Technology Committee

Team:

First and foremost I appreciate all the hard work and dedication the technology committee is putting forward to help our community grow and become more efficient.  When we met at the Board Retreat I expressed my interest in and support of technological advancement, streamlining of operations, and lowering the TCO of our systems.  In that regard I also expressed the desire to treat 90 Minds as we would one of our customers and recommend a holistic approach to digital transformation. I trust the committee to make the right decisions and the objective of this post is to discuss the priorities and selection criteria at a leadership level. 

I met with Anne for our weekly communication and she demonstrated the Circle platform and I showed her what I have done with Buddy Boss for the SAPB1 Community.  We currently spend a lot of money on Higher Logic and the platform itself is not the most modern creating a higher investment in time than a system with workflows and automations for Anne.  More importantly, Higher Logics limited search capabilities results in wasted time for our members looking for answers to their questions.  Given that change is disruptive there needs to be documented reason/benefits for change.  Our community will demand preservation of existing discussions, resource library and other assets currently housed inside Higher Login as well as documents in the Google Drive.  A recommendation to change should also have a transition and implementation plan that recognizes the costs of outside help and the efforts required from our committee and or members.   The plan should recognize that we are a volunteer organization that has limited time and why we recommend that Rome should or should not be built in a day.

We also have other technology and system needs which should be prioritized and related costs which should be evaluated in conjunction with a holistic transformation journey.   Some include:

• Re-implementation or replacement of QuickBooks.   The amount of time wasted by the Executive Director (billing, payables, etc.) and Treasurer (limited reporting resulting in spreadsheets for basic system functions has been identified as an issue for years!
• CRM- With growth and member communication as strategic capabilities, having basic CRM capabilities has also been on the hit list for years.   This could be a part of the member management system, ERP or stand alone.  I use Groundhogg inside of WordPress for less than $500 per year.  This does not have to be expensive to meet our currently loosely defined requirements, but needs to be on the list.
• Document Management - Anyone who works in our Google drive knows that we need a defined and documented structure so people know what goes where and where to find the information they are looking for.  
• Other? - Credit Card processing for example.   With all the payments companies in our community how we bill and collect for MOTM, membership and sponsorships could be much more effective, cost efficient and less annoying for our members.

My point here is that, as in most circumstances, we have arrived where we are over time, and nobody planned for us to be in the position we find ourselves.  As a board, we have been focused on improving our organization and becoming more transparent in our operations.  We have the opportunity to plan our future and I will support any thought our plan you come up with that uses the consultative approach we use with our customers.

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Gary Feldman
Principal
I-Business Network
Marietta GA
16786270646
http://www-i-bn.net
------------------------------

If I had to list my interpretation of the Committee's current priorities, I would say they are:

1. Keeping the lights on
2. Delighting membership
3. Streamlining operations

If I'm off the mark or anyone disagrees, I'm happy to discuss below or at a future meeting.

From every survey result that I've seen, Higher Logic is failing #2 above, so our current focus to evaluating alternatives to Higher Logic and planning possible exit strategies. The items mentioned above (QB, CRM, etc) would fall under #3 to me as they impact few people and don't translate into growing membership count or engagement. That being said, I agree that we must strongly weigh how they would interact and integrate with other platforms as part of our current research (hence the payment processing questions to Circle resulting in next week's follow-up meeting). Since we are all volunteers, I don't think it's wise to split our focus across multiple items that each have long-term impacts, especially knowing that we must decide the fate of Higher Logic by this spring. 

I'm not sure if I fully answered your questions or concerns, so please let me know.

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Steve Iwanowski, NextStep Technology Advisors, aka DSD Lancaster PA ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
------------------------------

Thank you everyone for the thoughtful discussion and for the work you're putting in on behalf of 90! It will take all of us to make these decisions together, and I truly appreciate the support and input.

I agree with the priorities as laid out - to me, it's always members first, and I believe that if we get that right, many of our operational challenges will improve in the process. At the same time, I continue my own due diligence as part of my responsibilities so that we can make informed decisions at the leadership level.

