The clearest view of the final product experience.
Case Study · Organizational Operations Infrastructure
From Scattered Member Data to One Reliable System
I helped Black Sustainability Network clean up member data, improve discovery, and safely migrate thousands of members without disrupting paid access.
Client: Black Sustainability Network / Black Sustainability Inc.Project Type: Membership operations infrastructure
Client video testimonial
Hear how BSN improved its member platform operations
A client walkthrough of the migration, cleanup, and platform-stabilization work.
Client Quote
“Before this project began, Black Sustainability Network's onboarding process required members to enter information into several separate systems that did not communicate with each other, including Airtable, Wix, Mighty Networks, and our member map. Jerry helped us shift toward one central platform and a singular source of truth.”
Kelyce Allen, Membership Specialist, Black Sustainability Network
Context
A membership operations infrastructure project, not a website refresh
Black Sustainability Network was managing a growing member ecosystem across several disconnected systems, including Mighty Networks, Airtable, MongoDB, Wix, and a public-facing member map.
Before the project, member onboarding required information to be entered across multiple interfaces that did not consistently communicate with each other. That created silos between subscription records, financial information, engagement metrics, member profiles, and map visibility.
The goal was not simply to redesign a website. The goal was to stabilize the operational foundation behind the membership experience: clean up legacy data, improve member discovery, clarify source-of-truth rules, protect paid access, and help the team manage membership with more confidence.
Systems involved
- Member map
- Mighty Networks
- Airtable
- MongoDB
- Wix
- Legacy records
The Problem
Fragmented systems were making member operations harder to trust
The core issue was not one broken tool. The issue was that member data lived across several platforms, and those platforms were not reliably communicating with each other.
This created silos between subscription data, financial records, engagement metrics, public member profiles, and internal operations.
Member records were inconsistent across platforms.
Profile photos and bios lived in multiple systems.
Free and paid membership states were not cleanly aligned.
Legacy Free members needed to move into the correct free Mighty Networks tier.
Paid members needed to be protected during bulk updates.
Map markers, sidebar results, and profile cards needed better sync behavior.
Staff needed more confidence in the accuracy of member records.
Goals
Five priorities guided the stabilization work
01
Improve member map and directory experience
Make discovery, filtering, and profile visibility more reliable for members and staff.
02
Clean and align member data across systems
Reduce fragmentation between operational tools and public-facing member experiences.
03
Sync profile photos, bios, and identity fields
Clarify source-of-truth rules so profiles stay current without manual patching.
04
Safely migrate eligible members into the correct free tier
Move the right free members without risking any paid member access.
05
Prepare the platform for subscription growth
Stabilize the membership foundation before more segmentation, engagement, and conversion work.
What I Did
Centralize operations, clean up data, and make the system easier to trust
The work was not a single feature release. It required coordinated changes across the member map, profile data, operational workflows, legacy records, and migration logic so BSN could reduce scattered work and manage membership with clearer information.
- Member map improvements across discovery, display logic, and loading behavior.
- Sidebar and marker syncing so search results and map results stayed aligned.
- Profile photo and bio sync logic across Mighty Networks, MongoDB, and Airtable.
- Mighty Networks integration improvements for member reads, matching, and plan operations.
- Airtable and MongoDB alignment to support cleaner operational data.
- Legacy data backfill for missing photos, bios, and identity fields.
- Duplicate record investigation to reduce downstream reporting and support confusion.
- Production-safe migration logging with failure tracking and post-run validation.
- Automated and manual QA testing around map behavior, authentication visibility, and migration safety.
Directory usability and member-managed profile accuracy.
Improving Member Discovery and Self-Service
Member Access and Visibility Logic
Protect member-only access while still supporting public discovery
The member map needed to support both public discovery and member-only access. I implemented visibility behavior that allows non-logged-in users to explore limited directory information while protecting full profiles, photos, and connection options behind authenticated member access.
This created a cleaner path from public interest to member login or network signup while protecting the value of BSN's membership directory.
Public exploration, access gating, and authenticated entry.
Protecting Member Access While Supporting Discovery
Workstreams
The work broke into infrastructure, migration, and data-alignment tracks
Member Map and Directory Improvements
The member map and directory were part discovery tool, part operational visibility layer. The work focused on making those surfaces dependable, searchable, and consistent with live member data.
- Leaflet / React Leaflet map behavior improvements
- Marker clustering and custom member icons
- Search results and sidebar/gallery card alignment
- Industry filters and profile popups
- Logged-in versus logged-out visibility behavior
- Viewport-based marker fetching
- Sidebar pagination and Load More behavior
- Search across name, location, organization, bio, industry, and affiliation
- Improved member discovery by industry house
Profile Photo and Bio Data Alignment
I clarified a practical source-of-truth model so the directory could stay accurate without flattening every system into one fragile record.
- Mighty Networks remains the native source for profile and avatar
- MongoDB powers the map and directory experience
- New Airtable acts as the operational mirror layer
- Old Airtable serves as the legacy backfill source
- Short bio feeds the operational map/directory bio
- Long-form About Me remains native to Mighty Networks
- Mighty profile photos are used first when available
- Legacy Airtable photos backfill missing records when needed
Mighty Networks Integration
The integration work centered on trustworthy membership operations, not just API connectivity. Matching, sync, and plan changes had to preserve account state and avoid accidental revenue damage.
