Beyond the Hype: Practical Ways to Use AI with iMIS
Artificial intelligence has quickly moved from experimentation to everyday business use. Many associations are already using AI to draft content, summarize documents, answer questions, and support staff productivity.
The next step is applying AI to business processes.
For organizations using iMIS, that means looking beyond standalone AI tools and focusing on how AI can work alongside the systems that already manage membership, events, fundraising, communications, and engagement.
Watch the full webinar below.
iMIS remains the system of record
As organizations evaluate AI, one principle should remain unchanged. iMIS continues to serve as the organization’s system of record.
Member information, event registrations, purchases, certifications, and engagement history all belong in iMIS. AI becomes much more valuable when it can securely work with that information instead of relying on disconnected spreadsheets or manual exports.
Connecting iMIS to the rest of an organization’s technology stack allows information to move automatically between systems while keeping iMIS at the center.
Automation before artificial intelligence
Many organizations already know where their inefficiencies are.
Staff manually transfer webinar attendance into iMIS. Registration lists are exported into email platforms. General inboxes require someone to read every message before deciding where it belongs. Reports are built, exported, reformatted, and distributed on a regular schedule.
These are all repeatable business processes.
Rather than asking staff to complete these tasks manually, organizations can automate the movement of information between systems and use AI where it adds value, such as classifying requests, summarizing information, generating responses, or making routing decisions.
The result is less manual work and more consistent processes.
Connecting iMIS to the rest of the technology stack
One of the advantages of Zapier for iMIS is its ability to connect iMIS with thousands of business applications.
Instead of building custom integrations for every system, organizations can create workflows that move information between applications automatically.
Examples include:
- Creating or updating contact records.
- Synchronizing marketing platforms with iMIS.
- Processing website inquiries.
- Registering members for events.
- Sending confirmation emails.
- Updating dashboards.
- Routing requests to the appropriate department.
These workflows can include AI where appropriate without requiring AI to manage the entire process.
AI works best with clear instructions
Large language models such as ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini are good at interpreting natural language and understanding context.
They are not business systems.
When AI is connected to structured workflows and trusted data, it becomes much more useful. Instead of simply answering questions, it can support business processes by collecting information, preparing data, completing repetitive tasks, and assisting staff with routine work.
Because these workflows are built independently of the underlying AI model, organizations also have flexibility to evaluate different AI providers as the market continues to evolve.
Practical examples
During the webinar, Armstrong demonstrated several practical applications.
One example used a website chatbot to collect contact information from visitors. Once submitted, the workflow automatically updated Mailchimp, created or updated the corresponding contact in iMIS, tagged the record appropriately, and sent confirmation emails to both the visitor and staff.
Another demonstration showed a prospective member completing the membership process through a conversational interface. The chatbot presented membership options, chapter selections, and contribution opportunities before creating the appropriate records and generating an invoice in iMIS.
The webinar also demonstrated how AI can assist with processing email requests. Incoming messages can be classified, key information extracted, sentiment identified, and requests routed to the appropriate staff member without requiring someone to review each message manually.
Introducing Model Context Protocol
The webinar also introduced Model Context Protocol (MCP).
MCP provides a standard way for AI applications to work with business systems through approved tools and actions.
For iMIS users, this allows AI to perform specific tasks such as creating contacts, registering attendees, updating records, or processing other approved transactions through controlled workflows.
Rather than replacing existing applications, MCP extends them by allowing AI to perform approved actions using the organization’s existing business rules.
Start with existing workflows
Organizations do not need to redesign every business process before exploring AI.
A better approach is to identify processes that consume staff time and involve repetitive work.
Examples include:
- Event registration.
- Webinar administration.
- Membership onboarding.
- Email routing.
- Continuing education tracking.
- Marketing list management.
- Report distribution.
Once these processes are identified, organizations can determine which steps should remain manual, which can be automated, and where AI can improve efficiency.
Building an AI roadmap
Every association has a different technology environment.
The first step is understanding the applications already in use and documenting how information moves between them.
Many organizations discover duplicate systems, manual data transfers, or disconnected workflows that have existed for years.
Once those processes are identified, automation opportunities become much easier to prioritize.
AI is developing rapidly, but successful implementations continue to follow the same principles that have guided good technology projects for years: trusted data, well-defined processes, and systems that work together.
For organizations using iMIS, those principles provide a practical starting point for introducing AI without disrupting existing operations.