How Incremental Tech Upgrades Can Spark Sustainable Growth for Arts and Cultural Organizations

Digital transformation doesn’t always begin with a bold reinvention. Sometimes, it starts with recognizing what’s no longer working and making smart, steady changes that add up over time.

That was the strategy for Heritage Museums & Gardens, which began modernizing key parts of its technology ecosystem 10 years ago to better support fundraising, membership, ticketing, and the overall visitor experience. Making incremental tech upgrades over the past decade has resulted in greater staff efficiency, higher renewal rates, and exceptional growth.

Gradual Changes Can Lead to Lasting Growth

Founded in 1969 in the town of Sandwich on Cape Cod, Heritage is known for three galleries with significant collections (including antique American automobiles and folk art), as well as its family-friendly grounds adorned with stunning hydrangea and rhododendron gardens.

Although Heritage had a loyal regional base of support, they recognized a need for a change to their tech stack when disconnected systems started creating friction across the organization. Instead of tackling every challenge at once, they gradually made one upgrade at a time through a strategic, iterative process that quietly revolutionized their operations.

Upgrade No. 1: Connecting Systems in 2016

The first strategic improvement was consolidating their data and replacing disparate platforms that didn’t communicate with each other.

“We had fragmented admissions and ticketing processes,” said Greg Wobst, Director of Development and Technology Innovation at Heritage. “We also had limited visibility into how donors and visitors related to one another. It was very time-consuming to share that information.”

Once they consolidated their supporter information and began operating from a single source of truth, the team at Heritage was able to combine ticketing, fundraising, and membership under one technology umbrella using Blackbaud Altru, and over time integrating it with the ticketing platform, XtruLink.

“It makes for smoother front of house operations when admission staff can process tickets and then go on to do membership at the same time or schedule a program,” Wobst said. “It allows you to coordinate better across departments with more automated, better communications overall.”

• Heritage has seen a near–doubling of membership in 10 years, while maintaining the same staff level. 

Upgrade No. 2: Restructuring the Membership Program in 2018

Although Heritage set up a membership program when they adopted Altru two years before, the time had come to revamp it.

Flexibility and accessibility were key to their new membership model, which permits two people per membership regardless of household.

“If a guest can’t fit themselves into a membership,” Wobst said, “they’re not going to want to join.”

• Making this strategic change to convert visitors to long-term supporters has resulted in an all-time high of more than 7,000 member households.

Upgrade No. 3: Implementing Automatic Renewals in 2019

Perhaps the most sustainable technology improvement Heritage has made is also the simplest: launching autorenewals for members. Heritage not only creates a financial incentive for members who default to automatically renew but also deploys an opt-out feature that encourages continual enrollment.

“It’s basically just a toggle thing in Altru, but it allows us to offer a $5 discount for anybody joining as an autorenewal,” Wobst said. “Over the years, it has really snowballed in a great way.”

• Initially only 20% of members were enrolled, but automatic renewals now stand at better than 40%.

Upgrade No. 4: Launching Digital Membership Cards in 2021

Another small but meaningful upgrade designed to make life easier for both members and staff was the change from physical to digital membership cards. Digital cards align Heritage’s membership experience with what visitors already expect in other parts of their daily lives, from boarding passes to concert tickets.

Going digital also reduces the environmental impact of physical cards, which can be lost or discarded, as well the administrative effort tied to physical cards.

An especially convenient and cost-conscious perk for visitors: The value of their ticket can be applied to membership—done easily on-site during their visit.

“The nicest part about digital memberships is if someone renews online, within about 10 minutes they’re updated,” Wobst said. “And it pops up right when someone shows up to Heritage. It says, ‘Welcome to Heritage. Here’s your card.’”

• This simple shift to improve the member experience saves about four volunteer hours each week and reduces the annual costs associated with plastic membership cards by 75%, from $6,500 to $1,500.

Upgrade No. 5: Introducing the Member Portal in 2025

Heritage’s most recent upgrade was introducing a member portal through XtruLink, giving members a more convenient, self-service way to manage their relationship with the organization. Instead of relying on staff for routine account updates, members can log in to renew, update profile information, and access their account details all in one place.

This was another incremental improvement with practical value. The portal helps reduce friction for members while also supporting a more connected experience behind the scenes, making it easier for staff to maintain accurate information and communicate more effectively with the right audiences.

• Messaging updates in the portal and ease of use for members makes engagement much more seamless for Heritage, which is currently sustaining a 78% renewal rate.

The Continuous Improvement of Data Insights

For Heritage, the value of incremental technology upgrades goes well beyond operational efficiency. With ticketing, membership, fundraising, and program data working together, the organization can better understand how visitors engage over time—what events they attend, what captures their interest, and how those interactions may signal deeper long-term potential.

That visibility has made Heritage more agile, both in shaping programs and in strengthening its fundraising strategy. The team can use attendance data, survey responses, and other constituent information to identify patterns and build more personal connections.

During Heritage’s recent $15 million welcome center campaign—the largest in its history—those insights played a pivotal role. The organization engaged more than 106 donors, including three of its top contributors, who first connected with Heritage through programs or special events. The combination of data and personal history helped Heritage understand which experiences had already built trust with supporters, including the three top donors who ultimately contributed so significantly to the campaign.

Connecting data systems and making continual, incremental improvements has helped Heritage track donor relationships in real time and across every department, making it easier to understand who has engaged with whom and when.

This iterative approach has also alleviated some of the challenges of change-management, as all-at-once technology overhauls can be a barrier to staff adoption.  

“Adjustment to a new system or new practice can be a hurdle,” Wobst said. “But it’s definitely worth it. It leads to sustainable growth and allows you to reach your members and constituents in a much better way.”