- Read Mighty member data safely
- Match members by ID and email
- Sync profile information to supporting systems
- Support plan operations with eligibility checks
- Preserve paid member access during updates
- Move eligible free members into the correct free tier
Bulk Free-Tier Migration
This was the highest-risk workstream because the organization needed membership cleanup without any accidental plan downgrades. The migration improved free-tier integrity while protecting paid access.
- 2,515 total rows processed
- 2,447 members added to the Enthusiast Member free plan
- 13 members already on the correct free plan
- 0 paid members overwritten
- 5 failed rows isolated for follow-up
Paid Member Safeguards
The migration logic was designed around revenue protection. The real win was not just the volume processed. The real win was 0 paid members overwritten.
- Paid-member detection before updates
- Free-member eligibility checks
- Controlled batch processing
- Detailed logs and failure tracking
- Post-run validation
- Execution paths that favored safety over speed
Legacy Data Cleanup and Backfill
Legacy systems still contained useful profile details. Recovering and aligning those fields reduced data loss and improved downstream profile quality.
- Recovered short bios
- Recovered profile photos where possible
- Aligned identity fields across systems
- Improved Airtable-to-Mongo alignment
- Improved Mighty-to-map sync behavior
- Reduced loss from older system states
Duplicate and Repeat Member Investigation
Duplicate records were not just a cleanup nuisance. They created operational risk across visibility, counting, support, and subscription logic.
- Reduced confusion in map results
- Improved member count reliability
- Lowered reporting risk
- Reduced subscription confusion
- Made support issues easier to trace
- Improved confidence in sync behavior
QA and Testing
Testing covered both the user-facing experience and the operational safety layer so changes could move into production with more confidence.
- Map behavior
- Sidebar behavior
- Profile images
- Search
- Industry filters
- Authentication visibility
- Migration safety
- Assignment results
- Data sync behavior
- Tester access improvements
Migration Proof
Migration completed safely
The free-tier migration was executed with controlled batch processing, eligibility checks, paid-member safeguards, and post-run validation.
Migration Result
Outcome
Total rows processed
2,515
Members added to the Enthusiast Member free plan
2,447
Members already on the correct plan
13
Paid members overwritten
0
Failed rows isolated for follow-up
5
Migration Validation Summary
The most important result was not just the volume processed. It was that 0 paid members were overwritten, protecting BSN's subscription access and revenue while cleaning up the free member base.
The migration was designed around safety first: confirm eligibility, protect paid members, process in controlled batches, log failures, and validate results after the run.
A clean table or stat card showing what happened, what was protected, and what required follow-up.
Technical Stack
Delivery stack across product, data, and migration work
Frontend
Next.jsReactTypeScriptTailwindLeafletReact LeafletMarker clustering
Backend / Data
MongoDBAirtableAPI routesBackend scriptsData backfill scriptsMigration logs
Platforms
Mighty NetworksWix
QA
Manual testingPlaywright-style workflowsProduction migration validation
Business Impact
Operational impact beyond the code
Cleaner Membership Data
BSN now has a cleaner structure for free members, paid members, and legacy records.
Safer Subscription Operations
Paid member access was protected during migration and bulk updates.
Stronger Member Discovery
The map and directory became more reliable, searchable, and aligned with current data.
Better Growth Foundation
The organization is better prepared for onboarding, segmentation, engagement, and subscription conversion.
Reduced Manual Work
Repeatable scripts, logs, and safer operating processes reduce manual cleanup effort.
Better Data Confidence
Staff can trust the path toward alignment across Mighty, Airtable, MongoDB, Wix, and the map.
Client-Verified Outcome
What the client said changed
According to BSN's Membership Specialist, the project helped the organization move toward housing member information in one central platform and creating a clearer source of truth.
The work simplified the membership onboarding process, allowed the team to focus time and resources on improving one platform instead of managing scattered systems, and gave the organization more confidence, control, and clarity around its membership operations.
Kelyce also noted that when feedback or issues came up, Jerry responded promptly, explained the problem clearly, and communicated how it could be addressed.
Results
Clear outcomes from the stabilization work
Safer Mighty Networks membership migration
2,447 members successfully added to the Enthusiast Member free tier
0 paid members overwritten
Improved member map behavior
Improved sidebar/gallery and map alignment
Improved profile photo and bio sync strategy
Better use of legacy Airtable data
Improved tester access and QA process
Better foundation for duplicate detection
Stronger subscription-readiness infrastructure
Strategic Takeaway
Platform stabilization as operational systems consulting
This project moved BSN from a fragmented member-data setup toward a more reliable membership infrastructure. The value was not just technical. The work helped protect revenue, improve member visibility, reduce operational confusion, and prepare BSN for future growth.
BSN now has a cleaner foundation for managing members, engaging free users, protecting paid access, and converting more of its community into active subscribers.
Operations infrastructure
Are disconnected tools, messy member data, or manual onboarding slowing your organization down?
I help mission-driven organizations centralize operations, clean up data, and build infrastructure they can trust.