Case Study: Pan-American Association of Ophthalmology achieves streamlined membership and abstract management with CiviCRM

Streamlining Membership and Abstract Management with Drupal and CiviCRM

The Pan-American Association of Ophthalmology (PAAO) faced an urgent need to replace an outdated, costly iMIS database and find an affordable way to manage large events, membership and abstract submissions on a limited budget. After evaluating options, PAAO chose the open‑source CiviCRM integrated with a Drupal site (using Drupal webforms and CiviMail) and engaged Cividesk for implementation and ongoing support to ensure a smooth transition and staff-friendly workflows.

Cividesk implemented a customized CiviCRM solution—handling Contacts, Contributions, Events, Memberships, Email Marketing and Reports—and migrated more than 50,000 records including legacy data dating to the 1960s. The Drupal + CiviCRM setup streamlined abstract handling (data checks, search and emailing speakers), launched a member portal where users can sign up, submit abstracts and print membership materials (cutting postage and printing costs), and improved reporting and day‑to‑day operations—delivering measurable time and cost savings with CiviCRM at the core.

Pan-American Association of Ophthalmology

Krista Jones

Director of IT