Service
Technology Strategy


Client Profile
The College Art Association (CAA), a learned society with approximately 14,500 individual and 2,000 institutional members, provides professional services and resources to artists, art historians and students of the visual arts. Founded in 1911 and based in NYC, CAA’s membership comprises art historians, practicing artists, and visual arts specialists from colleges and universities (largely graduate-level art and art history departments), art museums, and independent art schools throughout the U.S. and in many foreign countries.


Needs
CAA was using an outdated and disconnected set of systems that was limiting its efficiency and preventing it from fully realizing its mission and organizational goals; system problems and user challenges were having a negative effect on staff productivity.


Solution
Through a series of interviews with management and staff, BMM conducted an analysis of the systems in use at CAA focusing on its overall usability, its ability to meet the needs of staff and membership, and its level of integration. BMM then developed a comprehensive technology strategy addressing the weaknesses identified, which provided a detailed, prioritized course of action designed to bring the state of technology at CAA in line with its organizational strategies. Following a formal presentation of this technology strategy to the Board of Directors, BMM coordinated an RFP process to select a vendor product which would serve as the proposed architecture’s central component. The technology strategy document was also used as a supplement for a technology-based grant proposal which resulted in funding for a major project.


Benefits
Provided a detailed strategy and systems architecture designed to optimally align the use of technology with CAA’s strategic goals, which included capabilities to:

• Augment and enhance services to members,
• Create new revenue streams and strengthen existing revenue streams,
• Optimize the efficiency of operations, and
• Provide a robust framework for collecting and disseminating field-related data.

Client Response
“BMM had an immediate and intuitive understanding of CAA and its needs right from the start and was able to focus on technological solutions that were appropriate for our very specialized needs. BMM’s thoughtful and intelligent counsel has aided CAA in formulating strategies that have led to important changes in our management systems and in our way of servicing our constituents.”
–Michael Fahlund, Deputy Director