AUSTIN, Texas, Sept. 17, 2002 (PRIMEZONE) -- Planned Parenthood Los Angeles, which serves the nation's second largest metropolitan area (U.S. Census, 2000), is revamping its Internet infrastructure with Convio(TM) to better serve its increasingly wired and diverse constituencies. As part of the revamping, the agency will re-launch its Web site with more interactive, useful features.
With a population of nearly 16,375,000 people, the Los Angeles metropolitan area now ranks among the 10 most wired U.S. cities, up significantly from its 2001 top 20 standing, according to Yahoo! Internet Life magazine (May 2002).
"A more robust, interactive Web site and email system give us enormous opportunities to continue building our already strong patient and education programs, making the agency an even more valuable resource to our constituents," said Nancy Sasaki, President and CEO for Planned Parenthood Los Angeles. "About 80 percent of our patients have access to the Internet, and we know that supporters and prospective clients are also very Internet-savvy. These new Internet capabilities will help us activate supporters and promote online donations. We chose Convio because the company clearly understands our vision and the solution is easy for non-technical staff to use in their daily work."
Planned Parenthood Los Angeles is among a growing number of Planned Parenthood organizations to partner with Convio. Convio also works with Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Planned Parenthood Action Fund, Planned Parenthood of San Diego and Riverside Counties, Planned Parenthood of Houston and Southeast Texas, and Planned Parenthood of Northern New England. Through their respective Convio-powered Web sites: in 2001, Planned Parenthood Federation of America raised more than $1 million; Planned Parenthood of Houston and Southeast Texas recruits three volunteers per day; and, over two weeks, Planned Parenthood of Northern New England mobilized its Vermont grassroots network of activists to send 250 letters to Vermont state Senators, resulting in defeat of legislation the organization opposed.
Planned Parenthood Los Angeles provides easy, affordable access to a full range of quality reproductive health care and sexual health information through patient services, education and advocacy. Convio, the leading online Constituent Relationship Management (CRM) company for the nonprofit sector, offers Internet software and services to help organizations become more effective in attracting, engaging and retaining key constituents including donors, volunteers, potential recruits, advocates, educators and clients such as patients.
When Convio is deployed, Planned Parenthood Los Angeles will be able to use its new Web site and email system for:
- Providing users with comprehensive information on reproductive health care
- Promoting its responsible sexuality education programs which reach more than 40,000 people a year
- Posting fresh content and news about reproductive healthcare and legislation
- Fast and easy, online scheduling of patient appointments
- Recruiting volunteers and staff
- Cultivating donor prospects and processing gifts online
- Communicating regularly and in a personalized manner through email with constituents about chapter news and events
- Building a sense of community by encouraging constituents to post their personal stories for sharing with others
"With Convio, Planned Parenthood Los Angeles will transform the way it communicates and interacts with diverse constituents," said Vinay Bhagat, founder and CEO, Convio. "Planned Parenthood provides an array of patient services and, with enhanced Web communication tools, will be able to promote them more effectively. They'll also be able to more effectively recruit constituents for volunteering, fundraising and other important activities through our online tools."
Because Convio is an integrated solution with a centralized constituent database, clients are able to integrate all data on constituents -- such as interests, giving history and participation in other activities -- into a single marketing database so staff in different departments can have a complete view of supporters and conduct coordinated communications and cross-marketing programs. For example, Convio enables fundraising staff to determine which volunteers haven't yet joined the organization and/or donated but who should be solicited. Similarly, staff in charge of volunteer coordination can see which donors haven't yet volunteered time to work at facilities or events but who could be targeted for recruitment. Convio also enables integration to different off-line databases to ensure tight coordination between online and off-line marketing efforts.
About Planned Parenthood Los Angeles
Planned Parenthood Los Angeles is the largest provider of reproductive health care services in Los Angeles County. It provides clinical services to more than 50,000 people each year, 80 percent of whom come to the agency for birth control and 70 percent of whom are at or below the federal poverty level. Planned Parenthood Los Angeles outreach programs deliver sexuality and family planning education to nearly 40,000 teens, women and men a year. Through its Planned Parenthood Advocacy Project, the agency is also a leading advocate for reproductive rights.
About Convio
Austin-based Convio is the leading online Constituent Relationship Management, or CRM, company serving the nonprofit sector. Convio's mission is to increase the effectiveness of how nonprofit organizations attract, engage and retain constituents to provide funding and other forms of support. The Convio(tm) software solution consists of six product suites: Special Events, eFundraising, eMarketing, Advocacy, Content Management and Constituent Center. Using Convio, nonprofits can send targeted, personalized email communications; conduct fundraising, membership and advocacy campaigns; publish personalized and fresh Web content; manage registrations, RSVPs, ticket sales and other event logistics; tap volunteers and their personal networks for campaigns; track constituent interactions; connect online systems to off-line systems, e.g., donor databases; and more. The Convio platform automatically shares data among all six product suites, giving nonprofits a unified view of each constituent so staff can conduct more personalized and targeted marketing. Convio also provides services to help nonprofits adopt online marketing best practices.
Convio serves national and regional organizations in all segments of the nonprofit sector including disease and disorder, education, healthcare, human services, advocacy, associations, public broadcasting, museums and other visitation facilities, and political campaigns. In addition to Planned Parenthood Los Angeles and the other Planned Parenthood organizations listed above, Convio's clients include Easter Seals, American Cancer Society, The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, American Humane Association and Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh as well as Los Angeles-based Life Steps Foundation and PBS affiliate, KCET. For more information, please visit http://www.convio.com.