Harlem SGL•LGBTQ Center, Inc.
The Harlem SGL•LGBTQ Center, Inc. is a vital community anchor located in the heart of New York City, committed to uplifting and empowering Same Gender Loving, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer individuals, as well as their families and allies. Rooted in Harlem’s vibrant cultural legacy, the Center’s mission is to foster a safe, inclusive, and affirming space where people of all identities can access culturally competent services and thrive without judgment.
Guided by a vision to become the central hub for connection, healing, and growth, Harlem Center provides a wide array of holistic programs—including youth development initiatives, senior support services, educational workshops, cultural events, and health and wellness resources. Through these offerings, Harlem SGL•LGBTQ Center, Inc. honors the legacy and amplifies the voices of Harlem’s diverse and historically significant SGL•LGBTQ community.
Background & Project Objectives
As a growing organization with a deep commitment to the community, the Harlem Center needed a powerful yet flexible digital platform to serve both members and guests. Their vision was to launch a bilingual (English and Spanish) online portal capable of handling complex functionality while maintaining simplicity for end users. The project aimed to create a comprehensive membership portal for Harlem Center, which provides a variety of services and programs to the LGBTQ+ community. Key features included member registration, volunteer management, resource booking, event registration, and more.
“We needed a central hub of communication for our members to receive information, interact with each other and our organization, which was built on Salesforce. We needed to have member information in our Salesforce database to ensure continuity of programs and services.
We were trying to streamline our membership and event registration processes, as well as create a central communication hub so that our members would have one location to access all our program information and services as well as community news that we share from our community partners and collaborators.
The factors that were most important to us were: Native Salesforce format, flexibility to grow as our organization grew, user interface and overall functionality. AC fits the bill one hundred percent across the board.”
Carmen Neely, President & CEO – Implementation Contact
Project scope included:
•Portal configuration and setup, including custom branding and notifications.
•Installation and configuration of AC MemberSmart, including its built-in functionality for member registration, groups, directories, job board, events, and more.
•New Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud setup.
•Development of custom resource booking functionality.
•Installation and configuration of the V4S Accelerator Package for program management and volunteer time tracking.
•Implementation of virtual membership cards.
•Language selection functionality to make the portal available in both English and Spanish.
The Solution
To meet these needs, Advanced Communities developed an Experience Cloud member portal featuring a clean, intuitive design with custom branding. We implemented AC MemberSmart and the V4S package, and enhanced the solution with a range of tailored features and custom-built functionalities.
“We expected a solution that would manage our members, partners and also engage non-members in event registration, fundraising and other touch points that would hopefully motivate them to become members. ”
Carmen Neely, President & CEO – Implementation Contact
Key features delivered:
•A user-friendly, branded portal experience
•Custom membership registration with manual approval workflows
•Volunteer job sign-ups with shift calendars and hour tracking
•Room/resource booking with automated pricing and internal workflows
•Event registration, donation capabilities, and group engagement
•Public-facing directories and multilingual (English/Spanish) support
“We chose AC because they have a comprehensive product, excellent customer service and were able to map out exactly what they would do and exactly how much it would cost. There was no ambiguity in the process. Everything was clear. Also, their team was able to clearly answer any questions we had and suggest best practices as we reviewed various implementation options. The onboarding and implementation processes were seamless. The communication was clear. Benchmarks were set and met. The entire team was responsive. ”
Carmen Neely, President & CEO – Implementation Contact
Benefits & Results
Within a short timeframe, Harlem SGL•LGBTQ Center launched a robust, multifunctional portal that supports community engagement, streamlines internal processes, and delivers on their mission of inclusion and empowerment.
Guest and Member Experiences
The portal’s guest experience provides access to essential information and a range of engagement options, including volunteering, donating, attending events, joining groups, and applying for membership with the Harlem Center. Guests can explore opportunities, take part in community activities, and begin their journey toward becoming members—all through an intuitive and welcoming interface.
Once logged in, members gain additional functionality, such as access to volunteer job listings, scheduling tools, hour tracking, and the member directory.
Membership Registration Workflow
Guests can apply for one of three membership types: Individual (free), Nonprofit, or Business. Instead of automatic user creation, the system triggers internal notifications for staff to manually review and approve. This process allows the Center to verify eligibility (e.g., IRS determination letters for nonprofits) before granting access.
Volunteer Management
Individual members can view and sign up for available volunteer shifts. A custom Volunteer Shift Calendar displays all available shifts and allows users to sign up, track their upcoming commitments, and log completed hours. These hours are visible to staff on the backend for reporting and oversight.
Resource Booking System
One of the standout customizations was a full facility/resource booking feature that enables community members to reserve Harlem Center spaces. Users submit booking requests by specifying details such as dates, equipment needs, and room preferences. The system automatically calculates the total cost. Harlem Center staff receive email notifications for new requests and manage them through an internal interface. Once approved, the bookings are processed, corresponding events are created, and payment links are sent to the users.
Bilingual Access
The portal supports both English and Spanish, making it more accessible to Harlem Center’s diverse user base.
Events, Groups, Directories, Jobs
Both guest and logged-in users can register for events, join community groups, and browse public directories of members and partners. All portal members are automatically added to groups. Guest users can access the job board, but only individual members can apply for volunteer roles.
Internal Staff Functionality
Harlem Center staff have access to comprehensive information through a custom interface. They can review and manage memberships, members, and resource bookings, as well as oversee volunteer hours submitted by members. This centralized system enables efficient monitoring of facility usage and volunteer contributions, supporting the effective administration of resources and member engagement.
And here’s what Harlem SGL•LGBTQ Center, Inc.said about our performance:
“I enjoyed working with the AC team because it’s evident that they love their product too and were happy to engage in finding efficient ways to reach our implementation goals.
Customer support and overall implementation gets the highest rating possible. The team is a joy with which to work and are very responsive to our needs.
One particular example of exceptional service is the collaboration to work on the digital membership card integration. AC recommended the company and took initiative in final testing to ensure that everything worked together seamlessly.”
Carmen Neely, President & CEO – Implementation Contact
