Getting Started: A Guide For New Association Staff

Last updated: September 3, 2026

Recommended resources for new association admins to learn Novi AMS.

If you are a new staff member of an organization using Novi AMS, welcome! First and foremost, if you don't already have access to the database as an admin, ask a team member with admin access to follow the steps in this article to get you set up.

Training Resources

Live Sessions

Start Here! ➡️ Live Session: Welcome To Novi - This introductory session is designed for staff who are new to Novi. Together, we’ll explore who we are, what we do, and how you can navigate Novi with confidence.

Live Group Training - We host free group trainings on the Novi basics. Anyone new or wanting to brush up on basics can join!
- If you're brand new, start with the Member Records training first, since it reviews how to add and manage records in Novi.

Group Training Recordings - Can't make the live training times? No problem! Access the most recent recordings here.
- Please note, you'll need to create an account first on our Novi HQ site to access this page.

1:1 Training or Workshops - If your team is looking for hourly personal training or workshop time with one of our team members, view more information on 1:1 time here.

Roundtable sessions on various Novi topics - Join us for conversations on Novi tips, tricks, and best practices.
- You can view upcoming topics and register to attend.
- Or check out previously recorded roundtables.

Novi Summit - Join your peers at our annual users' conference. It's a great opportunity for idea sharing, problem-solving, and fun!
- Want to see pictures from previous years' events? Click here!
- Learn more about Novi Summit

Self Learning

700+ articles (like the one you're reading now!). Bookmark help.noviams.com for easy access.

Novi Support

How to Get Help: Receiving Customer Support & Updates via Intercom - Learn how to use Intercom ("the blue bubble") to communicate with the Novi AMS Support and Product teams.
Novi Office Hours – Drop In Support - dedicated weekly Office Hours, providing opportunity to ask questions, get real-time support, and collaborate directly with the Novi team. Stop by anytime during the scheduled hour, and feel free to leave when you’re ready. Please note, registration is required.
Reporting Bugs - Learn how to help the Novi AMS support team resolve issues quickly.

Prioritizing Your Novi AMS Feature Requests - A message from our founder on how we incorporate the ideas and feedback of association professionals into every line of code we write.

AE Tip: Every organization uses Novi in a slightly different way, so be sure to reference your internal process documentation in addition to Novi's help articles.

Recommended Reading to Get Started

Everyone should start here!

Novi Terminology - Learn the terminology that Novi uses.

Members List - The Members List in Novi is the default landing page on the backend when you login as an admin. This list displays all of the records in the database.

Novi Notes - This is an admin-only page on your Novi website where notes and processes specific to your organization are listed for reference. We highly recommend checking this out so you know how your association uses Novi.

Configure Columns for Easy Reporting - Learn how to adjust the display columns that show in list views on the backend.

Register for an upcoming live Welcome to Novi Session (it's free!):

Welcome to Novi

Designed for staff who are new to Novi! Join us for a quick overview of the platform, essential features, and resources to help you feel confident moving forward—plus a live Q&A at the end.

General Admin

Start with these related articles:

Create a New Company or Person - Create a new member record in the Novi admin.

How to move someone from one company to another in your Novi database - Learn what to do when someone moves to a new company.

Password Reset from Admin - Learn how to help users reset their passwords (from the backend).

Merge Members in Novi AMS - Learn how to merge a company or person in Novi AMS, and when it's more appropriate to merge directly in QuickBooks.

This free group training is a necessity:

Member Records

Get the essentials on managing records as an admin—learn how to add and edit records, update member statuses, and more!

Membership

Dive into these related articles:

Getting Started: A Guide To Members in Novi AMS - Learn about the membership lifecycle in Novi: Join, Renew, and Drops.

Recent Signups - A daily workspace to review new members, new accounts created on the site, and oversee recent signups.

Member Activity Timeline - A record's Activity Timeline is an interactive tool that allows admins to track important notes, calls, emails, tasks, and other member activities.

Membership Change Report - a report showing how many members have been added, dropped, and retained within a defined time period.

Tracking Paid Renewals in Novi - How to pull reports of paid membership renewals.

Build your membership skills with these free trainings:

Member Records
Member Records covers the basics of managing records as an admin. You'll learn how to add & edit records, member statuses in Novi, and more!

Transactions

Would you agree that membership dues & revenue are integral to associations? If so, Transactions Training is a do-not-miss. You'll learn about the types of transactions you'll see in Novi and the renewal process.

Reports

Last but not least, you'll probably need to pull membership reports from time to time, right? We'll show you how to configure Novi's built in reports & get a basic understanding of how to build custom reports.

Events & Education

Brush up with these helpful guides:

Getting Started: A Guide to Events

Create an Event - Learn the basics of how to set up an event.

Event Ticket Setup - Learn how to create and customize event tickets for attendee registrations.

Cancel an Event Registration - Learn how to cancel an event registration with a full refund, a cancellation fee, or no refund at all.

Tracking Attendance and Continuing Education - Learn how to track meeting attendance and manage continuing education credit types, instructors, and education reports.

Free and useful? These trainings are both!

Events:

Learn the ins and outs of event setup in this one-hour training. We’ll cover how to create and manage events, what members see on their end, how registration works, and tips for keeping everything running smoothly.

Website Content:

Want your events to stand out on your website? This training will show you how to use our content editor to create eye-catching pages, update your homepage, and manage your site’s navigation with confidence.

