Working with the Colorado Bar Association

The Colorado Bar Association (CBA), located in Denver, represents tens of thousands of members and provides numerous services and benefits to its attorney-members, including continuing legal education courses, legal clinics, up-to-date court decisions, legal research, legislative updates, articles, publications and more.  CBA is an umbrella organization that also includes the Denver Bar Association (DBA) and Continuing Legal Education (CLE), all of whom operate semi-independently of each other.

CBA was looking for an association management software package that would streamline its internal work processes across multiple organizations and allow it to fully leverage technology to better serve and grow its membership base. 

A top priority for CBA was to find an integrated solution that provided true electronic commerce to its members. CBA's existing website contained helpful information, but it was not integrated with its legacy database system, so visitors were unable to sign up and renew their memberships, enroll in courses, purchase products or pay their dues. Furthermore, any functionality provided by the website required duplicative effort by CBA staff, such as re-keying information requests submitted via email into the database system.

Another challenge for CBA was to find software that would be flexible enough to accommodate a complex billing system that had many different levels and categories of membership. Tracking the committees, sections and general interests of each individual member also proved to be difficult and time-consuming.

With Euclid, CBA found a partner able to meet the challenges of its unique organizational structure and needs with a powerful integrated software application, entitled ClearVantage, that combines comprehensive enterprise management features and electronic commerce capabilities specifically designed for member-based organizations.

As it does with each client, Euclid entered into a project partnership with CBA that utilized Euclid's SystemOne implementation methodology to analyze CBA's organizational challenges and opportunities and redesign CBA's business processes to meet its objectives. Euclid then tailored its ClearVantage software to meet CBA's unique needs.

Today, thanks to ClearVantage, CBA has the ability to process and track its many levels of membership dues with just a few mouse clicks. Its powerful billing capabilities automatically adjusts appropriate member dues' levels based on numerous factors (such as number of years of membership, graduation date, birth date, and bar admission date); offers the option of billing individuals or organizations; and makes it easy to pay bills online (or in whichever way members prefer), among other features.

ClearVantage's precision marketing tools also make it easy for CBA to identify members with particular interests and legal specialties and then communicate with those members about upcoming courses (that could fulfill a member's continuing legal education requirements), new products and updated legislative information most applicable to them.

By completely integrating ClearVantage with CBA's website, Euclid added another level of service and convenience for CBA members, while also making it easier for CBA to administer its website. Web users now have a way to "serve themselves." Upon logging into password-protected areas, members can now renew their memberships, pay their dues, edit their own profiles, research relevant legal issues, receive legislative updates, and sign up for legal sections. Web visitors can also register for educational seminars, purchase products, and borrow books from CBA's lending library - all in real time. Members are delighted with the new online features, and CBA now has a powerful marketing vehicle to capture up-to-the-minute information about current and prospective members.

CBA has always been a leader among state bars in recognizing the importance of technology. Euclid's ClearVantage software and implementation approach allowed CBA to leverage the latest technology and business practices to meet its challenges and further its organizational goals.