Jazz Club of Sarasota Scales Membership Growth with Join It

Organization: Jazz Club of Sarasota 

Type: Nonprofit arts and music organization 

Founded: 1980, Sarasota, Florida 

Using Join It since: October 2025

At a Glance: Key Results

• Nearly 1,000 members now managed through a single, centralized platform, replacing a fragmented spreadsheet system
• Administrative workload significantly reduced through automated renewal reminders and member communications
• Member data instantly searchable, eliminating time lost tracking down outdated spreadsheet versions
• Membership retention improved as automated renewal reminders ensure members are consistently notified before their memberships lapse
• Online self-service sign-up introduced, increasing accessibility for new and renewing members
• Platform fully implemented within days, supported by responsive, highly rated customer service

About the Jazz Club of Sarasota

The Jazz Club of Sarasota is a nonprofit organization founded in 1980 with a mission to promote and preserve jazz through live performances, festivals, and educational programs. Serving a large and engaged community of jazz enthusiasts in the Sarasota region, the organization has historically operated as an all-volunteer group.

Since adopting Join It in October 2025, the Jazz Club has begun transitioning toward a more professional structure, bringing on dedicated staff to support its continued growth and day-to-day operations.

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The Challenge: A Spreadsheet That Could Not Keep Up

As the Jazz Club of Sarasota grew to around 1,000 members, the limitations of managing membership data through spreadsheets became increasingly hard to ignore. Information was difficult to maintain, prone to version control issues, and inaccessible across the team.

Danielle La Senna, Director of Development, described the situation:

"We had around a thousand members on a spreadsheet... if someone was using an outdated version, it was difficult to keep everything updated."

The manual workload was substantial. Tasks like tracking renewals, updating member records, and counting new sign-ups required significant time and effort. With a lean, volunteer-driven team, that time could not be spent on what mattered most: growing the organization and deepening member engagement.

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The Solution: Centralized, Automated, and Up and Running in Days

The Jazz Club of Sarasota selected Join It as its membership management platform to centralize its data, reduce administrative overhead, and support its transition to a more professional operation.

The setup was fast. Join It was implemented within days, giving the team immediate access to a centralized member database, automated communications, and reporting tools.

"We did everything with Join It within a few days... it was so easy to set up," said Danielle La Senna, Director of Development.

The organization now uses Join It to manage member records, track renewals, send automated communications, and streamline reporting. Tasks that previously required manual follow-up now run in the background, freeing the team to focus on events, education, and community engagement.

Customer support has also stood out as a meaningful part of the experience.

"Customer service at Join It is top notch," Danielle noted. "I never have to wait to talk to a person and always get the help I need."

The Results: Less Admin, Better Retention, Greater Visibility

Since adopting Join It, the Jazz Club of Sarasota has seen meaningful improvements across its operations.

Faster access to member information. What once meant digging through spreadsheets now takes seconds. "It has reduced administrative time... now I can type in a person's name and the information is there. That saves a lot of time," Danielle said.

Improved member retention. Automated renewal reminders have made a direct impact on churn.

We have not lost as many members because the renewal reminders and communication are automated," Danielle explained.

Better visibility into membership performance. For the first time, the team can monitor renewals, expirations, and new sign-ups at a glance.

"We can easily see how many members are expiring, renewing, or joining. We did not have that before," Danielle added.

A foundation for continued growth. With member self-service sign-up now in place and a leaner administrative operation, the Jazz Club is better positioned to grow its membership and serve its community without adding complexity or cost.

For a nonprofit that runs on passion for the music rather than a large operating budget, that kind of operational clarity is more than convenient. It is essential.

Ready to Grow Your Membership the Way the Jazz Club of Sarasota Did?

If your organization is managing memberships manually or struggling to scale, Join It provides a streamlined, easy-to-use membership management solution. Start a free trial or book a demo to see how you can reduce admin time, improve retention, and grow membership with confidence.