About Oklahoma Agricultural Cooperative Council (OACC): OACC is a member-supported association advocating for agricultural cooperatives and their producer members across Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas and Arkansas. Their primary focus is legislative advocacy, federal policy work, education, and business consulting for their members, which include farmer-owned cooperatives and agribusinesses.

We Spoke To: RJ Gray, who spearheads the organization as President and CEO.

The Challenge: Inefficient Member Communication During Crucial Events

OACC ran into challenges when trying to keep members up-to-date during events, including:

• Excessive Paper Usage: The association was pouring time and money into preparing physical information packets to share with attendees up until events began and after the events began.
• Difficulty with Real-Time Updates: Making last-minute changes to printed event schedules, speaker materials, and other essential event materials was cumbersome and inefficient. This became a persistent problem, as small changes were always to be expected.

“It was hard to communicate effectively. Everyone was confused,” Gray explained.

The Solution: A MobileUp App

OACC implemented both the event app and the year-round member app, which includes support for unlimited events and member content aggregation and engagement functionality.

Choosing MobileUp: Knowing a mobile app could rectify these problems, OACC initially tried an app offering from their association management software (AMS). “But after eventually switching to MobileUp years ago, I don’t know that I would ever switch back,” Gray asserts.

Onboarding and Support: Gray described the onboarding process as “first class,” saying it was comforting to know that “if [he] ever has a question, they’re very responsive. And extremely proactive in asking if we need help with the app. Much of the work we’d ordinarily have to do ourselves, they’re doing for us,” he mentions. For example, when they switched their AMS, MobileUp helped them ensure everything was imported into the app properly during the switch. 

Ease of Use: Even through staff changes at OACC, during which new employees would have to learn the ins and outs of the app, it remained easy to manage. MobileUp provided additional training when needed, ensuring a seamless transition between team members.

Key Features Utilized:

• Live In-App Updates: Ability to send real-time updates during events with push notifications and the news feed system.
• Digital Resource Hub: Consolidation of event information and industry resources in one place.
• Event Registration: An integration with their AMS allows members to register for events directly through the app.
• Year-Round Content Sharing and Communication: Members could connect through the app long after the close of events.

The Impact of Having a MobileUp App

Enhanced Event Management: The app significantly improved OACC’s ability to manage event communication, allowing real-time updates and reducing confusion among attendees.
Reduced Paper Usage: The shift to digital information sharing led to substantial cost savings in the realm of printing.
Improved Member Communication: The app opened a new channel for reaching members, both during and after events.

OACC’s Message to Others Considering a MobileUp App: 

“The app opens a doorway. One of the things I look for in software is how many birds I can kill with one stone. Having an app lets you communicate with your members, push pertinent information, and makes the event process really easy. It’s a pocket resource where you can put industry [assets]. You don’t need to go to 15 different places to send one message out.”

OACC’s experience with MobileUp demonstrates how a mobile app can eliminate event management and member communication pain points for associations. By addressing these issues, MobileUp has helped OACC enhance its year-round member engagement and event experience.

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