How did a large U.S. credit union with several senior board members and varying levels of technical skills make the shift from paper board documents to Aprio’s secure online board portal?
FAIRWINDS Credit Union was established in 1949 and is headquartered in Orlando Florida. With $4.5B in assets, FAIRWINDS is Florida’s third-largest credit union, serving over 225,000 members and employing over 600 people.
See how Aprio’s board portal enabled the seven-member board to shift to paperless board meetings and how exceptional customer service helped make this transition easier. Download the full case study.
The challenge: inefficient & costly board meeting preparation, growing security concerns
Prior to using Aprio, FAIRWINDS’ board administrators relied on manual printing, binding, and mailing out board materials to ensure secure distribution to the board. If a board packet needed updating, board administrators had to reprint and then hand-deliver, often in multiple trips. The administrative effort required for each board meeting was not only time-consuming but also costly.
Then, security became a growing concern. As Executive Administrator Deanna Newell explains, “We needed to get board materials out securely to board members, but we or even FedEx couldn’t simply drop off board packets at their front door unattended. We really needed something more secure and more convenient than printing out and binding 12 board packets and then driving around on weekends to deliver them.”
The solution: Aprio’s secure online board portal
FAIRWINDS needed to keep its financial information safe and secure, while helping board members better prepare for meetings and improve board engagement. While reviewing other board portal solutions, FAIRWINDS IT leader ultimately chose Aprio for the software’s security.
Now with Aprio, all board materials including financial and corporate documents, meeting minutes, and bylaws are stored securely in the central library. If documents change ahead of the board meeting, board administrators can alert board members with the latest version.
Aprio’s customer service team was also important in supporting the use of the technology.
“Aprio’s customer service is phenomenal”, explains Newell. “When we first started using Aprio, Aprio’s customer service team was so patient with us, whether it was night or days or on weekends. They respond quickly and are really good at troubleshooting.”
When it came to training board members, many chose to do one-on-one sessions at home. “Being able to do the training individually was really helpful as some of our board members move faster than others with technology,” explains Newell. “We have three board members between 70 and 86 years old. The customer service team is really personable and really patient with our board members.”
The impact: increased security, reduced costs and less board admin effort
After three years of using Aprio, FAIRWINDS Credit Union has eased its board administration efforts and reduced operational costs, while experiencing great support for board members from Aprio and keeping its data safe and secure.
Key impacts of using Aprio’s board portal include:
- Top-level security: confidential and sensitive financial and company information is now fully secured, protected by layers of advanced security and requiring login authentication for access.
- Reduced administrative burden: board administrators spend significantly less time preparing board packets and can provide more timely updates to directors. No more driving around on weekends to deliver board packets or hauling large reports to planning meetings.
- Lower operational costs: FAIRWINDS now saves thousands each year on printing and courier costs, while also lowering its environmental impact.
Aprio impact at FAIRWINDS Credit Union – Download the full case study
Download the full case study to see how the seven-member board at FAIRWINDS Credit Union made the shift from paper board documents to Aprio’s board portal for credit unions.
See other Aprio case studies:
- Case Study: United Nations Federal Credit Union makes the switch from extranet to Aprio
- BlueShore Financial case study: How this board switched from paper to portal to increase efficiency
- Case study – Meridian Credit Union re-evaluates modern board technology
- Case study – YNCU board chair explains the advantage of a rapid response board