This is our opportunity to level up - not only to improve member experience and engagement but also to streamline operations and lower the total cost of ownership of our systems. I'm confident that with the committee's expertise and the board's support, we'll chart the right path forward together.  Thanks again to everyone for being part of this important process.

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Anne Sawyer
Executive Director
90 Minds Inc.
Sunset Beach CA
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Original Message:
Sent: 10-01-2025 13:13
From: Steve Iwanowski
Subject: Framework for Technology Investments

If I had to list my interpretation of the Committee's current priorities, I would say they are:

1. Keeping the lights on
2. Delighting membership
3. Streamlining operations

If I'm off the mark or anyone disagrees, I'm happy to discuss below or at a future meeting.

From every survey result that I've seen, Higher Logic is failing #2 above, so our current focus to evaluating alternatives to Higher Logic and planning possible exit strategies. The items mentioned above (QB, CRM, etc) would fall under #3 to me as they impact few people and don't translate into growing membership count or engagement. That being said, I agree that we must strongly weigh how they would interact and integrate with other platforms as part of our current research (hence the payment processing questions to Circle resulting in next week's follow-up meeting). Since we are all volunteers, I don't think it's wise to split our focus across multiple items that each have long-term impacts, especially knowing that we must decide the fate of Higher Logic by this spring. 

I'm not sure if I fully answered your questions or concerns, so please let me know.

------------------------------
Steve Iwanowski, NextStep Technology Advisors, aka DSD Lancaster PA ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
------------------------------

I think you nailed it Todd!  Depending upon the platform, our Member Management System could be the equivalent of our ERP.  In that regard it is the digital platform on which other platforms are expected to be compatible with.   For example, if we maintain our official record of membership within that system, does it do the billing?  If not, does it provide the information for billing to the financial software?  If not, is it the right system?

The base premise is plan the work and then work the plan.  If the pieces don't fit then do we keep on with a replacement cycle?  If so spend less and make them throw away.  Either way, have a conscious plan that makes sense and we feel comfortable standing in front of the membership at MOTM and explaining why we are doing what we are doing.

------------------------------
Gary Feldman
Principal
I-Business Network
Marietta GA
16786270646
http://www-i-bn.net
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 10-01-2025 19:43
From: Todd Martin
Subject: Framework for Technology Investments

Gary,

The post took me a little bit to figure out what the ask was. Would you say that this is what you are looking for?

 

1. Priorities & Criteria Discussion – You want the committee to define and recommend what technology areas should come first (e.g., community platform, QuickBooks replacement, CRM, document management, payment processing).
2. Recommendation on Higher Logic Replacement – If the committee thinks moving away from Higher Logic makes sense, you want a documented case for change that shows benefits, reasons, and impacts.
3. Transition & Implementation Plan – If recommending change (e.g., new platform), provide a plan for migration, including:
• preserving past discussions/resources
• cost estimates (outside help + internal effort)
• realistic timing (acknowledging limited volunteer capacity)
4. Holistic Transformation Plan – Instead of one-off fixes, you want a bigger-picture roadmap that:
• evaluates systems together (community platform, CRM, QuickBooks, document management, payments)
• balances cost, efficiency, and volunteer effort
• treats 90 Minds like a customer engagement
5. Leadership-Level Input – You expect the response to be more than a technical solution-framed like a consultative, strategic plan with clear reasoning and alignment with organizational goals.

 

So, to sum it up, you are asking the committee to come back with a prioritized, consultative plan (not just tool suggestions), including a business case for any platform change, a transition plan, cost/effort estimates, and a roadmap for other tech needs.

 

Let me know if this isn't what you're asking. If it is, we are still trying to get a list of what we are looking for and what we want to look at. We are figuring out what is the must haves, likes, and would be nice to compare across all the options we can find. I would think most the results that you want would be much further down the road as we go through this process. Except for #1 which Steve has listed what we are currently looking for as our priorities. If we look at platform, QuickBooks replacement, CRM, etc., some of these may exist under the platform and some may need to be or should be separate and is part of our process of figuring out the wants, likes and needs. Please correct me Steve or Anne if I am wrong.

