What is the Best Content Management System For an Association Website?

by Joanna Pineda Posted on March 8, 2023

We get a lot of RFP (Requests for Proposals) for association and nonprofit website redesigns. Often, one focus of the RFP is the technology that will power the new website. These RFPs have giant lists of requirements related to how content will be authored, formatted and published. 

We often get asked this question: 

What is the best content management system (CMS) for association websites?

The answer (you guessed it) is always gonna be, “it depends.” Depends on what?, you might ask. 

The dirty little secret of website development today is that nearly all content management systems in the market will meet nearly all of any organization’s requirements. While this wasn’t the case 10 or 15 years ago, this class of software has matured a lot and nearly all will allow you to:

So how does an association decide between content management systems? 

Here are some ways that we’ve helped our clients choose a system that’s right for them.

As a company, we do website implementations in WordPress, which is an open source content management system, and Sitefinity, which is a Microsoft.NET based system. Matrix Group designers say that they design sites with no consideration for the CMS that will ultimately power their designs. Our front-end developers say there are, of course, differences between how you implement a site in WordPress or Sitefinity, BUT they can make both systems do exactly what they designers and information architects envisioned.

And yes, we implement sites in other systems, and the art and science behind why a specific system is chosen will ultimately depend on functional requirements, design requirements, user interface preferences, and budget considerations. 

Looking for a new system for your association or wondering what else is out there? Perhaps you’re wondering if your current system was implemented properly. We’d love to hear from you!

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