The ultimate expression of digital transformation is to turn every interaction into a dynamic web experience.
We’ve all just experienced a period of upheaval that won’t be fully understood until future historians explain it to us. And it isn’t over yet. Major historical events have consequences. One of those consequences is to speed up trends. Without a doubt, the most noticeable trend the pandemic sped up is digital transformation.
Suddenly, people with white-collar jobs who had occasionally logged in from their home computers to do work, couldn’t do it any other way. Children went to school at the kitchen table. Restaurants had nothing but online menus. Zoom became a noun on everyone’s lips; people learned about virtual backgrounds and how to unmute. Theatrical productions happened online. So did trade shows and conferences. Amazon boomed. Streaming services multiplied. Everyone was having more and more and deeper and deeper web experiences.
Businesses were forced to pivot. They had to learn to promote and deliver their services digitally. Those who were already doing it to some degree were in the best shape for this transition. But they, too, had to pivot – to make interacting digitally 100% of their focus.
In the non-profit industry, engagement with members and donors has always been the most important success factor – not only for the non-profit entity, but also for its constituents. Non-profits cannot succeed in their missions without enabling constituents to succeed in theirs. In the pandemic, engagement became an entirely digital activity.
Those who were prepared – those who had already digitally transformed – not only conducted business without interruption during a time of crisis, but prospered, with numbers that indicated clear revenue increases.
Michelle Lelempsis from iMIS Partner, Causeis
To better understand the digital transformation journey, we surveyed associations and other non-profit organizations and uncovered nine factors that lead to a dynamic member web experience:
1. What succeeds in a crisis, prepares you for the future, when there will undoubtedly be more crises, but even without crises it provides a blueprint for ongoing success.
2. Digital Transformation is not a single factor or event, but an ecosystem full of ongoing processes and challenges to meet.
3. Digital Transformation begins with a change in mindset from which everything follows.
4. To advance your organization down the path to Digital Transformation, nothing can compare with software that is the single source of your business system and your websites.
5. Digital Transformation expands the traditional notion of the nature of a website to include inward and outward-looking websites and member portals transforming all content experiences and interactions into dynamic web experiences.
6. Digital Transformation will protect you from cybersecurity threats, which are on the increase every day.
7. Digital Transformation is your doorway to leaving behind outdated ways of thinking and reliance on customizations to your software that had their day, but that day is past, simplifying processes and clearing the way for your unencumbered future to happen.
8. Digital Transformation done correctly positions our clients and their constituents to thrive in the face of extreme diversity and change. Darwin tells us that those species who survive are best adapted to change. The world of technology and member/donor engagement are no different. Digital Transformation prepares you for ongoing change, which is always the rule, never the exception.
9. Web Experience, Constant Learning and Member/Donor/Staff Enlightenment: it is the gift of Digital Transformation and the unique design of the iMIS product where business systems and websites come from the same source, that question and answer, interaction and advancement happen dynamically on the most personal level so that you learn what is happening with every click and keystroke.
By utilizing the unique design of an engagement management system, several associations and non-profits were able to combine their website and database into one system. The benefit of this one system approach gives way to personalized, dynamic web experiences for each and every member’s engagement. Every interaction is tracked and future engagement with members can be tailored to guide their member journeys with your organization.
The following are videos created by associations and non-profit organizations who have already moved forward down the ongoing path to digital transformation into a better future:
BOMA International
"Our new website features intuitive design, it's easy to figure out how to search for different things. We have a very robust catalog of content, […] videos, and all the rest that’s on there, so there’s a lot to sort through so we needed a platform that could really pull that off. The RiSE platform provides that for our members, that powerful search tool they’re looking for."
Christian Schools Australia
“We were acutely aware that our membership required a more contemporary technology platform that would provide an exceptional user experience with overall goals of bringing our CRM with our website; RiSE and iMIS met both our budget and development requirements. Part of our digital transformation was to have iMIS become our single source of truth, a system that is accessible with a responsive design so that all members can access the system using all devices and platforms.
Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute
“PCI has developed a number of unique solutions by leveraging use of the RiSE platform. This includes using IQAs to recall data for profiles of notable construction projects, a membership directory plotted with Google Maps JavaScript API, and a periodicals archive."
Canadian Institute of Quantity Surveyors
"Our membership application process is complicated, and it offers more than one path. The iMIS system and our new iMIS website and iMIS Forms make it easier for individuals to apply as well as assist the staff in the approval process, onboarding, and filing of applications. Analytics from our Email marketing and a member personal profile enable us to tell the story of how well we communicate with our members and enable us to make adjustments to our communications and offerings."
To find out more about how to take steps in this direction, you’re invited to take our Organizational Digital Maturity assessment. This assessment identifies gaps and reveals opportunities to help you support your top business and organizational goals.
You’ll gain insights on how your organization’s digital maturity stacks up to the Top 10% of ASI’s clients with a detailed report that includes: a maturity level assessment review, an analysis on where your organization resides on the maturity model, and best practice recommendations that you can implement to move to the next level.