Managing associations can be a daunting task. Between tracking event registrations, membership dues, and managing communications, there’s very little time in the day for continuing professional development (CPD).
Fortunately, association learning management systems (LMSs) are here to pick up the slack and help with the organization’s L&D efforts.
Some of the best association LMSs are software solutions with specific features and functionalities that focus on delivering continuous education to members.
In this guide, we’ll explain how these learning solutions bring value to associations and NGOs.
We’ll breakdown specific features, functionalities, and benefits, as well as ten of the best LMS platforms currently on the market.
Disclaimer: The information below is accurate as of January 28th, 2024.
What is an association learning management system?
An association LMS is an online platform that helps both administrators and members with their e-learning needs. Trainers and instructional designers use it to create, curate, author, and distribute relevant online courses to members, streamline training processes, and track learner performance.
An association LMS should not be confused with association management software (AMS).
These handle most association administrative tasks such as membership dues, registrations, budgeting, fundraising, or event planning.
Somewhat similar to a customer management system (CRM), an AMS stores critical business information and allows employees and other stakeholders to do their jobs better and easily.
However, AMSs differ from CRMs in that they provide an integrated way for stakeholders to handle all of the specific jobs required in an association or NGO.
An LMS for associations, on the other hand, focuses its features and functionalities on member engagement and career advancement opportunities such as online training, onboarding, continuing education (CE) credits, certification programs, coursework management, etc.
An LMS integration with your AMS can unify the two and bring numerous benefits to the table.
Benefits of using association learning management systems
- Provide learner assessments and gather feedback.
- Connect learners and members together.
- Generate non-dues revenue streams.
- Cut training costs and save time.
Provide learner assessments and gather feedback
Association and NGO e-learning assessments for members and employees can take various forms. These can include things like surveys before or after an e-learning session.
Learner feedback is essential in helping you optimize your learning and development efforts and uncover trouble areas that may need improvement.
They can also take the form of a short quiz with either true or false, or multiple-choice questions. You can even go for more complex questions or examinations.
Connect learners and members
Most professional LMSs also include robust communication and collaboration features to facilitate social learning.
Depending on the learning system, you can have live chats, forums, social streams, group discussions, leaderboards, and more.
Since the point of many associations is to bring people together, these LMS capabilities fit like a glove. Say, for example, before an event, members can come together and discuss and share ideas and best practices.
Generate non-dues revenue streams
Some association LMSs also have built-in or integrated e-commerce capabilities.
These allow associations to sell e-learning content and courses, webinar recordings, or conference registrations, among other things, to boost their revenue.
They can also include built-in or integrated payment gateways to streamline the process and conduct all transactions directly from the LMS dashboard.
Cut training costs and save time
LMSs are designed to help associations, NGOs, and other organizations streamline their e-learning processes, bring members together, and automate many time-consuming and repetitive tasks.
They also save organizations time and money regarding their member and employee training.
For example, Bethany Care Society, one of Western Canada’s largest NGOs for senior care, housing, and community services, joined up with Docebo to train its workforce of more than 2,000 people, across nine different locations.
In a relatively short amount of time, they were able to lower their annual orientation costs by 24 percent, spend 45 percent less time on their new-hire orientation process, and save over 372 in-classroom education hours.
Let’s now turn our attention to the key features of association LMSs.
Key features to look for in association learning management systems
When looking for an LMS to facilitate your member online-education programs, you need to consider one that includes the following features and functionalities.
Attracts and engages learners
The learning platform needs to include some functionalities able to boost learner engagement.
An easy-to-use and intuitive interface can also attract learners and increase the user experience. The same thing can also be said about making your course catalog public, as it can attract non-members to the association.
The LMS should also include different online learning methodologies able to drive engagement, retention, and course completion rates. Among these, we can include social learning, multimodal, hybrid, or blended learning.
In addition, they should include interactive course materials such as quizzes, live webinars, Q&A sessions, or microlearning.
Similarly, gamification elements such as leaderboards, points, badges, and other reward-based systems help boost engagement and course completion.
Includes continuing-education capabilities
Another important aspect of LMSs for associations is the ability to facilitate continuous learning.
This means the ability to personalize e-learning content delivery based on individual learning paths.
The LMS solution needs to include such features to provide the right learning experience for all association members registered in your learning programs.
Additionally, the system should also include CE credit and certification issuing and tracking functionality for skill assessment
Integrates with your existing tech stack
You can have direct AMS-LMS integration provided the two systems are compatible with each other.
The right LMS for your needs should be able to seamlessly integrate your HR tools and other systems to streamline operations and not cause friction among your business processes.
That being said, let’s take a look at the best association LMSs on the market today.
10 Best Association Learning Management Systems
- Docebo
- Moodle
- Adobe Learning Manager
- TalentLMS
- Blackboard Learn
- Canvas
- SAP Litmos
- Cornerstone OnDemand
- Saba Cloud
- LearnUpon
1. Docebo
Docebo is a cloud-based LMS for associations with a special focus on member training.
