Some reasons why you many not want to depend wholly on an internet connection for your database: no connection, slow connection, spotty connection and the expense of a connection. The Indicator from NPR’s Planet Money explains “Why Your Internet Sucks”. Membership Keeper is not a web-page based solution like a lot of group solutions. Sure, you can access your information through The Cloud like a web-page solution but you’re not wed to it. Consider the following:

• Ownership of Data Framework: With Membership Keeper, you control the data AND the data framework. If you want to customize it, archive it, or create new reports, you can! If you are not happy with a web-based solution's attributes, you're stuck with an export of your data and no framework. Not very useful...

• Independence from Internet Access: Membership Keeper does not rely completely on an internet connection like web-based solutions. With Membership Keeper, you can work on the source file offline, you can be working on an upgrade offline and switch files when your new set of data (like a  new school year of data) or customizations are ready. Can't do that a web-based solution.

• Security of Data: With wholly web-based solutions, it is super easy for users to share passwords, sometimes with unfortunate outcomes. With Membership Keeper, you can choose whether or not to put your data on the internet and customize what is accessible on the internet.

• Customization: Membership Keeper is built on Claris FileMaker® Pro, known as the most user-friendly Workplace Innovation Platform software. Ease-of-use is a hallmark of Claris FileMaker® Pro.

• Ability to Archive Data with Data Framework: Because with Membership Keeper you own both your data and the framework it is in, you can keep fully-functioning copies of your archive data. With a wholly web-based solution you are likely to end up with just an tab-delimited export of your data. For example, you might want to keep a copy of each school year's data in it's framework so you can still run the reports that you depend on, especially when gleaning alumni data.