Building a Membership-Driven Website for a Major Creative Organization

During my three-year engagement with the Kansas City Ad Club, upgrading the organization’s website was one of the board’s top priorities. It was also one of the largest and most impactful projects of my tenure.

As one of the largest American Advertising Federation chapters in North America, the KC Ad Club needed a website that could do more than display information.

The Challenge

The existing website was built on an expensive content management system that was:

• Difficult to manage

• Inaccurate when it came to membership data

• Poorly suited for events and registrations

The site was creating friction for members, staff, and volunteers.

The Approach

I presented a new direction to the board and project-managed the full redesign and implementation of a new membership-based website.

The new site was designed to:

• Serve as a centralized membership management tool

• Handle event registration and promotion

• Support programs and initiatives across the Kansas City creative community

The focus was usability, accuracy, and long-term sustainability.

The Results

The KC Ad Club launched a modern, reliable website that:

• Improved the member experience

• Simplified event registration and management

• Gave the organization a digital platform worthy of its size and influence

The site became a true operational tool rather than just a digital brochure.