The Lieutenant's Benevolent Association (LBA), the Captain's Endowment Association (CEA), and the Superior Officers Council (SOC) are three NYPD-based labor unions and benefit funds groups serving police lieutenants, captains, and superior officers. Together they support several thousand members and their families with benefit fund administration on top of traditional union representation.

A benefit funds organization carries operational realities that ordinary membership systems are not designed for: per-member contribution tracking, eligibility windows, dependent records, and the reporting demands that come with administering health, welfare, and pension benefits. Running three of those on separate desktop systems, with paper processes filling the gaps, meant duplicate data and a lot of manual reconciliation.

To modernize, LBA, CEA, and SOC engaged Winmill to consolidate the three groups onto one centrally accessible, secure, cloud-based union benefit fund database on eMembership.

Three separate desktop systems, and paper processes filling the gaps

Before consolidating onto eMembership, LBA, CEA, and SOC each ran their own desktop-based system, with paper-based processes used to keep records current. Routine work like adding a member or linking benefit data to a member record was cumbersome, time-consuming, and error-prone.

• Three separate databases. Each group ran on its own desktop system, with duplicate records of members who interacted across the organizations.
• Paper-based processes. Member and benefit data was tracked and updated manually on paper, then keyed into the desktop systems.
• Hard to link benefits to members. Associating benefit fund records with member records required manual cross-referencing across systems.
• Aging desktop infrastructure. Desktop databases limited remote access, complicated backups, and constrained the kinds of reporting the groups could do.

The three groups needed a single cloud-based union benefit fund database that consolidated their data, linked member and benefit records, and supported the kind of integrated reporting their work actually required.

One consolidated database, across three NYPD benefit funds

Winmill consolidated the three desktop databases into a single shared eMembership repository. The work included thorough data validation and cleansing across the three groups, evaluation and optimization of business processes, and a carefully managed migration designed to minimize impact on staff and members.

Data cleansing and migration

Winmill wrote data-cleansing and migration scripts to move the desktop databases into eMembership. Each migration was validated against the source data, and inconsistencies between the three groups' records were reconciled before cutover.

Business process optimization

Every business process was evaluated and optimized to fit into an integrated, modernized application architecture. Workflows that had been split across three systems are now expressed once, with role-based permissions controlling what each group can see and do.

A managed cutover

The transition strategy included a weekend cutover with Winmill staff on site to support training and troubleshoot issues. The goal was a smooth migration that staff and members experienced as a single upgrade, not three separate disruptions.

A platform that keeps evolving

Several enhancements have been implemented on the platform since the initial rollout, which continues to support a highly optimized business process solution for all three groups.

A platform that supports three organizations together

Beyond consolidating the benefit fund database, LBA, CEA, and SOC use a range of integrated tools within eMembership:

• Bulk email and SMS union communications to targeted member segments across the three groups
• Union meetings and event management with attendance tracking
• Union surveys for gathering member feedback
• Union electronic signatures for membership applications and benefit authorizations
• Role-based permissions so each group sees what is relevant to it
• A secure, cloud-based architecture that removed the on-premises hardware burden

Three groups, one database, an optimized business process

With eMembership, LBA, CEA, and SOC operate from one shared union benefit fund database that supports each group's distinct work while removing the duplication that came with three separate systems.

• One database, three groups. Member and benefit records live in one system, with permissions controlling what each group can see and modify.
• Paperwork retired. Manual paper-based processes were replaced with modern data entry and automated workflows.
• Cloud-based and secure. The transition from desktop systems to a cloud platform improved access, reliability, and security posture.
• Continuous improvement. Several enhancements have been implemented since launch, with the platform continuing to support optimized processes.
• Reporting across groups. Leadership can now report on data that spans all three organizations, which was not possible under the legacy desktop architecture.