Keeping the Chamber’s knowledge with the Chamber.

ActiveCare IT helped the Orland Area Chamber of Commerce bring email and files under organizational control—and give staff and participating board members better tools for the work ahead.

Migration completed in under one week.

Two SharePoint sites · Multiple staff training sessions

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At a glance

The Orland Area Chamber of Commerce needed dependable access to its information and a better way to work together. ActiveCare IT deployed Microsoft 365 email, SharePoint, and OneDrive, supported by multi-factor authentication and patient, tailored staff training.

Membership work moved from disjointed, manual processes to shared information and real-time collaboration. Staff and participating board members gained tools to communicate, track membership, and work together more effectively.

When people changed, access could change with them.

The Chamber relied on a personal Gmail account and locally stored files that were not backed up. When staff left, access to the email account could leave with them—including situations where passwords were not passed on. Important documents also remained tied to a local computer.

Membership work was disjointed and handled manually. The Chamber needed to communicate with members, track information, and collaborate more effectively. That called for business email, Word and Excel, and a shared home for the information staff and participating board members used together.

“We needed our information to stay with the Chamber as people came and went. ActiveCare IT helped us put email and files under the Chamber’s control, giving us confidence that our work would stay with the organization.”

Danielle Hernandez
President of the Board of Directors
Orland Area Chamber of Commerce

Designed around the Chamber’s people and information.

Four practical choices gave email, shared work, confidential material, and individual files an appropriate home.

Email under Chamber control

Exchange Online gives the Chamber a professional identity at orlandchamber.org and organizational control over its accounts. The shared address listed on the website routes into the same business email environment, bringing incoming Chamber communications together.

Shared work, with confidentiality

Organizational files have a central home in SharePoint for staff and participating board members. A separate private board site provides a distinct place for confidential material, so everyday collaboration and sensitive board work each have an appropriate home.

Practical board participation

Danielle and several board members collaborate with staff day to day; others generally access information through staff. Board accounts were created without licenses, ready for licenses to be assigned when direct participation is needed. Multi-factor authentication was completed as part of the deployment.

Individual files beyond the laptop

OneDrive was configured for individual work files and cloud backup of staff Desktop and Documents folders. Those configured files gained a cloud home beyond the local computer. A separate backup service was not part of the project.

A smooth transition. Training built around real work.

The migration was completed smoothly in under one week. ActiveCare IT paired the technical deployment with multiple detailed staff training sessions covering Outlook, SharePoint, and related tools.

Patient guidance, tailored to the audience

Training content was custom-tailored to the people attending and the work they needed to accomplish. ActiveCare IT took a patient approach, showing staff how to use the tools to do their jobs effectively and efficiently.

From new tools to everyday collaboration

The sessions connected the new environment to practical work: using Outlook for communication, SharePoint for shared information, and related Microsoft 365 tools for day-to-day tasks. Staff received guidance shaped around their needs as the Chamber adopted a more collaborative way of working.

Illustrative image of anonymous colleagues collaborating at a laptop and notebook; generated, not actual Chamber staff.

Membership work became a shared effort.

Before: manual and disjointed

Communicating with members, tracking membership, and coordinating the work were handled through disconnected, manual processes. Personal email and locally stored files made it harder to bring people and information together.

Now: collaborate in real time

With shared files in SharePoint and the capabilities of Excel, the Chamber can share information and collaborate in real time. Staff and participating board members are better able to track membership and work together on the information that supports member communication.

Excel also gives the Chamber tools to examine its membership data and understand where it stands. The improvement is practical: shared visibility, a more coordinated approach, and a stronger foundation for decisions about membership.

Confidence that lasts beyond staff changes

The board has greater confidence that Chamber information is under organizational control. Email and shared records have a home within the Chamber’s Microsoft 365 environment, reducing dependence on a personal account or a single laptop.

Before and after: personal Gmail, files on one computer, and manual membership work become Chamber-controlled Exchange email, shared SharePoint records, OneDrive files, and MFA with staff training.

“Microsoft 365 has changed how we work together. Membership work used to be disjointed and done by hand. Now we can share information and collaborate in real time, with better tools to communicate with and track our membership. The Chamber couldn’t do what we do without it.”

Danielle Hernandez
President of the Board of Directors
Orland Area Chamber of Commerce

Each tool has a clear role.

The technology, in service of the Chamber’s work.

SharePoint

Organizational file sharing and a separate private space for confidential board collaboration.

Exchange Online

Organization-controlled email at orlandchamber.org, including a shared address for incoming Chamber communications.

OneDrive

Individual work files and cloud backup of configured Desktop and Documents folders.

Outlook

One familiar place for everyday email, supported by detailed, hands-on staff training.

Word

Professional document tools for the Chamber’s everyday work, with shared files available through SharePoint.

Excel

Spreadsheet analysis and shared membership data that help the Chamber understand its membership and improve its approach.

Planning something similar?

Is email access tied to one person?
Are important files stored on one computer?
Does your team need a clearer way to share information?

Talk with ActiveCare IT about the environment you have today and the work your team needs to support. A Partner Fit Call will help us determine whether we are the right fit.

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