If you’re a WildApricot customer, you may wonder: “Should I use a WildApricot partner?” “When should I hire a WildApricot Partner?” “ Do I even need a partner for my organization?”
These questions are in the mind of every WildApricot user, who has, at some point, experienced any difficulty or roadblock, while setting up their membership management system.
Whether you’re having a change of directorship or a volunteer turnover, this question lingers in the minds of many organization administrators and executives.
Like any other software, WildApricot has its advantages and limitations. That’s not to say that you can’t overcome some of these limitations, using extra help. For WildApricot, partners are companies and consultants who provide customization for WildApricot sites. However, some partners have excelled at particular customizations and can offer services that go well beyond website customizations. Thus, adding value to not only the services they provide, but also contributing to the overall objectives and goals of an organization.
Why should I choose a partner?
If you’re an organization with 20-50 members, or a larger firm with 1000-2000 members, the growth of your organization depends on how well you manage your current resources. For a lot of organizations, operational efficiency and customer satisfaction are the two main strategies to achieve sustainable competitive advantage. The more you invest in operational efficiency, the more growth you achieve, and the more return on investment (ROI) you get.
Therefore, in order to achieve operational efficiency, you have to make sure your current operations are effective and top of the industry standards. This is where partners come in: To help you set up for success from the get go, provide operational efficiency and optimize your financial output.
When should I consider a partner?
1. Starting / Launching:
If you’re an organization, looking to switch from your current system to an industry recognized, membership management software, you should consider a partner. If you’re looking to digitize processes and automate your manual workflows, a partner would be your best investment in the company.
At this stage of growth, a partner becomes part of your growth strategy. They set up the system for you, build memberships, events, email templates, and set you up for fast, efficient, and targeted communication with your audience.
2. Growing / Evolving:
You’ve set up the memberships, events, basic website and automated invoices, however, there hasn’t been much growth or conversion over the past couple of years. You need to revamp your strategy. Your members have been complaining about the complexity of the registration processes, and they just can’t seem to find the information they’re looking for on your website. If that sounds like a problem you’re facing in growing your organization, it’s time to consult a partner.
In this stage, the partner will act like a consultant and a marketing expert. They will help you re-strategize, achieve efficiency, and improve ease of use. They will assist you developing an intuitive user interface for your website, and an efficient internal system to keep your existing members, while attracting new prospectives.
3. Mature/ Established:
You’re an avid user of WildApricot. Members of your organization are comfortable with renewals, event registrations and navigating your website. Your website looks good, however, it doesn’t seem to be up to par with the new technology. You’re lacking data, analysis and insights essential for your organization’s growth.
With this observation, you’re ready to take the next steps. You want to see how your organization is doing year over year, month over month for a period of time. You’re ready for a data driven approach to your growth. This includes membership trends, finances, return on investment, and other essential reporting for the stakeholders.
In this case, partners can work with you on building custom reports, standardizing your finance and auditing system, and taking your website up a notch with integration and customizations. Choosing to work with a partner will not only help you achieve your goals but also save you time and money. You will improve your operational efficiency and streamline your existing processes. At the same time, you can evaluate which strategies are working for your membership growth, and which strategies need to be improved. Hence, allowing you to gain full control over your data and the insights you gain from it.
The End Goal:
No single organization or company achieves excellence and success in their particular field, without the help of a consultant. Therefore, the question of whether you should invest in having a partner becomes important when you have clear goals for not only for your organization, but also your employees. You want to make sure you’re providing your members with the right resources and help they need, to maximize the tools you have, and achieve success.
Talk to us today to see how NewPath Consulting can help you at each and every stage of organization growth. For a list of WildApricot Add-on products and services we offer, check out our website.
