Working with NWPPA

Founded in 1940, the Northwest Public Power Association (NWPPA) is an international trade association of more than 150 public utility and electric cooperative members that serve approximately 5 million consumers and employ some 20,000 people in the Western United States and Canada.  NWPPA is dedicated to serving the interests of its members and the millions of electric customers they serve. Its mission is to enhance the success of its members through education, training, public information, governmental relations and value added services.  NWPPA also serves the sales and networking needs of over 269 Associate Members across North America.

After years of managing thousands of member records on multiple databases, NWPPA recognized the need for powerful association management software (AMS) that would help increase the overall operational efficiency of its organization. “We had constructed 27 different databases of information that were in need of being constantly updated and frequently maintained,” states NWPPA’s Deputy Executive Director, Bryan Case. “With such a large flow of data, this process became nearly unmanageable. We required a new, less complicated process that would not only allow us to better communicate with our members, but also siphon all of our member information into one centralized database. After an extensive proposal process that included 15 different vendors, Euclid’s ClearVantage easily came out on top.”

In selecting a new AMS, NWPPA placed a significant amount of importance on a vendor’s commitment to customer service. “One of the biggest things that set Euclid apart from its competitors,” explained Mr. Case, “was its attention to detail and dedication to getting the job done right from the very beginning. From giving quick and customized responses during the proposal process to offering outstanding support for any and all questions that we have had since going live in 2005, Euclid’s overall professionalism and concern for our company’s needs have given us healthier operations and fostered a productive partnership between Euclid and NWPPA.”
As an organization that hosts 150 educational and training opportunities each year, NWPPA is realizing some of the greatest return on its investment with ClearVantage’s event management tools and its seamless integration with the company’s website. “Setting up events, marketing them, and being able to track member subscriptions in real-time – all have increased our staff efficiency tremendously,” continued Mr. Case. “Not only does ClearVantage allow us to completely customize our event setup and registration process, but it also gives us the flexibility to create event templates to use over and over again—it literally takes us five minutes to set up a new event and post it to the web. In fact, since going live with Euclid at the end of 2005, we have experienced a 22% increase in associate members (who provide products to our utility members) and a 38% increase in overall event attendance. We credit this success to ClearVantage’s ability to streamline how we manage information and our ability to more effectively market our events to our members.”

According to Mr. Case, his organization is now able to track members’ participation in various training programs, the committees they have joined, and the awards/certifications they have received. “This is particularly useful when marketing comes into play,” Mr. Case continued. “With ClearVantage, we can be selective about who receives what information based on specific criteria. This way, we no longer have to blast all of our members with marketing material that may only be suited for a particular group of individuals.”

“NWPPA’s success is a real testament to what can be achieved when great organizations work together,” notes Euclid’s CEO Charles Vinal.  “This partnership further demonstrates that the Euclid way of doing business – that is, listening to our clients, working hard to understand their vision, delivering great software, and backing it up with a highly experienced and friendly staff – all of which results in unsurpassed return on investment for Euclid’s clients. I am thrilled that Euclid could help NWPPA realize its vision and look forward to serving NWPPA for many years to come.”