Keystone SWANA WordPress Case Study: How Pennsylvania’s statewide SWANA chapter ditched Wild Apricot, slashed costs, and gained a site that runs itself—freeing Chanda to cheer at every soccer game!
Ever feel like your membership platform is draining your budget and your team’s sanity? That was Keystone SWANA The PA Chapter of the Solid Waste Association of North America. This large state organization was paying over $2,500 a year for Wild Apricot, juggling spreadsheets, and hand-fixing ticket prices for every event. Their business manager, Chanda, already balances board meetings, compliance filings—and kids’ travel-soccer schedules. The last thing she needed was “one more task.” Nine weeks later, the chapter’s website practically runs itself—thanks to a WordPress power-stack, a splash of automation, and a whole lot of MoodUS Media love. Here’s the story.
1. The Problem — Too Many Heads on One Monster
- $2,560 / year Wild Apricot bill—yet members still felt lost online.
The average age of the member is 60+, so navigation is ALREADY a challenge!
- $2,560 / year Wild Apricot bill—yet members still felt lost online.
- 3 hours per quarter spent cleaning CSVs from SWANA National.
- Ticket prices adjusted by hand; invoices typed in Word—every single time.
- Chanda’s already at the soccer field half the week—no room for extra admin! Yet she was doing it, month after month, year after year. PLUS the price, kept going UP AND UP!
2. Our Approach — WordPress Power-Stack
- Elementor Pro: drag-and-drop pages any volunteer can edit.
- WishList Member: secure logins & tier tags (Member, Non-Member, Board, Sponsor).
- Events Calendar + Tickets Plus: every ticket sold on-site—Stripe & Apple Pay enabled.
- WPForms × Zapier × Stripe: Road-E-O registrations auto-invoice partner chapters. (They do work for OTHER neighboring state chapters AS WELL!)
- MailerLite: newsletters & reminders auto-segment—no CSV juggling.
Integrates WITH Wishlist members and WordPress to autosync new “guest” vendor sign-ups!
- MailerLite: newsletters & reminders auto-segment—no CSV juggling.
3. Automation — Roster & Ticketing on Cruise Control
Roster (20-minute workflow):
- Download SWANA National CSV → drop into “New Roster” form.
- GPT script cleans headers & flags new members.
- One-click import—no row-by-row matching BY HAND!
Ticketing (discounts that think for you):
- Checkout checks WishList tags → auto-applies member pricing.
- Partner codes trigger Zapier → PDF invoice → finance contact.
- No one edits prices by hand, ever.
Admin time saved: roster 3 hrs → 20 min; ticket adjustments → 0 min.
The best part… a website they can ACTUALLY UPDATE! Older members can ACTUALLY navigate with ease!
Mobile first design!
Multiple ways to sell tickets, register people for events or seminars, both online (zoom) or in-person during the year!
4. Results — Numbers Everyone Loves
- $2,160 per year saved ditching Wild Apricot.
- +37% ticket sales in just six months.
- 90% less admin work (roster + invoices).
- Brand now syncs perfectly with SWANA National standards.
“Tim took a nightmare and gave us a site that runs itself. The automation alone is worth every penny.”
— Chanda Martino, Business Manager, Keystone SWANA
MEETING NATIONAL BRAND STANDARDS!
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