Nonprofit mission board keeps staff in the loop with IBM Lotus software.

Providing services through cooperation

The Kentucky Baptist Convention (KBC) is a cooperative missions and ministry organization made up of more than 2,400 autonomous Baptist churches in Kentucky. A variety of state and worldwide ministries are coordinated through its administrative headquarters in Louisville, Kentucky, including missions work, disaster relief, ministry training and support, church development, evangelism and more.

Moving to an IBM messaging platform for increased functionality and efficiency
Most companies today have come to rely on technology as crucial to the success of their business, but for nonprofit organizations, success means something a little different. Troy Fulkerson, director of information technology at the Kentucky Baptist Convention explains, “We’re a nonprofit, so our goal is not to increase the bottom line but to effectively carry out the tasks that we’ve been given.” For KBC, the software platforms it chooses need to offer a breadth of functionality that can drive efficiency across the entire organization.

“Ten years ago we had been using Microsoft® Mail,” explains Fulkerson. “But we were looking to go to the next level—like adding calendaring and scheduling programs. And after we analyzed all of the things we wanted, we compared what was available from the competing vendors. We were happy to discover that with the IBM Lotus Notes and Domino platform there were so many things we could do with this one system.” KBC deployed IBM Lotus Notes and Lotus Domino software to act as the heart of its communication systems and has never looked back.

Needs of remote workers drive upgrade to the IBM Lotus Notes and Domino 8 platform
In 2008 when IBM Lotus Notes and Domino 8 software became available, KBC saw opportunities to enhance its existing systems and processes. Roughly one-third of the organization operates remotely, making offsite data access crucial for business operation. “We have about 40 of our employees that travel all throughout the state of Kentucky,” explains Fulkerson. “They visit directly with churches to meet with them and help them do what they want to do better. And having their e-mail with them really helps them do their job.”

Previously, remote employees were required to perform an initial download and installation of the Lotus Notes software client to their desktops and laptops for remote e-mail access. Unfortunately, some users (particularly those with less computer experience) struggled with this initial installation, increasing the burden of IT support staff and undermining productivity. Some staff also had access to e-mail via BlackBerry handheld devices. The BlackBerry integration was based on a solution from Research in Motion Ltd, and, while it was functional, users hoped for a more intuitive interface and broader functionality.

The multifunctional Lotus Domino platform serves many needs
KBC launched the upgraded Lotus software in March 2008 and now relies on the Lotus Notes and Domino 8 platform to support a number of business functions throughout the organization. Comments Fulkerson, “Lotus Notes and Domino software are the primary applications that we use around here.”

Apart from messaging and calendaring, the Lotus Domino platform serves as the organization’s development environment for business applications. “About 95 percent of the stuff we need to develop for our employees we can do in Lotus Domino,” says Fulkerson. “We don’t need to do it with Microsoft .NET or some other product.” The application development capabilities that Lotus Domino software provides has enabled KBC to create over 20 unique business applications and to even design its Web site to be hosted in the Lotus Domino environment. KBC is also taking full advantage of the improved IBM Lotus Sametime instant messaging (IM) features available in Lotus Notes and Domino 8 software. Using the presence awareness feature available in a sidebar within the Lotus Notes client, users can see who is online and then activate chat sessions to communicate in real time. Staff members in the field can be reached the same way via their BlackBerry devices. And thanks to the Lotus Sametime functionality, the mission board can quickly dispatch announcements to all of its employees, regardless of their location. Even the organization’s IT support staff is benefitting from the new IBM software. The
team is leveraging a new instance of IBM Lotus Quickr™ V8.1 software to create a centralized, easily searchable library of reference records. And KBC’s Web development staff is also using the software to streamline project management efforts by improving the traceability and availability of documentation.

All-in-one solution and backward compatibility drive down costs
As it has been for the past decade, KBC continues to be pleased with its choice of Lotus software. “The big benefit of the Lotus Notes and Domino platform is all the things that we can do with one system,” Fulkerson explains. “If you took Lotus Notes away and we had to use something else, we would probably have to buy eight different products and combine them to do all the things that we do with Lotus Notes and Domino.”

And that versatility has helped to drive cost savings throughout the organization. Adds Fulkerson, “Being able to run our Web site on the Lotus Domino platform is a huge benefit. We don’t need to buy some other product to run the Web site.” Fulkerson continues, “Additionally, the commitment Lotus puts into backwards compatibility is a huge cost savings—we haven’t had to rewrite anything. We have applications I wrote ten years ago that we still use today.” Staff members are also pleased with the improved usability and communication features offered in the Lotus Notes and Domino 8 software. The new Lotus Notes client offers a smaller application to download without compromising functionality, so remote users can install the software across a wide area network (WAN) with a much higher rate of success. And extension of the e-mail and IM environment to remote staff via their handheld devices enables them to stay in touch with the home office more regularly, keeping the entire organization better informed and apprised of the needs of member churches.

For more information
To learn more about IBM Lotus software contact your IBM sales representative or IBM Business Partner, or visit: ibm.com/lotus