Florida Education Association Rapidly Transforms Union Dues Collection With Highly Flexible and Scalable A2A Payments
Digitally Transforming Union Dues Collection
The Florida Education Association (FEA), representing over 120,000 educators in the state of Florida, faced a critical challenge in late 2022. Newly passed state legislation prohibited the use of payroll deductions for the collection of union dues, threatening FEA’s ability to collect dues and maintain their vital role in advocating for teachers, education support professionals, students, higher education faculty and graduate assistants, and overall quality public education in the state of Florida.
“We had to quickly figure out a payment mechanism that was cost-effective, easy to use, scalable and secure to collect union members’ dues payments,” said Anthony Roeder, FEA Director of Information Technology. “We decided to develop our own centralized platform using Dwolla’s payment solutions in partnership with our strategic developer, Arrayworks, to pick up where payroll deductions ended, and we needed to implement it quickly. Our members are teachers, college professors, bus drivers, custodians, retirees, and other educator support staff, so it was very important to us that at the end of the day, we had a product that we could trust, mimicked payroll deduction and was cost-effective. Dwolla’s solution was the answer.”
A Swift and Secure Solution
Unable to rely on the convenience of payroll deductions, the FEA needed a swift and secure solution to collect dues directly from members. Time was of the essence, and the chosen method had to be user-friendly, highly secure and adaptable to the needs of over 100 local unions within the FEA. After exploring various options, the FEA partnered with Dwolla because the flexibility, security, affordability and ease of implementation stood out. These characteristics enabled the FEA to tailor the solution to their unique needs and get it up and running quickly with minimal payment technology expertise. It also allowed them to scale rapidly so they could swiftly ramp up and maintain timely dues collections and protect the personal and financial data of their union members.
The Key Benefits of Dwolla's Solution for the FEA
- Rapid Implementation: Dwolla's modern and easy-to-use solution enabled the FEA to quickly implement the new dues collection methods and scale from zero transactions to 180,000+ monthly union payments in about six months.
- Unmatched Flexibility: Dwolla's highly customizable API and payment tools allowed the FEA to create customized payment flows for each of their 100 local unions, accommodating diverse needs and preferences. With over 80 unique school system payment schedules to accommodate, Dwolla helped FEA create funds flows that mimicked their previous payroll deduction system and limited the amount of change the union members would encounter.
- Security and Trust: Educators entrust their personal and financial information with the FEA, so security is paramount. Dwolla's secure platform safeguarded data privacy and minimized the risk of fraud and overdrafts.
- Cost-Effectiveness: Dwolla's competitive pricing and scalable fees were crucial for the FEA, especially considering the large volume of monthly transactions.
- Exceptional Support: The FEA lauded Dwolla's dedicated support team for their responsiveness and expertise, providing invaluable assistance throughout the transition.
Results
- Over 100,000 members are now using the FEA’s new payment system, powered by Dwolla, to pay their dues, demonstrating the platform's ease of use and member onboarding.
- Transaction volume has soared to an average of 180,000 per month, showcasing the system's efficiency and scalability.
- Local unions have retained control over their dues collection processes, maintaining consistency and customization within their communities.
