Who says membership management can’t be fun? As a company, Wild
Apricot believes in making the web as easy and fun as possible — so
when it came time to launch Version 3.0, a major upgrade to its website and membership management software for associations and non-profits, the company wanted to find a fun way to present the upgraded features.
“This
is version 3.0 of the software, and our tagline is Member Management
Magic. And I just kept thinking back to my childhood,” recalls Jay Moonah, VP of Marketing and resident
‘Noisy Apricot’. In particular, he kept remembering a song and video called “Three is a Magic Number,” part of the
Schoolhouse Rock! series of educational animated shorts that aired in
the U.S. and Canada during the 1970s and ’80s.
Moonah, who moonlights
as a musician and songwriter, created a parody version of the song and the Wild Apricot team
created a YouTube video — “Version Three, It’s a Magic Upgrade”.
“The lyrics and images explain the new
features of Version 3.0, including our improved contact record system
and web design templates,” explains Dmitry Buterin, CEO and Chief
Apricot. “Naturally we have the traditional help pages and e-mail
notifications for our customers, but the song and video will also give
them a sense of the features, and hopefully give them a smile at the
same time.”
Introducing Wild Apricot v.3.0 : Member Management Magic
Wild
Apricot is web-based software-as-a-service designed for associations,
clubs, and charities and non-profit organizations. Version 3.0 includes two significant changes engineered to improve the customer experience:
1. An overhaul of the website design options — including a wizard to guide new users in creating and customizing a professional-looking website; and
2. New contact database functionality, which gives customers the ability to track all interactions (aka CRM) — whether they are prospective donors, members, event guests or other stakeholders.
“I’d obviously love for people to sign-up and try
our software,” says Jay Moonah, “but if someone sees our video and gets
a laugh, and perhaps a warm memory of a great old cartoon they loved as
a kid, I think that’s great too.”