. While it comes with an extensive library of pre-created reports, I find that I have to go to my admin more often than I would like to have custom reports created for my needs." [6]

Platform Limitations:


Several reviewers noted that some limitations stem from Salesforce itself rather than Nimble AMS specifically, acknowledging the trade-off for platform power [2, 6].


AMS Competitive Comparisons


When choosing between systems, one administrator noted:

"When making the choice between Nimble AMS and Fonteva, I was new enough to Salesforce that I didn't actually see much of a gap in functionality. For us it came down to a slight price difference favoring Nimble AMS, and the fact that we were transitioning from another Community Brands platform." [2]

Shared their migration experience:

"NetFORUM Enterprise was a good system for us for many years, but after 15 years it was no longer meeting our needs. The lack of a good API made integrations difficult, and the customer facing portal seemed outdated." [6]

Analyst Perspective: Strategic Considerations


As an analyst who has evaluated association management software for over two decades, Nimble AMS represents a fundamental philosophical shift in how associations should think about technology investment.


The Platform Advantage: Unlike traditional AMS vendors that build everything in-house, Nimble AMS benefits from Salesforce's billions in R&D investment. This means associations get Einstein AI, Experience Cloud, Tableau analytics, and a constant platform improvements without paying extra upgrade fees.


The Risk-Reward Balance: The Salesforce platform brings tremendous capability, but also complexity. Organizations need staff willing to invest in learning Salesforce concepts—not just clicking through an AMS. The payoff is significant: administrators can configure sophisticated workflows without hiring developers.


Future-Proofing Considerations: The September 2024 partnership between Nimble AMS and the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (Big "I") demonstrates the platform's enterprise credibility [3]. The Big "I" is transitioning from disconnected systems to a seamless platform with Nimble AMS, with participating state associations also gaining access to improved member experiences [3].


Leadership and Stability: With Philippe Mesritz serving as General Manager of Nimble AMS [3] and backing from Momentive Software (formerly Community Brands), the product demonstrates both leadership continuity and financial stability. The company has over 30 years of association technology experience [1], providing deep industry knowledge.


Competitive Positioning: Nimble AMS competes primarily with Fonteva (also Salesforce-based), iMIS, and NetForum in the enterprise AMS space. The differentiator is the depth of Salesforce integration and the "always current" upgrade model—every customer runs the same version with automatic upgrades three times yearly.


Is Nimble AMS Right for You?


Consider Nimble AMS if your association:


  • Values staying current with technology trends without costly upgrade projects

  • Wants to leverage AI and predictive analytics for member retention

  • Needs robust integration capabilities with learning, career, and accounting systems

  • Has (or will invest in) staff capable of learning Salesforce administration

  • Operates with budgets supporting $160+ per user monthly investment

  • Plans for significant growth and scale over the next 3-5 years


Proceed cautiously if:


  • Your staff strongly resists learning new systems or technology concepts

  • You need an "out of the box" solution with minimal configuration

  • Your budget is below $2 million annually

  • You prefer vendor-managed customization over self-service configuration

The bottom line: Nimble AMS is a powerful, future-forward platform ideally suited for growth-oriented associations willing to invest in both the software and the staff capabilities to maximize its potential.


Nimble AMS Summary


Nimble AMS is a revolutionary presence in the association management software field, distinguished as one of two enterprise AMS developed entirely on the Salesforce platform. For association leaders facing the challenging task of choosing technology that will support their organization over the next ten years, Nimble AMS presents a persuasive value proposition. It focuses on ongoing innovation, AI-driven intelligence, and enterprise-level capabilities without the high costs typically associated with enterprise-level upgrades.


The platform's greatest strengths lie in its Salesforce foundation, which provides access to thousands of integrated applications, automatic tri-annual upgrades at no additional cost, and cutting-edge technologies like Einstein AI and predictive analytics through Nimble Intelligence. The testimonials from association professionals consistently highlight intuitive navigation, powerful flexibility, and the ability to configure sophisticated workflows without extensive coding knowledge.


However, potential adopters must carefully consider the investment required—not just financially (starting at $160 per user monthly), but also in staff training and organizational readiness to embrace platform thinking. The learning curve, while manageable according to user reviews, requires commitment. Some reporting limitations exist, though users report finding effective workarounds.


For midsize to large associations with operating budgets of $5 million and above, particularly those valuing data-driven decision making and planning for significant growth, Nimble AMS represents a strategic investment in future-proof technology. The backing of Momentive Software (formerly Community Brands), recent high-profile implementations like the Big "I" partnership, and over 30 years of association technology expertise provide confidence in long-term vendor stability.


The crucial consideration for association executives is assessing cultural readiness: Is your organization committed to continuous improvement and innovation to the extent that it will invest in mastering a powerful platform? If so, Nimble AMS fulfills its promise to assist associations in utilizing Fortune 500-level technology to further their missions.



Sources Cited


[1] Nimble AMS. (2023, November 5). "About Nimble AMS by Community Brands." Retrieved from https://www.nimbleams.com/company/

[2] Capterra. (2025). "Nimble AMS Pricing, Alternatives & More 2025." User reviews retrieved from https://www.capterra.com/p/129725/Nimble-AMS/

[3] Community Brands. (2024, September 12). "Big 'I' Advances Independent Insurance Agents' Member Experience with Nimble AMS." Press release retrieved from https://www.communitybrands.com/company/news/big-i-advances-independent-insurance-agents-member-experience-with-nimble-ams/

[4] G2. (2025). "Nimble AMS Reviews 2025: Details, Pricing, & Features." Retrieved from https://www.g2.com/products/nimble-ams/reviews

[5] PRNewswire. (2022, January 20). "Nimble AMS Celebrates 30th Seasonal Release." Press release retrieved from https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nimble-ams-celebrates-30th-seasonal-release-301464416.html

[6] Software Advice. (2025). "Nimble AMS Software Reviews, Demo & Pricing - 2025." User reviews and product information retrieved from https://www.softwareadvice.com/membership-management/nimble-ams-profile/

[7] PRNewswire. (2024, March 14). "Community Brands Introduces Nimble Intelligence, AI-Powered Analytics Solution for Associations." Press release retrieved from https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/community-brands-introduces-nimble-intelligence-ai-powered-analytics-solution-for-associations-302089799.html

[8] Nimble AMS Help. (2025). "Nimble AMS Help - Live Documentation." Product documentation retrieved from https://help.nimbleams.com/help/live/

[9] Nimble AMS. (2025). "Get Help - Documentation, Community, and Support." Support information retrieved from https://www.nimbleams.com/get-help/

[10] SmartThoughts LLC. (2025). "White Paper: AMS Tier Classification Framework." Internal company document on file.

[11] GetApp. (2025). "Nimble AMS 2025 Pricing, Features, Reviews & Alternatives." Retrieved from https://www.getapp.com/industries-software/a/nimble-ams/

[12] Nimble AMS Blog. (2025, February 12). "The Cost of Association Management Software." Retrieved from https://www.nimbleams.com/blog/association-management-software-cost/

[13] Nimble AMS. (2025). "Association Management Software Pricing." Retrieved from https://www.nimbleams.com/association-software/pricing/


Additional Reference Sources:

Comments

Book Appointment

Email Us

Your details were sent successfully!

Phone:

1-817-523-9801

  • Twitter Reflection
  • LinkedIn App Icon
© SmartThoughts LLC. 2025
bottom of page