CSAE Announces Re-Tooling of its Technology Systems
New partnership with Wicket and Industrial re-envisions member experience.
The Canadian Society of Association Executives (CSAE), the voice of Canada’s association sector, announced that it is working in partnership with Wicket and Industrial to reimagine its approach to technology. Over the next several months, CSAE will roll out a new suite of software tools to better manage, engage with, and deliver services and information to its members.
CSAE President and CEO Tracy Folkes Hanson, said: “After a careful examination of our processes and our member experience, CSAE is ready to move forward with a new set of tools to carry us forward in our mission. We wanted to find a solution that would give CSAE the utmost flexibility to adopt technology as it continues to evolve at such a rapid pace. We know from our members that technology is an area they want to have a better handle on, so we also hope that CSAE’s journey becomes a valuable case study for the sector.”
The selection of Wicket — the world’s first Member Data Platform — as the database for all of CSAE’s membership data is at the core of CSAE’s technological shift. Wicket will store all of CSAE’s membership information, empowering staff to easily view, manage and report on a rich data set. In addition, self-directed tools with single sign-on capability will enable members to self-manage their profiles, eliminating time and redundancies and putting the power into users’ hands.
Danielle Lamothe, CSAE’s vice-president of learning and innovation, noted: “With this new technological integration, we are positioning the organization for the future. Finding Wicket, a Canadian company that is doing such innovative work in the association landscape is incredibly exciting.”
As part of the digital transformation, CSAE has chosen Industrial, a leading Canadian website firm focused on the association sector, to develop a flexible and user-friendly CSAE.com website. It will be deployed on WordPress, the world’s leading Content Management System (CMS).
“To effectively position CSAE as a leader within the association community and deliver a member-friendly experience, the need to develop a new CSAE.com website was clear,” said Penny Tantakis, CSAE’s director of marketing.
“Industrial’s team couldn’t be more excited to partner with CSAE and Wicket on this opportunity,” said Rod Zylstra, president of Industrial. “Our team works with Canadian associations every day to deliver modern website solutions, and the opportunity to work with a leader in the sector is something our entire team is looking forward to.”
As part of the digital transformation, CSAE will additionally leverage a suite of modern software tools to deliver the functionality needed for effective operations and member service. New tools will include Canadian-based Shopify for the bookstore, MailChimp for email marketing, Canadian-based Fusebill for membership billing, and Canadian-based Klipfolio for reporting and dashboards.
“At Wicket, our model is focused on providing associations with the flexibility to choose the software that best meets their needs,” said Jeff Horne, co-founder & CEO of Wicket. “Wicket uniquely ties all of these systems together, synchronizing membership data, and collecting valuable engagement data across the board.”
CSAE’s plans to roll out the new digital platform in early 2020.
About CSAE
Incorporated in 1962, the Canadian Society of Association Executives (CSAE) is Canada’s only member-based not-for-profit organization committed to delivering the knowledge, resources and environment to advance association excellence. CSAE, also known as an “association of associations,” offers robust networking and learning opportunities, including an education program leading to the Certified Association Executive (CAE®) designation. CSAE operates through its central office in Toronto and seven regional networks — in Alberta, Atlantic Canada, British Columbia, the GTA/Golden Horseshoe, Manitoba, Ottawa-Gatineau and Quebec. Visit www.csae.com and follow CSAE on Twitter @csaeconnect.
About Wicket
Wicket is the world’s first Member Data Platform. Wicket is revolutionizing member management and engagement for associations, by giving them access to world-class software and integrating it with their member data. Wicket believes that associations deserve world class software to deliver their valuable mandates, and Wicket is the only software that gives you a hub to store your membership data and delivers the flexibility to use the best third party software for all your other needs through seamless integrations.
About Industrial
Industrial is Canada’s leading provider for website design and development services for the association sector. Industrial works with Canadian associations every day to understand their unique challenges, map those to user needs, create user centric experiences, and deliver modern Content Management System (CMS) solutions.
Contacts
CSAE
Penny Tantakis
416-363-3555 ext. 235
Wicket:
Jeff Horne
613-290-8221
Industrial:
Rod Zylstra
613-277-3065
