Case Study: NYC Theater Company Makes Online Experience a ‘Showstopper’ with Salesforce Nonprofit Success Pack
The Barrow Group improves online experience to expand performing arts center’s impact.
Overview
For nearly 40 years, The Barrow Group has served as a creative home for thousands of actors, writers, directors, and filmmakers. The award-winning New York City nonprofit operates as a performing arts training, education, and production center. Alumni include Academy Award winner Anne Hathaway, three-time Emmy winner Jennifer Landon, and Emmy winner Tony Hale.
In addition to on-stage productions, the theater company offers acting classes, corporate workshops, and studio rentals. Managing registrations, reservations, and tickets required an online platform as powerful as the nonprofit’s performances.
The Barrow Group decided to close the curtain on their old website and welcomed the expertise of Galvin Technologies to center stage.
The Challenge
The website was out of date, posing security risks as a result, and growing more expensive for the nonprofit to support. Multiple behind-the-scenes tools complicated management of the organization’s diverse work. Donors, class participants, renters, and theater patrons all existed in different databases. Merging the information meant exporting to Excel and creating pivot tables every couple of weeks. Marketing was a labor-intensive challenge. Limited, unreliable online self-service options generated extra work for the team.
The theater company needed a website that allowed the staff to focus more on supporting the arts and less on back-office administration. The nonprofit wanted a unified online experience capable of supporting every aspect of its work.
The Solution
Galvin Technologies implemented a series of tools—all on the Salesforce platform—to accomplish The Barrow Group’s goals. The work started with Salesforce’s Nonprofit Success Pack (NPSP). The platform offered a unified view of data across the organization’s fundraising work, engagement efforts, and programming. Blackthorn Events and Payments enabled online reservations, ticket tracking, and revenue collection. DonorSearch allowed the team to analyze giving history and cultivate new donors based on mission alignment. The application paired with Give Lively for direct fundraising campaigns.
The Galvin team added Salesforce Experience Cloud to create an online, self-service community for students and teachers to access course information, build profiles, and communicate. Marketing Cloud Engagement (formerly known as Pardot) transformed manual marketing efforts into automated campaigns targeting various audiences.
Most importantly, Galvin combined every existing database inside Salesforce making the information easily accessible and actionable—no pivot tables necessary.
With the help of Galvin Tech, we have a single Salesforce database where information flows together and we can make much more informed business decisions. Pulling all of these complex pieces together was not an easy job, and Galvin was an instrumental partner in making this happen. They’re great collaborators and kind people.
– Robert Serrell
Executive Director, The Barrow Group
The Results
The new online experience has The Barrow Group and its patrons saying “Bravo!”
Improved User Experience
Prior to the new setup, every interaction with The Barrow Group’s website was part of a disjointed customer journey. The lack of cohesiveness and challenging processes compromised the user experience. By consolidating systems and increasing self-service capabilities within the business system, the organization now better supports each of its audiences. The theater company easily handles higher volumes without compromising service—or adding staff. Monthly receipts for training registrations achieved record highs five times in 2023 (as of this writing). Spring 2023 classes generated 42% more revenue than the average across the previous nine years. Total registrations are on pace to double from the prior year.
Database Management
Before transitioning to Salesforce, The Barrow Group relied on six different databases: ticketing, student registrations, forms, finances, donations, and fundraising. None of the systems worked together, which made data management 25% of a staffer’s job. Now all data flows through Salesforce as comprehensive records capturing details across interactions. Easy access to all information in one place allows the nonprofit to better measure customer engagement and make business decisions. The organization’s executive director estimates the time saved manipulating data has generated tens of thousands of dollars.
Marketing Automation
Increased participation with The Barrow Group reflects the organization’s new marketing efforts. Marketing Cloud Account Engagement helped the nonprofit easily create campaigns to publicize its offerings. The streamlined database makes market segmentation simple for targeted messaging. DonorSearch provides valuable insights for reengaging past donors and finding new ones. Automated emails make consistent fundraising easier and more effective to support the organization as it scales to serve more people every year.
Setting the Stage for Success
At Galvin Technologies, we want every organization to give their best performance. Our team offers Salesforce consulting, development, and administration services to transform inefficiencies into innovation. Give us your goals and we’ll get you there. Discover how Galvin has helped organizations across the country “steal the show” when it comes to improved business performance and a better user experience
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