Davidsfonds

Davidsfonds, founded in 1875, is a Flemish cultural organization dedicated to promoting Flemish culture and identity. With about 300 local chapters and thousands of members, it organizes more than 160 activities annually, such as lectures, concerts, and other cultural events.

A few years ago, the organization faced a significant challenge: the digital age had overtaken them. Their systems were outdated, and administration was largely manual. It was time for a large-scale transformation. Vincent Stoops, Deputy Director of Davidsfonds, said, “Our organization had not evolved much digitally. We were still using an AS400 system, which is actually a very old system.”

Digital transformation

In addition to the need to digitize, Davidsfonds also faced a significant change in their membership model. “Previously, members bought €40 worth of books and were automatically members. This brought tax and administrative risks,” Stoops explains. “We wanted to switch to a fixed membership with a clear contribution, which meant a significant administrative change. Reducing the administrative burden for our local chapters was also an important goal.”

“Procurios has both the technical knowledge and business insight to understand what our organization needs” -  Vincent Stoops, Deputy Director of Davidsfonds.

Davidsfonds sought a solution that could not only transform them digitally but also support their new membership model. A board member recommended Procurios. Stoops said, “Procurios has a lot of experience with non-profit and membership organizations. Their understanding of our structure and needs was a decisive factor.”

Implementation challenges

Implementing the new system was a significant challenge, especially given the tight deadline. “Our membership recruitment starts in September. We started with Procurios in February, and the system had to be operational by July,” Stoops said. Thanks to the close cooperation and flexibility of the Procurios team, the project was completed within the set timeframe. “The great advantage of Procurios is that they really think along with us. They have both the technical knowledge and business insight to quickly understand what we need,” Stoops praised.

One critical aspect was involving all chapters in the change. “Our membership renewals were previously always managed by local chapters. We had to ensure they retained their say while centralizing the administration,” Stoops explained. This process required a lot of empathy and collaboration. “We had to bring everyone along and convince them of the benefits. The fear of change was initially great, especially since we are an organization that had evolved little digitally in the last ten to twenty years.” However, the chapters saw the benefits the Procurios platform could bring, and Davidsfonds now has a system that is both centrally efficient and locally responsive.

“The Procurios platform is intuitive, allowing us to get started quickly” -  Vincent Stoops, Deputy Director of Davidsfonds.

Another challenge was managing the data and linking different systems. “We wanted to link historical data and ensure all information was accurate. There is nothing worse than incorrect data in a direct mailing. This brought a lot of complexity, but thanks to the flexible attitude of the Procurios team, we found good solutions,” Stoops said.

Catching-up 

The result is a modern, efficient, and user-friendly system that enables Davidsfonds to fully focus on their core tasks. “We have a system that allows us to automate administrative processes and manage them in real-time. This gives us the ability to quickly respond to the needs of our members and support them better,” Stoops said.

The new platform has yielded many benefits for Davidsfonds. “All registrations for activities are now digital, with online payments. Previously, this was done manually via email and phone. We had to make a huge leap, but now we have finally arrived in the 21st century,” Stoops said proudly. The administration around memberships has also significantly improved. “Previously, chapters reported their members on lists and had to manually transfer the funds. Now, this is all done digitally and in real-time.”

The second phase of the implementation, which Davidsfonds is currently in the midst of, focuses on local activities and payment modules. “We want members to be able to register and pay digitally for local activities as well. This gives us even greater visibility and accessibility as an organization, attracting new members and serving existing ones better, making the process easier for everyone,” Stoops said.

Ready for the future

The collaboration with Procurios is still going smoothly. “We have monthly consultations and continue to add new features and optimize,” Stoops said. One of the expansions they want to implement soon is the new invoicing module for memberships. Additionally, they are working on revamping their webshop to further improve the user experience.

“The flexible and thoughtful approach of Procurios is invaluable to us”
-  Vincent Stoops, Deputy Director of Davidsfonds.

Thanks to the collaboration with Procurios, Davidsfonds has not only caught up digitally but is also stronger than ever and ready for the future. “We can now fully focus on our core mission: organizing cultural activities and supporting our chapters and members. The administrative burden has been significantly reduced, giving us more time for what really matters,” Stoops concluded happily.

Strong foundation for growth

Procurios remains closely involved with Davidsfonds even after implementation. “We still have regular consultations and continue to implement new features and improvements. Their flexible and thoughtful approach is invaluable to us,” Stoops said. He also praised the user-friendliness of the platform: “It is quite intuitive to get started with. We can make many adjustments ourselves and have a plugin that brings us directly to the backend, which is very convenient for our staff.”

Stoops looks to the future with confidence: “Thanks to Procurios, we have laid a strong foundation for further growth and development. We are ready for the 21st century and can fully focus on our mission: promoting Flemish culture and identity. The administrative burden has decreased, giving us more time and resources to concentrate on what really matters.