Association Operations, Technology
The Hidden Cost Disconnected Systems create for Associations
September 17, 2025 Do you know how much time, money, and opportunity is lost every year due to disconnected systems? A membership system here. A training tracker there. An event registration form living in yet another tool. And if payments are accepted in these disconnected systems, that’s even more time spent coordinating and reconciling. On the surface, this may seem manageable—but behind the scenes, it’s costing more than you think.
If your association is relying on a patchwork of tools and spreadsheets, it’s time to reconsider. Here’s what these disjointed workflows are really costing your organization—and how an integrated platform like Jumbl can change the game.
When systems don’t talk to each other, your staff becomes the bridge. That means hours spent:
Multiply that across team members, programs and throughout the weeks and years—and the lost productivity is staggering. That’s time your team could spend engaging members, improving programming, or planning strategic growth.
Your members don’t see the behind-the-scenes juggling act—but they feel it:
Disjointed systems often lead to inconsistent communication, redundant data requests, and missed engagement opportunities. Over time, that erodes trust and reduces retention.
Disconnected tools often mean duplicated, outdated, or incomplete data. Without a single source of truth:
Worse, sensitive data being passed between systems increases the risk of human error—or even data breaches.
The financial toll of disconnected systems isn’t just the cost of the software subscriptions themselves. It’s also:
Over time, these “soft costs” add up—and they’re harder to predict or justify to your board.
No one wants to work with outdated or disorganized systems. If your staff is spending more time managing tech problems than delivering value to your members, it can lead to:
A modern, all-in-one platform not only simplifies work—it helps you retain good people who want to make an impact.
Jumbl was built to eliminate these hidden costs. Instead of juggling multiple tools, trade associations using Jumbl can:
It’s not just about technology—it’s about empowering your team to do more with less friction and more focus.
Disconnected systems may seem “good enough,” but they create a ripple effect of hidden costs that impact every corner of your organization. Jumbl replaces the patchwork with a platform built for associations like yours—so you can run smarter, engage better, and grow faster.
We partnered with Jumbl recently and have been particularly impressed with their customer service. They were patient, knowledgeable, and went above and beyond to ensure we were comfortable and confident in utilizing the product. Throughout the onboarding process, Jodi has helped our team become proficient with the new software, and we noticed immediate improvements in our workflow.
We continue to be impressed with the Jumbl platform’s ability to help us with member communication, accounting, special groups, etc., so we can concentrate on serving our members’ needs. We could not be more impressed with the platform and the service provided by the staff as they helped us onboard and integrate it into our processes.
Missouri Press Association has had a great experience with Jumbl! The staff have been working with us to develop solutions to consolidate our association management needs and have been patient in our transition to this much-needed upgrade to our membership, donation, newspapers in education and communication software systems. I think it will be a game changer in the way we are able to communicate with our members, vendors and supporters!”