The platform includes several features to boost learner engagement with your training programs. These include AI-driven personalization to meet each learner’s own learning needs, goals, and styles.
It also includes gamification elements and a variety of training formats such as social, multimodal, mobile, and blended learning.
Docebo’s Certification & Retraining app allows you to design and deliver certification programs, while Docebo Shape is an AI-powered e-learning content creation tool.
You can turn long-form internal and external knowledge into bite-size pieces of content, known as learning pills, in multiple formats and languages.
Docebo also acts as an e-learning content management platform, granting you access to thousands of off-the-shelf courses.
It includes an in-built e-commerce functionality to help you sell your own courses and generate some non-dues revenue.
Docebo is a SCORM-compliant LMS that includes single sign-on capabilities, forums and other communication features, learning data tracking, and reporting functionalities.
G2 rating
Top Features
- AI-powered learning management and content creation capabilities.
- Mobile and social learning functionalities.
- Branding and white labeling.
- E-commerce functionality.
- Learner certification designing and delivery.
Pros
- User-friendly for both admins and learners.
- Responsive customer service.
- Seamless content authoring and course management capabilities.
Cons
- Reporting can be cumbersome at times.
- Can experience occasional glitches.
2. Moodle
Moodle is an open-source LMS that provides a high level of customization and flexibility.
It includes a mobile app with offline learner access and is also able to integrate with numerous third-party applications and open-source plug-ins.
Moodle includes various content-creation and distribution functionalities such as video conferencing, quizzes, forums, assignments, and more.
However, since it’s an open-source learning platform, it does provide the LMS basics but it doesn’t offer customer support and requires somewhat extensive knowledge to use effectively.
G2 rating
Top Features
- Open-source API for free user access.
- Thousands of open-source plug-ins.
- Online and offline mobile access.
- Multi-language support.
Pros
- HTML and SCORM-compliant.
- Free access.
- High level of customization.
Cons
- Somewhat limited third-party integrations.
- It’s not a scalable solution.
3. Adobe Learning Manager (formerly Adobe Captivate Prime)
Adobe Learning Manager, formerly known as Captivate Prime is a cloud-based LMS for content authoring and management.
It includes AI capabilities to enhance the user experience by identifying and reducing learner skill gaps. It can also track course progress and design highly engaging e-learning content.
The platform can integrate with many third-party applications, as well as your association’s other applications and websites.
G2 rating
Top Features
- AI-powered social learning and recommendations.
- Learning path personalization.
- Online and in-person learning capabilities.
- Just-in-time learning.
- Analytics and reporting functions.
Pros
- User-friendly UI.
- High degree of customization.
- Seamless course assignment.
Cons
- Search option needs improvement.
- Somewhat steep learning curve.
- Learning path design is not effective enough.
4. TalentLMS
TalentLMS is a scalable and intuitive learning solution for e-learning course creation, management, and customization.
You can personalize your training programs to fit individual learning paths and different languages.
It includes custom certification creation and management functionality, as well as interactive training modules.
TalentLMS provides various gamification elements, as well as interactive course designs like tests, assignments, or quizzes.
G2 rating
Top Features
- Certification and achievement tracking.
- Learner path customization.
- Member self-registration.
- E-commerce functionality.
- Single sign-on with higher-tier plans.
Pros
- Can configure e-learning modules with paths and certifications.
- Robust reporting functionality.
- Easy to set up and manage.
Cons
- Insufficient payment gateway integrations.
- Certification management needs improvement.
- Somewhat unresponsive support team.
5. Blackboard Learn
Blackboard Learn is a SaaS LMS that can help associations and NGOs provide a seamless learning experience to members and non-members alike.
Among its core features, we can include course content management tools for creating, curating, and delivering training materials to learners.
It also offers interactive and gamification elements, as well as assessment, reporting, and feedback features.
Blackboard Learn provides messaging tools, forums, notifications, and announcements, as well as branding and third-party integrations.
G2 rating
Top Features
- Personalized e-learning capabilities.
- Flexible assessments.
- Diverse range of collaboration tools.
- Customizable feedback options.
- Integration with cloud storage services.
Pros
- Easy to use and navigate.
- Good communication capabilities between learners and instructors.
Cons
- Occasional problems uploading large files.
- Some performance issues during peak hours.
6. Canvas by Instructure
Canvas by Instructure is an open-source learning management platform with a focus on academic learning. However, it can work for other organizations such as associations or NGOs.
You can use it to keep track of learner certifications as well as to monitor engagement with course material.
Canvas also allows for training course personalization and offers interactive course creation through the use of discussion boards, quizzes, and assignments.
The platform integrates with numerous third-party tools and allows you to import user credentials from other platforms if needed.
G2 rating
Top Features
- E-learning content authoring.
- Training course management.
- Certification management and credential imports.
- Customizable learner assessments.
- Mobile learning capabilities.
