“We are acquiring many more members than we ever have.”

Just one year after implementing Tessitura’s unified CRM, Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance (DZCA) is building its membership and deepening visitor engagement. Taylor Vandergrift, the zoo’s Membership Coordinator, says the difference is in the data.

“The most valuable thing Tessitura is doing for the zoo is giving us data to make more informed decisions,” she said. 

A unified system creates operational efficiency

Before Tessitura, DZCA struggled to track member data. The team manually updated membership information in a spreadsheet. Invaluable insights fell through cracks.

“Not having a CRM before made it incredibly challenging to see constituent information,” Taylor said. “We had issues where people had duplicate accounts, so we couldn’t see their true membership story.” 

When the time came to adopt a new technology solution, DZCA’s goals were clear. They wanted a platform that could help them improve guest communication and engagement. It should support a vibrant membership program. The system needed to track data and facilitate business insights. In short, their new system needed to sustain the institution’s growth. 

The team researched platforms used by peer institutions to create a positive guest experience, paying special attention to the e-commerce pathway. Their decision? Tessitura.

“The most valuable thing Tessitura is doing for the zoo is giving us data to make data-informed decisions.”
— Taylor Vandergrift 

“Tessitura was by far the most user-friendly,” said Taylor. “It was the clearest and most streamlined. It also resembles the way the world is changing with technology. A lot of other systems are outdated.”

Tessitura's unified CRM also gave the team access to far more visitor data. That information includes transactions, memberships, donations and more — all in one system. “We can now track more information about each person,” Taylor said.

That centralized data helped DZCA make exciting changes to their member acquisition efforts.

Exceeding their membership goals

Before moving to Tessitura, DZCA’s member acquisition campaigns were inefficient. Scattered data made it difficult to define and target their audience effectively. Without clean targeting, their promotional discount codes reached too many of the wrong people.

“For previous acquisition campaigns in our last system, only about 16% of people using the discounts were actually new members,” Taylor explained. That meant they lost money on discounts and missed goals.

Their spring 2025 campaign was different. Now, with Tessitura’s CRM and e-commerce platform (TNEW) in their toolkit, the DZCA team could maximize the effectiveness of their outreach. Tessitura allowed them to segment their audience by ZIP code and communications preferences. The team created discount codes that were only available to their target audiences. They then tailored their messages by channel to further refine their efforts.

The campaign was a staggering success. “This year, we saw an 89% new acquisition rate, and we surpassed our goal by 15%. That’s a little over $600,000 in under two months,” Taylor enthused.

“Previously, we had discounts reach audiences we weren’t intending. Tessitura has helped us be more strategic in reaching our targeted audiences,” she said. 

“This year, we saw an 89% new acquisition rate, and we surpassed our goal by 15%.”
— Taylor Vandergrift 

Easy-to-track insights drive smart decisions

As the campaign progressed, Tessitura Analytics made it easy for the DZCA team to view robust insights about its results. Taylor and her team could set up dashboards and share them directly with colleagues. The zoo’s leaders could easily follow trends in membership numbers, revenue sources and more.

“With the metrics in Tessitura, I can track [member] behavior, including how they first came to the zoo and what source they used,” Taylor said. Sources in Tessitura indicate where a purchase came from, such as an ad, postcard or promo code. That meant the team understood their return on investment (ROI) for each tactic in detail.

“We were able to track with sources our specific ROI on different efforts such as Meta, paid media and direct mail campaigns. We could also see exactly what we made from each one,” Taylor reported. 

“Seeing the return on investment led us to do a direct mail campaign for the fall for the first time in four years,” Taylor explained. Fortified with a clear understanding of the ROI, the team invested $100,000 in growing their communications staff and expanding into previously underutilized channels.

“The way the world continually changes, it’s hard to project and to forecast,” Taylor said. “Tessitura gives us the data to support decision-making, to say, ‘These aren’t just gut feelings. This is the trend we are seeing this year, but this is also how it compares to previous years.’” 

“Tessitura has helped us be more strategic in reaching our targeted audiences.”
— Taylor Vandergrift

An experiment pays off in improved guest satisfaction

Data is helping the DZCA team make informed decisions in other areas as well. Staff from all departments use Tessitura to foster positive experiences for the zoo’s members and visitors. With the wealth of data available in Tessitura, DZCA can anticipate obstacles and develop solutions that keep their visitors returning. 

Visitor feedback is essential to understanding the guest experience. Tessitura’s customer service issues (CSIs) enable DZCA to collect, organize and analyze that valuable feedback. Those tools help them manage challenges beyond their control.

Database Specialist AJ Stafford shared the example of a city construction project that closed large areas of the zoo. “We always get a lot of negative feedback when there’s construction, even with the smallest projects,” she said.

This time, DZCA placed colorful sculptures throughout the zoo as part of a new event called Going Wild. They hoped the engaging artwork would divert visitors’ focus from the inconvenience of construction detours.

The data proved them right. After launching Going Wild, AJ said, “We noticed how drastically complaints had dropped. No one was talking about the construction.” 

AJ was particularly pleased that the data indicated the drop in complaints was linked to the Going Wild event. “That is why we are now having that event multiple years in a row,” she said. “It was a tester. Clearly, the event is doing some amazing things for us.”

It’s a win for data-driven decision-making and for improved guest satisfaction.

Growing engagement with clear communication

“We try to keep members engaged by really adding value to their experience,” Taylor explained. “Our goal is always to make sure they know what's happening. We want them to feel part of the zoo.” 

One way they’re accomplishing that is through a new renewal initiative: Member Appreciation Week. Following the successful acquisition campaign, the week highlighted exclusive perks, such as behind-the-scenes access, to reinforce the array of benefits members receive.

“Tessitura has allowed us to not only make our members feel special; it’s also given them a platform to access and learn more about their membership,” Taylor said. “They can see their membership overview to see how many benefits are remaining and stay informed.”

“Tessitura has allowed us to not only make our members feel special; it's also given them a platform to access and learn more about their membership.”
— Taylor Vandergrift 

DZCA also uses their e-commerce site to target messages to members in the purchase path. “It'll say, oh, it’s really hot weather. Or, it’s high crowds; parking is going to be rough,” AJ said. “It’s really increased our ability to communicate to our guests.” They even have the ability to remind logged-in members of exclusive offers, such as Member Appreciation Week. That transparency helps their constituents plan a smooth experience.

“Tessitura has really helped us engage our members, engage different communities and then track that accordingly,” Taylor said. “For those considering Tessitura, I would highly recommend it.” 

^{Photos courtesy of Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance}