How AAC&U Transformed Member Engagement with a Nimble Integration
About
The American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) is a 100-year-old member organization serving the needs of higher education institutions worldwide. As a leader in educational advocacy, they work to promote democratic values through advancing liberal education for all students, focusing on higher education innovation, quality, and equity.
The opportunity
Facing challenges with an outdated database, fragmented platforms, and branding inconsistencies, AAC&U saw an opportunity to improve content marketing efforts and to create a better member experience. AAC&U also sought to reduce the high cost of maintaining a separate platform for institute training sessions, which amounted to $70,000 annually.
The outcome
AAC&U partnered with Foster Commerce to implement a Nimble database integration, resulting in a centralized community hub, an improved member experience, and streamlined operations. The AAC&U team selected Foster Commerce due to their strong existing relationship, proven expertise, and responsiveness as a team. The nine-month collaboration between AAC&U, Nimble, and Foster Commerce was a success, allowing AAC&U to meet its goals and reduce costs.
Introduction
The American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U), a global leader in higher education, knew it needed a change. Its outdated database, fragmented platforms, and branding inconsistencies were hindering its ability to serve its members effectively. It needed a solution that would streamline operations, enhance member experience, and ultimately better support its mission.
Having established a relationship with Foster Commerce several years prior when its website development project needed a rescue, AAC&U team members again turned to Foster Commerce when they needed to streamline and improve the membership experience.
The challenge: A disjointed digital landscape
AAC&U faced several key challenges. Its previous database lacked adequate support and didn't allow for single sign-on (SSO). Lack of single sign-on had several implications for marketing, the member experience, and the AAC&U brand as a whole.
Without SSO functionality, AAC&U marketers were unable to lock-down valuable member-only content. In addition, AAC&U’s brand suffered due to a confusing and inconsistent experience for members around event registration and programs. For example, depending on their program interests members might be presented with two or three different registration platforms, each with a unique workflow, look, and password requirements.
Finally, AAC&U spent a hefty $70,000 annually on a separate platform for summer institute training sessions. While the separate training platform did have key functionality and features that AAC&U relied upon, it also came with features that AAC&U didn’t need. Feature bloat and the difficulty of maintaining costs made it clear to AAC&U decision-makers that it was time for a change.
The solution: A Nimble integration & centralized community hub
AAC&U chose Nimble, an application built on Salesforce, to solve the many challenges it faced. Nimble’s ecommerce element allows membership management, which is critical to AAC&U's mission.
Because of their familiarity with ecommerce, the Foster Commerce team was a natural fit for the project’s implementation and the Nimble integration was a significant step forward for AAC&U. In addition to improving the user experience for AAC&U staff, it also improved the member experience while providing brand coherence.
— Ryan Harrison, Website Manager, AAC&UWe knew that we wanted Foster Commerce working on this. It's always been a great working relationship, and there was never a question about whether we'd entrust this work to them.
As a result of the Nimble integration, a key outcome of the project was the creation of a centralized community hub within AAC&U's website to support various summertime training sessions. This hub, built using Nimble and existing tools, replaced several disparate platforms where previously the work of organizing and engaging trainees resided.
Today, the community hub includes discussion boards, resource sharing, and participant lists pulled directly from Nimble. The automation of pulling participant lists saves faculty from manually uploading hundreds of trainee data into spreadsheets, significantly reducing tedious work. The hub is also integrated into AAC&U's existing Craft CMS website, making it easy for staff to use.
The results: Efficiency, value, and savings
The Nimble integration and community hub have yielded impressive results for AAC&U. The feedback from institute faculty and participants about the new platform has been overwhelmingly positive. Staff have found it easier to use and navigate, which is a testament to the improved user experience. And the membership team is particularly excited about the enhanced features and functionality.
— Ryan Harrison, Website Manager, AAC&UThe Foster Commerce team was patient and diligent in following up throughout the project, which I really appreciated. It made it easier to manage the integration.
Additional positive results include:
Improved efficiency: Streamlined processes and automated tasks have increased efficiency for both staff and faculty.
Increased value of membership: The ability to lock down member-benefit content and provide a centralized platform has enhanced the value of AAC&U membership.
Cost savings: The community hub replaced a $70,000 annual subscription, resulting in significant cost savings.
Enhanced user experience: The centralized platform and SSO provide a more seamless and consistent experience for members and participants, significantly improving member satisfaction.
Brand coherence and trust: The integration increased brand coherence and trust, as all platforms are now under the same umbrella.
Key takeaways
AAC&U’s successful experience with its Nimble integration was made possible by the solid partnership between AAC&U leaders and the Foster Commerce team. Having successfully worked together in the past, AAC&U team members had total faith that Foster Commerce would provide excellent suggestions, insights, and feedback about the project.
In addition to the Foster Commerce’s expertise with complex integrations, the team’s ability to effectively communicate with and lead the collaboration with the Nimble team was crucial.
AAC&U’s choice of the Craft platform is also an advantage. Using Craft allows teams to design precisely the experiences they want — and often with significant cost-savings down the road. The ability to replace an expensive third-party platform with a centralized community hub has significantly improved member engagement and streamlined operations for AAC&U.
— Ryan Harrison, Website Manager, AAC&UFoster Commerce was always on top of the work we asked them to do. They were very responsive, and we had total faith that they'd provide great suggestions and insights. There wasn't anything that they couldn't do when we asked.
Looking Ahead
AAC&U plans to continue working with Foster Commerce to bring their intranet onto Craft and implement content locking for their quarterly magazine. This ongoing collaboration reflects the trust and satisfaction AAC&U has found in its partnership with Foster Commerce.
AAC&U’s success with Nimble demonstrates the power of strategic technology integration and strong partnerships in transforming member engagement, streamlining operations, and realizing significant cost-savings. By addressing their challenges head-on and embracing innovative solutions, AAC&U has positioned itself for continued success in serving the higher education community.