Marketing

Unlock more tips in these articles:

Create a New Group in Novi - Novi's Group feature is a way to segment your database into groups that have certain commonalities.

MailChimp and Novi AMS Integration Overview - Find in-depth information on this integration and the answers to our most frequently asked questions including how to create campaigns, how to locate groups in MailChimp, and more!

Constant Contact and Novi AMS Integration - In-depth steps & information on this integration and answers to our most frequently asked questions including how to create campaigns, how to locate lists in Constant Contact, and more!

You’ve got this—these free trainings can help:

Groups and Committees

Learn how to set up and manage Groups and Committees in Novi with ease. This training covers the basics—from creating a new Group or Committee to syncing them with Mailchimp or Constant Contact for seamless communication.

Website Content

As a marketer, your website is prime real estate—and this training shows you how to make it shine. Learn how to add new pages, update your homepage, edit navigation, and use CMS templates and the content editor to build eye-catching, on-brand content. Perfect for promoting events, campaigns, and keeping your site fresh and engaging.

Member Records

Understanding your member data is key to targeted, effective outreach. This training shows how to navigate and manage member records like a pro—from creating and configuring records to understanding membership statuses and terminology. You'll walk away with the tools to better segment, personalize, and connect with your members.

Website Content

Get the full picture with these help articles:

Add a New Page to Your Website - Adding new pages to your website has never been easier.

Formatting Website Content on the Frontend - Discover how easy it is to make changes to the formatting of content on your Novi site.

Posting a Blog (News) Article - How to add and write a new article on your Novi website.

Selecting the Appropriate Template for your static page - How to choose the best page template for better readability and a great user experience on your content pages in Novi AMS.

These free trainings can help you get the hang of things:

Website Content

If you’re the go-to person for website updates, this training is for you. You’ll learn how to add new pages, edit navigation, update homepage content, and use the content editor to keep everything looking sharp and on-brand. It’s everything you need to manage the site with confidence—no tech background required.

Groups and Committees

Groups and Committees in Novi aren’t just for communication—they’re also key to controlling access to certain webpages. In this training, you’ll learn how to set up Groups and Committees, and how to sync them with Mailchimp or Constant Contact for targeted outreach.

Accounting

Amplify your skills with these resources:

Getting Started with Accounting in Novi AMS - This resource is for finance directors, bookkeepers, accountants, and anyone that has access to your organization's QuickBooks Online account.

The Novi Accounting Transaction Section - How to navigate the Transactions section in Novi AMS.

Cheat Sheet: QuickBooks Settings, Transactions & Objects that sync with Novi AMS - See a quick list of all of the QuickBooks settings, transactions & objects that sync with Novi AMS.

Cheat Sheet: Four Common Transaction Types - Learn the four most common accounting transaction types used in QuickBooks and Novi - a quick guide for non-bookkeepers.

Receive a Payment in Novi AMS - Learn how to receive a payment in Novi AMS.

Item Sales Detail Report - This report includes sales data from QuickBooks combined with membership details from Novi AMS.

Trainings we recommend to build your expertise!

Transactions Training

Get a clear look at how Novi and QuickBooks Online work together. This session covers the Transactions section and takes a deeper dive into how renewals and drops are handled in Novi.

QuickBooks 101 (Pre-Recorded Video)

We highly recommend setting aside an hour to watch the video—even if you're already a QuickBooks Online pro. It might feel like a big time investment now, but it’ll save you plenty of time (and frustration) down the road. Join us for a walk through the QuickBooks Online basics. Trust us—it’s worth it.

Member Experience

Explore more tips and tricks here:

Member Compass: Novi's Online Member Portal - Learn what the Member Compass is, what it looks like, and how your members can see and use it.

Member Event Registration from Frontend Website - Learn how members can register for events on your association's website.

Member Directory - A guide to creating member directories.

New here? These free trainings are a great first step:

Events

Curious how event registration actually works for your members? In part of the training, we’ll walk through the full experience—impersonating a user to show how registration looks for both attendee-based and ticket-based events. We’ll also highlight features like locked tickets, ticket categories, and conditional options so you can confidently build and manage your events.

Groups and Committees

Before you can build a Member Directory, you'll need to create a Group or Committee first. Get the basics on how to create them in this training.

Ecommerce

Check out these articles:

Create a New Product - Learn how to create a product in Novi or import an existing product from QuickBooks.

Processing Ecommerce Orders - learn how to fulfill Ecommerce orders.

Adding and Setting Up Promo Codes - How to create and set limitations on promo codes.

Ecommerce Sales Reporting - view a list of all product purchases for product orders processed through Novi AMS.

View the entire Ecommerce article collection.

Become an Ecommerce pro with our free training:

Ecommerce

Want to make the most of your online store? This training covers everything you need to know about managing products in Novi—from adding new items and promo codes to handling orders, refunds, and notifications. You’ll also learn where products appear for members and how to control the display order in your store.

Reporting

Take a deeper dive with these articles:

Configure Columns for Easy Reporting - Learn how to adjust the display columns that show in list views on the backend.

Novi's Configurable Built In Reports - Novi has a selection of configurable pre-built reports to help you filter, pull and visualize your data quickly.

Creating Custom Membership and Event Reports - How to pull the data you need out of your database by creating custom reports.

Want to level up? This training is free and easy sign up for:

Reports

New to reporting in Novi? This training will walk you through the basics, including the types of reports available, how to build a simple custom membership report, and when it makes more sense to use a report versus a group or committee. Perfect for getting the data you need—fast.

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