Modern Woodmen of America: Increasing Member Engagement and Cost Savings with One Call Now

Modern Woodmen has a rich history of serving communities nationwide. While a focus is to help members plan for financial security, their mission is much greater. Each member is assigned to a local Modern Woodmen chapter, which holds events that make a difference where members live, work and play. Chapter leaders regularly send out invitations to member events, including:

• Community gatherings and social events.
• Educational activities.
• Volunteer-based service projects.
• Charitable fundraising.
• Local hero celebrations.

As the Fraternal Service and Programs Manager for Modern Woodmen, Kristen Roberts is responsible for servicing the leaders of more than 3,000 member chapters and youth service clubs around the country. Her area takes on the responsibility of program and service delivery. This includes supporting chapter leaders in bringing members together for events.

Previously, their main engagement strategy was mailing printed postcards to notify members of upcoming events and activities. Over the years, this became costly and limiting. Real-time updates weren’t possible with mailed postcards, sending additional postcards as reminders wasn’t cost- effective, and many members were no longer interested in receiving physical cards.

Modern Woodmen had to overcome two challenges: increase engagement with members spanning multiple generations and locations with differing communication preferences and modernize their communications strategy while saving on printing costs.

Because their new solution had to take different communication preferences into consideration, they needed technology that’s both user-friendly and future-oriented. They wanted it to be contemporary for tech-savvy and younger adults while feeling comfortable for older generations.

They started by looking for a system that could send electronic postcards. “We’re a financial organization, but we’re member-based and we’re also focused on doing good in the community,” explained Roberts. “So, it’s really difficult to find one system that delivers everything we need.”

After trying both marketing-based software and online invitation systems, they found neither were able to meet their needs. The marketing software had a complex email campaign focus, and the evite systems lacked the structure necessary to set up regions and chapters. Their challenges went away when they decided to try a mass messaging system — and found One Call Now.

“One Call Now was so much simpler, much more straightforward. Now we upload a file, the One Call Now system consumes it and the message goes out. Easy. It works for all our invitations and reminders.” 

— Kristen Roberts, Fraternal Service and Programs Manager, Modern Woodmen

Modern Woodmen uses One Call Now to increase engagement with their members by sending electronic invitations via text, voice, and email. The option to send information multiple ways ensures that the digital invitations reach people’s phones in addition to their email which may already be saturated with promotions. From messages promoting community events to providing updates, the notification system keeps everyone connected and informed.

With real-time messaging, they no longer rely on the postal system. One Call Now’s simple and stress-free process enables messages to go out with just three clicks after a quick file upload. For the first time, they can easily send event reminders without having to deal with the manual and costly effort of mailing postcards. And when there are last-minute location changes or impacts from severe weather, they have a quick and convenient way to notify everyone.

“The benefits are definitely the future cost savings and the large step into that modern era of electronic communication with our members. Whenever our chapter leaders need help, [One Call Now] support is incredibly responsive when we reach out. That’s made such a difference.” 

— Kristen Roberts, Fraternal Service and Programs Manager, Modern Woodmen

Modern Woodmen of America is already seeing the benefits of partnering with One Call Now by Crisis24. Members who have never attended events before are now participating because they are hearing about, and being reminded of, events in a more accessible and modern format.

The switch to sending electronic postcards is also starting to pay off with savings in printing costs. They expect to see future increases in savings as more chapter leaders move away from printed postcards. In addition, it’s more environmentally conscience and appealing to new members.

Roberts’ best advice to similar organizations is to invest in technology up front, so they can drive their own communications. Being willing to try an automated system rather than a manual approach is a major gamechanger. And when volunteers are part of the picture, a system that makes communication simple is a must. The right vendor can take the burden off leaders and make improving engagement an attainable goal.