Pros
- Seamless e-learning content management.
- Large number of quizzes and interactive elements.
- User-friendly and customizable user interface.
Cons
- Something of a learning curve.
- Mobile app suffers from occasional glitches.
7. SAP Litmos
SAP Litmos is a cloud-based digital learning solution with a built-in content-authoring tool and task-automation capabilities.
It also comes equipped with out-of-the-box e-commerce functionality to monetize courses. SAP Litmos provides a high degree of learning path customization and custom user-interface branding.
Likewise, the tool offers both online and in-person instructor-led training, social learning, and video assessments. Instructional designers can also include gamification elements in their courses, while educators have access to tracking and reporting tools.
G2 rating
Top Features
- Social learning and instructor-based training.
- Built-in content authoring.
- E-commerce capabilities.
- Customized learning paths.
- Gamification elements.
Pros
- Modern user interface.
- Robust tracking and reporting.
- Easy to use and implement.
Cons
- Customer support is not always responsive.
- Limited e-learning content.
8. Cornerstone OnDemand
Cornerstone OnDemand is a cloud-based learning tech company and software provider. Its flagship product, Cornerstone Learning, is designed to drive skill development and engage learners.
With its Extended Enterprise Learning functionality, you can appropriate training and certifications to association members on all types of devices.
It includes virtual- and augmented-reality training capabilities, as well as automated skill assessment and mapping functionality.
Cornerstone Learning can also integrate with third-party solutions like e-commerce, AMS, or human resources information systems (HRIS).
G2 rating
Top Features
- Certification management.
- Augmented-reality training.
- Automated skill assessment.
- Skill mapping.
- Multi-language support.
Pros
- Easy-to-use UI.
- Good reporting capabilities.
- Easy content and learner management.
Cons
- Somewhat cumbersome initial setup.
- Occasional glitches.
- Insufficient customization options.
9. Saba Cloud
Saba Cloud is an LMS purchased by Cornerstone OnDemand back in 2020.
It allows admins to customize the objects, fields, and rules, and provide analytics capabilities on various business metrics and learner progress.
Saba Cloud also includes workflow automation capabilities, a course builder, role-based templates, quizzes, and assessments, as well as gamification, and certification management.
G2 rating
Top Features
- E-learning content creation, delivery, tracking, and management.
- Course-authoring capabilities.
- Instructor-led training.
- Customizable learning paths.
- Custom certifications.
Pros
- High flexibility and customization.
- Good learner-personalization options.
- Easy to install and set up.
Cons
- Outdated user interface.
- Takes time to load classes.
- Customer support can be lacking.
10.LearnUpon
LearnUpon is a content and learning management system for e-learning course authoring.
Instructional designers can combine, upload, and embed various file types into a single course module from third-party tools. You can also train multiple audiences by creating and customizing separate learning portals.
In addition, LearnUpon also automates workflows by eliminating many repetitive tasks.
It includes gamification elements and certification management, e-commerce capabilities, and a content marketplace. LearnUpon also provides white-labeling capabilities and multilingual support.
G2 rating
Top Features
- AI-powered training capabilities.
- Customizable learning paths.
- Certification management.
- SCORM and xAPI-compliant.
- Instructor-led training.
Pros
- Easy content authoring.
- Effective customer service.
- Intuitive and user-friendly UI.
Cons
- Reporting is not robust enough.
- Gamification is somewhat lacking.
- Learning paths could be improved.
Key factors when evaluating an association learning management system
Many variables go into choosing the right LMS that suits your association’s needs and requirements.
You need to understand your e-learning goals. You also need to think about your target audience and how the LMS fits with their pain points.
Then, there are the costs of LMS implementation that you need to consider.
Is it suitable for your use case?
You need to make sure that the LMS caters to your specific use case.
Whether you’re a healthcare-based association, in education, or an NGO, you need to make sure that the LMS can handle your needs and requirements.
Does it have all the necessary features?
The same thing goes for the platform’s features and functionalities. Can they handle all your member-training pain points? Do you need content-authoring capabilities or e-commerce functionality?
It’s generally good practice to make a list of all the features you need and ensure the LMS includes them.
Is it a scalable solution?
Another important characteristic is whether or not the tool can scale alongside your association.
It’s not really worth your investment if you manage to attract more members only to experience issues when trying to educate them effectively.
The LMS should be able to take on an increasing workload without suffering from frequent interruptions or other issues.
Does it offer high quality customer support?
Equally as important is whether the tool offers sufficient support to help you get going, or when encountering various problems down the road.
This means the LMS should include a comprehensive knowledge base, FAQ section, maybe even a chatbot, and a helpful customer service team ready to assist you with everything you need.
The bottom line
As an association or nonprofit organization, you may find it difficult to keep your members engaged.
Fortunately, the right LMS can provide the right educational content, progress-tracking capabilities, and certification management to address the diverse needs of your members.
Schedule a demo with Docebo today and see how it can cater to your needs and those of your target audience.