The Society of Wetland Scientists (SWS) has officially launched its new membership database and online community platform, powered by YourMembership (YM). This modernization effort represents a major leap forward in improving the member experience, simplifying operations and giving volunteer leaders better tools to engage the SWS community. 

The project was led by Sara Wilkinson, from MCI USA’s Association Solutions operations team, who oversaw the transition from initial concept through implementation. Working closely with the SWS secretary-general, the membership committee and staff, Sara guided the process with a clear focus on elevating the member-driven experience.

“The priority for leadership was a more member-driven experience,” Sara explains. She emphasized the need for “a frictionless renewal process, better tools for volunteer leaders to manage their special interest areas and a reorganization of content to elevate the variety of resources available to SWS members.”

A fast, high-quality turnaround 

After an extensive review of options, which included several working sessions with key leaders, the SWS board approved the transition to YM in late summer 2025, leaving only a few months to launch the new database in time for 2026 renewals.  

“We did the entire data conversion and cleanup in seven weeks, and then I spent about five weeks migrating and auditing content,” Sara said. “There was a lot of out-of-date material to freshen up, and I used our MCI Copilot AI tools to help with a lot of the HTML code for custom design elements.” 

SWS Chief Staff Executive Erin Berggren noted the skill and leadership required to deliver such a comprehensive transition on a tight timeline. 

“The job Sara did on this project was truly excellent,” Erin shared. “She scouted possible association management system (AMS) fits for SWS, based on needs-based conversations with the SWS leadership, and presented a thoughtful and comprehensive list of options that considered function as well as cost. From there, she developed a project plan for executing the transition, all the while keeping leadership informed with weekly update reports … I think Sara handled this part of the project exceptionally well, to say nothing of her utmost competence when it comes to working with the data.” 

 Strong adoption on day one 

The new SWS.org officially launched Monday, Nov. 11, and early engagement showed immediate success: 

  • Over 50% open rate for the launch email within 48 hours, which is exceptionally strong for this type of rollout. 
  • More than 430 members (16% of total membership) logged in, updated profiles and began using the new community features after just one update message. 
  • Event and dues revenue were processed on day one, signaling fast adoption and ease of use. 

 “The [new] renewal prompt is working … this is very exciting and offers a lot of new options for us,” confirmed Secretary-General Kai Rains. 

Better tools for members, leaders and staff 

Because SWS has 18 membership levels and 36 special interest group spaces, one of Sara’s top priorities was reducing administrative complexity for both members and MCI USA staff.

“The renewal automations, member-created invoicing and tools to self-manage groups are going to be a huge improvement for both members and staff,” she said. 

To support the launch, 75 group leaders were invited to live demonstrations. Early participants expressed enthusiasm for new capabilities such as real-time reporting, customizable group spaces and file libraries.

“Previously, a committee chair would have to go through the main office to pull data for them on request,” Sara noted. “Now they can just say ‘make me a report that tells me X, Y and Z,’ and we can add it to their admin tools, where they can run it in real time with one click whenever they’d like.” 

A meaningful milestone 

Sara, who has been part of Association Solutions since 2018 and operations for five of those years, reflected on what this project meant to her: “This is the first time I’ve been able to shepherd a project from start to finish, and it has been incredibly gratifying to complete something so vital to a membership organization’s mission.” 

The SWS launch not only strengthens the member experience, but it also showcases the impact and expertise of MCI USA’s operations team in delivering transformative solutions for associations.