Community Part II: An Innovation United Recap

Missed part 1? Catch up on it below!

Community. More than Just a Word

Just about a month ago, we said goodbye to 200 ascend users as we closed Innovation United, our second in-person ascend user group meeting.  It was everything we’d hoped it would be – and more.  Our users shared valuable information, asked questions and gave tips and tricks, all to make ascend and our community stronger.  We reconnected with people we hadn’t seen in person in a while, and met new users from all the institutions attending.  There was bingo, Jeopardy! and tons of prizes given by our amazing partners. Sessions, panel discussions, and roundtables were all well attended, but I also saw a lot of side meetings and conversations going on.  There was even an impromptu meeting to help a client with an ongoing issue!

Users and ascend staff mixed and mingled during sessions, meals and after dinner festivities:  accessibility to staff is something I appreciate the most about our company.  How many times have you gone to a user meeting and the vendor staff are up on stage but nowhere else?  Not at Innovation United.  We love talking with our users – we take all feedback as helpful.  We are committed to transparency, and that means encouraging all discussions; how we respond is what matters, and we respond to all feedback with sincerity and grace.

The camaraderie between ascend users was palpable.  Let’s face it – one of the wonderful things about our industry is the willingness to share our experiences and knowledge with others.  This was evident throughout Innovation United.  I overheard discussions about ascend (naturally!), best/better practices, analytics – you name it, it was discussed!  I also heard discussions about family, vacations and all manner of personal topics, which just lends to the amazing community we have.

As our client community grows, the importance of these user group meetings grows.  Making connections with others in the community, in various stages of the implementation lifecycle is critical.  In addition to our annual in-person meeting, we have many other opportunities to learn from each other.  We have a mid-year virtual meeting, along with Campfire chats (user led discussions on specific topics), ascend-specific webinars highlighting new functionality, and plans for other smaller meetings.  Our ascend community is second to none.

If you’re in the market for a new CRM, wouldn’t you want to be able to reach out to your colleagues across the country, and actually across the world, to ask questions?  Wouldn’t you want a group of aspirational institutions along with your peer institutions side by side in your CRM journey?  If ascend ends up being your new CRM, aren’t you comforted knowing that you are part of a growing community where you can lean on others for advice and insight?  A custom solution might seem attractive, but in addition to the tremendous cost, a solution which you need to build out leaves you on your own island, with no one else to reach out for help and consultation.  And, the vendor of a custom solution likely can’t help you either – simply because you’ve made that system your own.  

Would you like to learn more about the ascend user community or the ascend platform?  Contact us for more information and a demo!

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Caroline Chang

As the Vice President of Product Evangelism at Kindsight, Caroline Chang is an advancement services expert, with over 30 years of experience in the higher education industry and non-profit fundraising.