National Association CMS: Digital Renewal Strategy & Implementation

Mantrax recently proposed a CMS (Content Management System) for a National Association facing numerous pain points. Members were frustrated with the online experience. The existing member portal has frustrated members due to usability issues, navigation challenges, and a need for more intuitive features. This dissatisfaction hampers member engagement and overall perception of the association’s value.

The Challenge

  • Stagnant membership.
    • The stagnant membership growth observed over recent periods is partially attributed to the suboptimal member portal experience. Attracting and retaining new members becomes a daunting task without a user-friendly platform that enhances engagement and facilitates interaction.
  • Risk of Member Attrition
    • The rise of alternative platforms for managing critical functions, such as recruiting and gaining visibility, poses a significant threat. Members are tempted to explore other avenues that offer smoother experiences and more efficient solutions, potentially leading to a loss of members to competing platforms.
  • High Operating Costs
    • Inefficiencies within the current member portal have resulted in increased operational costs. Members often resort to contacting association staff for support, creating additional workload and driving up costs. This issue is a drain on resources that could otherwise be utilized for more strategic initiatives.

To find a resolution, the following projects were initiated:

  • Phase 1: Functional Research to understand stakeholder’s pain points with the online platform.
  • Phase 2: Complete modernization of the legacy platform

Phase 1: Functional Research To Create CMS

In Phase 1, we helped the association listen to their members by providing a neutral platform. The member feedback was combined with a comprehensive system diagnosis and external research. The functional analysis consisted of the following six activities:

CMS Project Analysis

The result was a complete 360-degree analysis of member experience. The functional research experience and deliverables included:

1) Consolidated member interviews with actionable insights and prioritized implementation lists

2) Developed technical and functional specifications to support membership portal modernization

3) Developed User Personas 

4) Developed executive summary report to help Association Leadership communication Phase 1 results and proposed digital renewal strategy to stakeholders

5) Collaborated with Association Leadership to develop the scope of the first release of the new portal  

CMS Project Core Deliverables

Phase 2: End-to-End Modernization of the Legacy CMS

The second phase of the member portal modernization initiative encompasses a comprehensive development scope that aims to revolutionize the digital landscape of the organization.

CMS Project Overview

Core Objectives

Crafting a universal style guide that harmonizes the design language across both national and district websites. This cohesive visual identity fosters a seamless and recognizable user experience.

Implementing bilingual support for French and English languages, catering to the diverse linguistic preferences of the association’s members.

Re-platforming and re-architecting the infrastructure to facilitate an enhanced user experience while ensuring scalability, availability, and adaptability to changing requirements. This modern framework empowers the portal to seamlessly evolve alongside organizational needs.

A complete redesign of both national and district-level websites is undertaken, emphasizing data-driven single-page web applications. This design approach not only enhances engagement but also optimizes data accessibility.

Ensuring seamless migration of member profiles and data, including sensitive personally identifiable information (PII), in alignment with industry-standard data governance policies. Security and compliance are paramount throughout this process.

Introducing an availability calendar tailored for members, enhancing their ability to engage with key events and activities efficiently.

Implementing a flexible content framework that allows customization of national and district-level content. This empowers administrators to tailor content to specific audience segments, enhancing engagement.

Facilitating granular control over content management through a role-based access control model. This ensures that administrators have the right tools to manage content at different levels effectively.

Phase 2 of the modernization journey represents a pivotal step towards aligning the association’s digital ecosystem with contemporary standards. By focusing on user experience, linguistic inclusivity, data security, and advanced functionality, the organization is poised to set new benchmarks in member engagement and digital transformation. This strategic initiative underscores the commitment to excellence and responsiveness, ensuring that the member portal remains an indispensable asset as the organization continues to evolve.

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Services Provided

Functional Research

UX/UI Design

Full Stack Development

Quality Assurance

Project Management

Database Design

Training

Change Management