Accordwest, a nonprofit support service provider in South West Australia, has been a pillar of hope for individuals and families facing life challenges since 1983. Through services such as homelessness support, emergency relief, and counselling, Accordwest has stood “side by side” with local communities, empowering them to lead positive and fulfilling lives.
Driven by the belief that every story matters, Accordwest aimed to amplify its impact by embracing technology to modernise its governance and operations. The nonprofit recognised the need for a digital tool to enhance team synergy, leading to more effective decision-making that aligns with its objectives and mission.
After assessing a diverse selection of solution providers, Accordwest selected Convene – a comprehensive, intuitive, and cost-effective board portal software suitable for their needs.
Accordwest CEO, Evan Nunn, a qualified company secretary, CPA, GAICD, and a fellow of the Australian Institute of Management, brings over 15 years of board experience to the nonprofit. Having tested various board portals, Evan found Convene to be the most effective. He states, “I have used other board portals and find Convene excellent value for money and easy to use.”
Convene’s powerful features equip Accordwest to fulfil its objectives of improving governance practices, driving operational efficiency, and ensuring seamless communication across its team — as it continues to stand “side by side” with the communities it serves.
Seamless Meeting Coordination for Better Collaboration
After adopting Convene, Accordwest has simplified its meeting workflows using its smart and user-friendly functions. With agenda builder, meeting scheduler, minute taker, and task management, repetitive tasks have become more manageable, resulting in better coordination between board directors and members at every meeting stage.
CEO Evan Nunn highlighted this benefit, by saying, “Convene’s real-time collaboration tools allow for seamless agenda preparation and minute-taking, ensuring that all actions are tracked and readily accessible to board members.”
Convene supports Accordwest in managing its annual meeting calendar, which includes eight board meetings, an annual general meeting (AGM), two strategy workshops, and 12 subcommittee meetings. To provide a superior meeting experience for everyone, including visitors and presenters, Accordwest leverages Convene for seamless virtual or in-person meetings. CEO Evan Nunn explains, “We can seamlessly invite visitors and presenters to meet online using Teams or Zoom, as well as to in-person meetings”.
Simplified Document Review and Approval Processes
Convene centralises document management for Accordwest, strengthening security and improving accessibility of sensitive information. By storing board materials and organisational files in one space, board directors can retrieve them remotely, facilitating faster review and approvals. “We also have all our records and board and operational policy and procedures easily accessible for members and associates to peruse and provide feedback,” said CEO Evan Nunn
Additionally, the document library in Convene has a document versioning feature, making it easier for board directors to view previous versions of files and compare changes. CEO Evan Nunn added, “This has not only improved our transparency and accountability but has also freed up time to focus on the people we serve, our employees, and the local community in the Southwest of Western Australia.”
Why Accordwest Recommends Convene
CEO Evan Nunn commends Convene’s impact on Accordwest, stating, “As the CEO of a not-for-profit organisation, I have found Convene to be invaluable at Accordwest in enhancing good governance and secretarial effectiveness and efficiency. By utilising its full suite of features, we’ve streamlined document management, strengthened security, and improved the accessibility of board materials to our busy board directors and associate members.”
For Accordwest, Convene has become essential in optimising workflows, enabling board members to devote more time to driving greater community impact across South West Australia.
Discover how Convene can help your nonprofit achieve its mission, just like it has for Accordwest. Connect with our team to schedule a demo.