Client

The Xá:ytem Longhouse Interpretive Centre is a 9000-year-old ancient Aboriginal village site near Mission, in the heart of the Fraser Valley of BC, features a sacred transformer stone and BC’s oldest dwelling. Year-round, Xá:ytem welcomes more than 15,000 visitors to learn, interact, and experience the ancient Sto:lo traditional history, culture, archaeology and spirituality. “Sto:lo” is translated as People of the River in the Halq’emeylem language.

Visitors are offered guided tours; hands-on cultural, archaeology or fishing programs; workshops such as basket making, drum making, Salish weaving, and mask carving; cross-cultural awareness seminars, and immersion and overnight programs. On the site, there is a 4,000 square foot longhouse, two pithouses (circular underground dwellings), a visitors’ center, an archaeology sifting shelter, and a gift gallery that offers local Native art as well as souvenir items and books.

Challenge

Xá:ytem had operated their interpretive center in Mission, BC for many years and were looking to improve their ability to raise funding and communicate to the public. Xá:ytem also wanted to increase the amount of revenue generated from operating a gift shop on the site. Managing the inventory was proving challenging as they needed better control of their gift shop inventory.

The key challenge was to figure out how to develop and utilize donor and visitor information and relationships so they could communicate with them and encourage on-going awareness, support and participation in Xá:ytem’s initiative and programs.

Solution

JDQ Systems partnered with Vancity under the banner of the JDQ 3Spheres/Vancity Strengthening Social Enterprise initiative. JDQ put together a team to analyze and implement new business processes while Vancity offered resources and funding to help make it happen. As the project evolved the need for a contact management system evolved and Maximizer Software, a leading provider of customer relationship management (CRM) solutions, came to the table and offered a donation of their CRM software..

Result

While this project is still in the developmental stage, we believe the result will be that the 3Spheres/Vancity team will help Xá:ytem install and implement a contact management system and establish the necessary protocols for using the system to maintain (and foster) relationships with their sponsors, donors and visitors. The enhanced inventory control system will allow the Xá:ytem gift shop to avoid stock outs and easily assess demand for items to insure that they have the most popular products available for visitors.

“I am so pleased that Xa:ytem received this gift of expertise that JDQ 3spheres provided and the funding from Vancity.  I know that this project will help us so much in the next steps in our development. It not only provided expert business advice, but also mentored the site in ways of managing success and growth,” says Linnea Battel, Xá:ytem Executive Director.