Our old AMS could not meet our changing needs, and it wasn’t flexible enough to be reconfigured. Cobalt’s AMS system and seasoned implementation team helped us to achieve our goals. Cobalt’s team truly understood our unique requirements and delivered a solution that enhanced our internal efficiency and gave us the confidence to adapt to our changing landscape. The integration with tools like ClickDimensions, Cvent, and our website has made our operations more efficient and the Microsoft Dynamics 365 engine inside our new AMS has opened up so many new possibilities for us. We couldn’t be more pleased with the results.
Valarie Carty, Managing Director, Membership, Programs & Council Services, National School Boards AssociationClient Overview
The National School Boards Association (NSBA) is a not-for-profit organization that represents state school board associations and their member districts across the United States. With a mission to equip school board members with resources to advocate for each student in each community, in partnership with our members, NSBA works to advance educational opportunities for students nationwide. The association provides a variety of resources, including advocacy, training, and professional development to help school boards navigate the ever-changing landscape of K-12 education.
The Challenge
NSBA had been using their previous Association Management System (AMS) for about ten years. Over time, as the organization adapted to shifts in the education sector, their needs changed as well. They needed a system that offered more flexibility and customization capabilities to support its evolving requirements.
They needed a more seamless integration with additional critical tools i.e. ClickDimensions, Braintree, Higher Logic, Cvent, and Zoom. NSBA explored three possible paths: a complete overhaul with their existing vendor, a switch to Cobalt and Microsoft Dynamics 365, or transitioning to a custom Salesforce solution.
The Approach
To address NSBA’s needs, Cobalt implemented Engagement Dynamics, a highly flexible and customizable AMS built on Dynamics 365. This solution was designed to be adaptable, allowing NSBA to modify and extend its features to align with their strategic priorities. The fact that Cobalt’s platform offered out of the box connectivity was a huge advantage for their implementation with existing systems. While Engagement Dynamics fit their requirements well in its standard form, we made some minor customizations to enhance their event management processes.
Cobalt’s team of experienced developers ensured that all required integrations were set up, either through existing connectors or custom development, delivering a seamless connection between Dynamics 365 and all the third-party tools in their association’s tech stack. These integrations allowed NSBA to manage their operations efficiently while keeping their diverse systems in sync.
Insights & Results
By partnering with Cobalt, NSBA was able to overhaul their existing manual membership processes and significantly streamline their operations. The flexibility and customization of Engagement Dynamics empowered them to simplify tasks such as membership management, dues generations, and renewals invoicing. Additionally, the flexibility of Engagement Dynamics enabled NSBA to make data-driven decisions that align with their organizational goals. They gained a scalable system with the capacity to support changing business needs. In addition to scalability, the system smoothly connects with other business applications and has the capacity to easily adjust to market trends and customer interactions.
NSBA feels confident in their ability to adapt and pivot as the landscape of public education continues to change, knowing their AMS can meet our current needs, as well as the ability to accommodate new strategies and support future growth. The software and all its updated integrations with other tools has reduced stress and time losses for their team so they can be more focused on their mission as advocates for quality education.
