How I was “Voluntold” to Build an AMS

How I was “Voluntold” to Build an AMS

I didn’t set out to build association software.

In fact, if you had told me years ago that I’d eventually become the founder of an association management software company, I probably would have laughed.

Like many good association stories, this one started in a strategic planning session.

Back in 2015, I was working closely with associations and serving on a board when the conversation turned, once again, to the AMS. Frustration started pouring out around the table.

The software didn’t work the way associations actually work.

Simple accounting tasks took far longer than they should have. Staff were spending time on workarounds 

instead of meaningful work. Reports were unreliable. Systems did not communicate well with each other. Even the workarounds required more workarounds.

Everyone in the room had accepted this as normal.

Then, at one point during the discussion, our board chair pointed at me and said:

“I know how to solve it. Pete, you do it.”

At the time, I had experience building technology businesses and working closely with associations, but I also understood enough to know that building association software was different. Associations have unique workflows, operational challenges, financial structures, and member expectations that generic software companies often fail to understand.

Still, the more conversations I had with association professionals, the clearer the opportunity became.

Associations did not just need newer technology. They needed technology designed around the way associations actually operate.

They needed:

• software that connected systems instead of creating silos,
• accounting that worked naturally with QuickBooks,
• workflows designed for real association staff,
• and support from people who genuinely understood associations.

Most importantly, they wanted a partner, not just a software vendor.

That idea eventually became Novi AMS.

From the very beginning, we approached things differently. We did not build Novi in isolation and then hand it to associations. We built it alongside them.

Our customers helped shape features, influence priorities, test workflows, and guide major decisions. In many ways, Novi became a collaborative effort between our team and the associations we serve.

That philosophy still drives us today.

Over the years, one belief has only become stronger for me: associations do not need one giant system that tries to do everything poorly. They need connected systems that work well together and support staff, members, accounting, events, communications, and engagement in practical ways.

Technology should reduce operational friction, not create more of it.

Looking back, I’m grateful I got voluntold.

The challenge led to incredible relationships, meaningful work, and the opportunity to help associations amplify the impact they make in their industries and communities every day.

And honestly, we’re still building it together.

-Pete Zimek

CEO
Novi AMS

Today, Novi AMS supports hundreds of associations across the country, but our approach remains rooted in the same collaborative philosophy that started around that boardroom table.