The North Carolina Association of CPAs
Makes the Leap to a Contemporary AMS
The North Carolina Association of CPAs was ready to move from a complex legacy association management system to a more nimble, contemporary platform. They engaged .orgSource to support this initiative. .orgSource President and Managing Director of Digital Strategy Kevin Ordonez and Consultant Merideth Menken were assigned to the project.
Overview
For a century now, NCACPA’s primary focus has been providing superior member service. With guidance from the NCACPA Board of Directors, resource and networking groups, and an established strategic plan, the organization continues to successfully serve the accounting profession and community.
To fulfill its mission -- enhancing the accounting profession and the community it serves through advocacy, connections, education, and resources – 30-plus resource and networking groups, task forces, and advisory groups regularly interact with the North Carolina State Board of CPA Examiners, North Carolina General Assembly, American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Financial Accounting Standards Board, Internal Revenue Service, and other regulators who shape state and national accounting standards.
The challenge
The Association fulfills a critical role for CPAs. In addition to advocating for the accounting profession and business community, they are the recognized continuing education providers for the certified public accountants in their states. Members depend on receiving timely educational opportunities to fulfill their licensing requirements.
To keep their members’ credentials up to date, NCACPA needed to schedule the transition of technology activities around a preset professional development calendar. In addition, preparations for a major conference were underway. Conference registrations would be collected in the legacy system. The new system would be brought online, and prior registrations would be uploaded immediately following the event.
.orgSource consultants served as trusted advisors and facilitators who oversaw the project. In our role as coaches, .orgSource ensured that the team was synchronized, the process was clearly defined, and the work proceeded smoothly from one phase to the next. The vendor and the association staff were responsible for implementing the hands-on tasks.
The Solution
The first goal was to confirm that the choice of AMS provider would meet the needs of the NCACPA community and have the capacity to grow with them. Once all stakeholders were confident in that decision, the .orgSource team began meeting regularly with the implementation groups.
Consultants carefully monitored progress to ensure that the challenging timeline would be met. They also oversaw platform integrations with the website, learning management system, and the online community that were key to member satisfaction.
.orgSource provided oversight to keep the AMS in constant communication with the education platform and the online CPA community. Because the work was occurring during tax season, the community was an important source for information sharing and knowledge. We were gratified to help NCACPA maintain those critical connections as the integrations with the new system were completed.
Throughout the process, .orgSource consultants evaluated progress against our experience to ensure that each phase was fully executed, and nothing was overlooked or omitted. When gaps were identified, we guided the problem-solving initiatives, keeping the teams focused and moving forward.
The Results
It was a pleasure to work with these motivated association professionals. They set high expectations for themselves and performed at 110 percent to reach their goals.
Consultant Merideth Menken made this observation: “NCACPA’s experience is proof that when the team is committed to success and you have adequate resources, an aggressive timeline and ambitious goals are achievable. On the other hand, it is never too early to start planning your next move. Don’t hesitate to seek additional expertise. Leading these transformations is an awesome opportunity for consultants to bring their experience to the task. We enjoy having a hand in your success, and your accomplishments make our jobs meaningful.”
