As the largest trade association in the U.S., Florida Realtors supports over 240,000 real estate professionals with education that helps them grow their careers and better serve their communities. But with a small team and a complex delivery model, scaling consistent, high-quality learning had become increasingly difficult. With limited resources and increasing expectations, Florida Realtors needed a smarter, more scalable way to deliver engaging learning experiences while also creating new streams of non-dues revenue. By partnering with LearnUpon, they transformed how learning is delivered across the state—expanding reach, improving consistency, and strengthening their impact on local communities. “As an organization, we've currently recouped 80% of what we've invested in LearnUpon. We're a not-for-profit organization. Creating non-dues revenue has had a huge impact on our department personally, to be able to then pay it forward and make a difference in our local communities.” Niki Ackels Instructional Design Specialist, Florida Realtors The Challenge: Delivering Consistent Learning at Scale Florida Realtors’ six-person learning team supports the education needs of over 240,000 professionals. In the past, learning was delivered through a mix of in-person classes, Zoom webinars, and printed materials—often managed by local boards. According to Niki Ackels, Instructional Design Specialist, “This created inconsistencies and was a challenge with bandwidth.” At the same time, a heavy reliance on third-party vendors made it tricky to customize content, respond quickly to learners’ needs, and deliver a seamless end-to-end experience. As the real estate industry continued to evolve, member expectations shifted too. Learners wanted more flexible, high-quality options that fit around busy schedules and supported their ongoing professional development. Niki and her team knew they needed a solution that could simplify delivery, enable on-demand certification and CE programs, and create a consistent, professional experience that reflected the Florida Realtors brand. And there was another opportunity: the ability to easily sell learning content and generate non-dues revenue, allowing the team to reinvest back into their members and local communities. The Solution: Scalable, Centralized, On-Demand Learning To meet these needs, Florida Realtors turned to LearnUpon, the LMS that could scale with them, without sacrificing quality or control. With LearnUpon, Niki and her team launched a statewide, on-demand learning experience, bringing all courses, certifications, CE programs, and resources into a single, learner-friendly space. No longer tied to in-person sessions, members can now log in whenever they need to access the learning that matters most. “LearnUpon is a flexible, user-friendly learning management system that enables us to deliver high-quality, powerful, and scalable content to our members across our state.” Niki Ackels Instructional Design Specialist at Florida Realtors This flexibility allows members to grow their real estate businesses at their own pace, while earning the credentials they need to succeed. For Niki and her team, it’s been transformative as it’s given them the ability to deliver high-quality learning experiences to every member, regardless of location or schedule. Simplifying Admin. Amplifying Impact. This shift to on-demand learning has also streamlined operations for Florida Realtors. By reducing the need for printed materials and in-person logistics, the team has significantly reduced overhead for local boards. At the same time, LearnUpon has empowered staff to manage and update content independently, giving the education team full control to make quick updates and improvements without relying on external support. On the admin side, LearnUpon has made everything simpler and more efficient. “One of the wonderful things about LearnUpon on the admin side is I’m able to streamline it. It’s extremely easy. It’s very efficient,” says Niki. Using LearnUpon’s native content tools and SCORM support, her team has transformed what were once static, text-based materials into dynamic, interactive courses that keep learners engaged. They also take advantage of LearnUpon’s exam functionality to offer exam-only access for hybrid learners, and are in the process of rolling out Zoom integrations to seamlessly manage live learning—all within the same platform. Seamless Integration for Effortless Access & Data Behind the scenes, a custom integration was built between the LMS and Florida Realtors’ association platform using LearnUpon’s robust API, ensuring a smooth learner experience. Through single sign-on, members can access LearnUpon directly from the Florida Realtors website without needing to remember additional passwords. Learner data automatically flows into LearnUpon, triggering auto-enrollment into groups based on each member’s local board. This automation ensures that learners receive the right content for their region while reducing the admin workload for Niki’s team. For members, the journey is seamless. “Our members log in on our website and are automatically directed to our education portal hosted on LearnUpon. It’s a really seamless journey,” says Niki. Growing careers and revenue Since implementing LearnUpon, Florida Realtors has launched hundreds of certifications and designations for members and recouped 80% of their LearnUpon investment through non-dues revenue. This success has allowed them to reinvest in community initiatives and continue expanding the reach of their education programs. “Creating non-dues revenue has been a huge impact for our department. It’s allowed us to pay it forward and make a difference in our local communities.” Niki Ackels Instructional Design Specialist at Florida Realtors More Than A Platform: A True Learning Partner For Niki and her team, choosing LearnUpon wasn’t just about finding the right technology, it was about finding the right partner. One with responsive guidance, trusted expertise, and reliable support to keep everything running smoothly. LearnUpon’s customer experience team became an extension of their own, helping them navigate questions, solve challenges quickly, and stay confident in their day-to-day work as Niki says “LearnUpon was a great partner because of the customer support. It’s very easy to get help when we need it—and fast.” What’s Next: Growing Beyond Florida With LearnUpon firmly in place, Florida Realtors is poised for even greater impact. The team is now focused on expanding their learning library to support professional development beyond certifications, ensuring members can continue growing throughout their careers—not just meeting requirements. Looking ahead, Florida Realtors plans to open access to their programs to out-of-state professionals and association partners—broadening their reach and influence across the industry. As Niki shares, “We’re already hearing from other state associations who want access to our learning. With LearnUpon, we now have the infrastructure to support that.”