Tyler Arboretum, located in Delaware County, PA, offers people in the Philadelphia region a bucolic and sometimes whimsical setting for both relaxation and education in the natural world. As a public garden and arboretum, Tyler’s mission focuses on preserving, developing, and sharing the history and horticulture found within its 650 acre site. The Arboretum welcomes members and visitors to explore it’s woodlands, meadows, and streams and offers high quality educational programs.
Highlights
Addressing Issues
In today’s nonprofit world unexpected changes have become more commonplace. This can be particularly challenging when staff transitions interrupt daily operations. Tyler Arboretum reached out to S&W to address issues that were impacting its ability to operate and manage its enterprise-wide database.
Analyzing Effectiveness
Tyler was looking for a solution that would provide immediate support—there were gifts to enter and appeal lists to run. Simultaneously, the organization knew that the time was right to take a hard look at the overall effectiveness and suitability of its data toolsets.
Providing Solutions
When Tyler found itself without internal capacity or expertise, S&W proposed an approach which addressed both immediate data management needs and a long–term plan for database optimization.
The Challenge
For years Tyler had relied on just a few staff members to manage and understand a database that supported operations across the organization. From program registration to visitor services, and from membership management to major gift fundraising, the database intersected with all areas of the organization’s work. At a critical time of the fundraising calendar, unexpected staff transitions left Tyler without the people power or know–how that would make the database fully functional. Not only were membership and fundraising operations stalled, there was an overall worry that the database itself was a source of problems—not of solutions.
The Solution
S&W’s two front approach looked to address Tyler’s near-term challenges along with a far reaching and strategic database plan. An S&W Development Operations consultant made headway immediately on the ground addressing data entry, reporting and list building needs. Working closely with Tyler’s Development staff, S&W brought its database best practices approach tailored to the client’s real-time needs.
At the same time S&W, pulled back from the immediate challenge and initiated an assessment of the Arboretum’s data requirements across fundraising, finance, the visitor and member experience, and communications and marketing. Through one-on-one interviews and stakeholder discussions, S&W helped the organization understand its data needs from a multi-purpose and multi-solution perspective.
With these findings in hand, S&W evaluated Tyler’s current toolsets (Altru, Constant Contact) to understand if they were equipped to meet the organization’s robust requirements. Based on a recommendation that Tyler continue employing Altru as the central and organizing database within a multi-sourced data management solution, S&W developed an actionable plan for optimization.
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