Society for Science

Reducing Organizational Silos to Expand Capabilities in Microsoft

Society for Science, a nonprofit organization best known for it’s award-winning science journalism, world-class STEM research competitions and suite of outreach and equity programs, faced significant challenges with siloed data and manual processes across its systems.

The transition to Microsoft Dynamics 365 represents a tremendous moment for the Society that is many years in the making. It represents the foundation of new opportunities for the Society team to collaborate with each other, better understand our data and continue on a trajectory of growth as we enter into the second century of our work.

Rachel Goldman Alper

Chief Operating Officer, Society for Science

Challenge: Disconnected systems and security vulnerabilities

The Society for Science operated with a decentralized approach, with each department handling its own systems and processes. Disconnected systems caused data repetition, manual work, and security issues from sharing data through spreadsheets. The organization had close to a million records, but the true number could have been as high as 1.5 million due to duplication. The manual processes were time-consuming and increased the risk of data being overwritten or lost.

Moreover, many of the organization’s processes were manual, including mass market fundraising outreach and communications about educational programming. Because these systems were disparate, it was difficult to avoid overwhelming contacts with requests from different departments. And the manual approach resulted in delays that affected customer experience.

Solution: Data consolidation and Power Apps power-ups

After evaluating various options, Society for Science chose to implement Microsoft Dynamics 365 and other Microsoft tools, such as Customer Insights and Power Automate. Heller Consulting was brought in to manage the implementation of Customer Insights and help improve the out-of-the-box fundraising and engagement capabilities. The solution consolidated data from multiple systems. Custom application systems were also integrated into the new platform. The organization leveraged Power Automate to replicate a custom-built RSS solution for feeding website content into newsletters.

Result: Streamlined renewal, increased response rate

The implementation of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Insights and other tools has significantly improved Society for Science’s communication operations. The consolidation of data has enabled better segmentation, personalization, and compliance with opt-out requests. The automation of manual processes, such as the Science News Learning Program renewal process, has reduced staff time and improved the user experience. The renewal process has been streamlined from 6-7 clicks to just 2 clicks for end-users, resulting in faster and higher renewal rates. Survey responses have increased from 1,190 to over 1,800 in the current cycle with the use of Dynamics 365 Customer Voice.

The organization now has better insights into constituent interactions across different programs and roles, enabling data-driven decision-making. Overall, the solution has saved staff time, increased efficiency, and provided better flexibility for departments to work together more effectively.

Now we have more insight into what’s going on and what data is being collected. Everybody is more comfortable with accessing data and looking things up, which saves time throughout the day. Long term, I think it will also provide the Society with better flexibility to work on large cross-departmental projects together.

Pratham Patkar

Director of Business Systems, Society for Science

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