 

My intent on this reply is to make sure it was clearly communicated what it was you were looking for. I read your post multiple times and found it hard to see the specific "asks" that you had. I admit, I had to ask AI to help me.

 

 

 

Todd Martin Empowering our clients to successfully manage and control their business    President   6100 Lake Forrest Drive, Suite 520 Atlanta, Georgia 30328-3837 Main: 678-495-5700 • DiD: 678-495-5712 Support: 770-399-8021 • Fax: 770-399-5772     ToddMartin@mbabsi.com/bookings/">Book time on my calendar!

 

 

It's almost like we're trying to put strategy in front of tactics.

------------------------------
Robert Wood
DDF Consulting Group
Ocala FL
(352) 615-5898
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 10-03-2025 14:20
From: Gary Feldman
Subject: Framework for Technology Investments

I think you nailed it Todd!  Depending upon the platform, our Member Management System could be the equivalent of our ERP.  In that regard it is the digital platform on which other platforms are expected to be compatible with.   For example, if we maintain our official record of membership within that system, does it do the billing?  If not, does it provide the information for billing to the financial software?  If not, is it the right system?

The base premise is plan the work and then work the plan.  If the pieces don't fit then do we keep on with a replacement cycle?  If so spend less and make them throw away.  Either way, have a conscious plan that makes sense and we feel comfortable standing in front of the membership at MOTM and explaining why we are doing what we are doing.

------------------------------
Gary Feldman
Principal
I-Business Network
Marietta GA
16786270646
http://www-i-bn.net
------------------------------


Original Message:
Sent: 10-01-2025 19:43
From: Todd Martin
Subject: Framework for Technology Investments

Gary,

The post took me a little bit to figure out what the ask was. Would you say that this is what you are looking for?

 

1. Priorities & Criteria Discussion – You want the committee to define and recommend what technology areas should come first (e.g., community platform, QuickBooks replacement, CRM, document management, payment processing).
2. Recommendation on Higher Logic Replacement – If the committee thinks moving away from Higher Logic makes sense, you want a documented case for change that shows benefits, reasons, and impacts.
3. Transition & Implementation Plan – If recommending change (e.g., new platform), provide a plan for migration, including:
• preserving past discussions/resources
• cost estimates (outside help + internal effort)
• realistic timing (acknowledging limited volunteer capacity)
4. Holistic Transformation Plan – Instead of one-off fixes, you want a bigger-picture roadmap that:
• evaluates systems together (community platform, CRM, QuickBooks, document management, payments)
• balances cost, efficiency, and volunteer effort
• treats 90 Minds like a customer engagement
5. Leadership-Level Input – You expect the response to be more than a technical solution-framed like a consultative, strategic plan with clear reasoning and alignment with organizational goals.

 

So, to sum it up, you are asking the committee to come back with a prioritized, consultative plan (not just tool suggestions), including a business case for any platform change, a transition plan, cost/effort estimates, and a roadmap for other tech needs.

 

Let me know if this isn't what you're asking. If it is, we are still trying to get a list of what we are looking for and what we want to look at. We are figuring out what is the must haves, likes, and would be nice to compare across all the options we can find. I would think most the results that you want would be much further down the road as we go through this process. Except for #1 which Steve has listed what we are currently looking for as our priorities. If we look at platform, QuickBooks replacement, CRM, etc., some of these may exist under the platform and some may need to be or should be separate and is part of our process of figuring out the wants, likes and needs. Please correct me Steve or Anne if I am wrong.

 

My intent on this reply is to make sure it was clearly communicated what it was you were looking for. I read your post multiple times and found it hard to see the specific "asks" that you had. I admit, I had to ask AI to help me.

 

 

 

Todd Martin Empowering our clients to successfully manage and control their business    President   6100 Lake Forrest Drive, Suite 520 Atlanta, Georgia 30328-3837 Main: 678-495-5700 • DiD: 678-495-5712 Support: 770-399-8021 • Fax: 770-399-5772     ToddMartin@mbabsi.com/bookings/">Book time on my calendar!