AUSTIN, Texas, Sept. 22, 2003 (PRIMEZONE) -- Nonprofit Times -- one of the top trade publications serving the nonprofit sector -- has named Convio-powered Web sites for Easter Seals and Dean For America to its exclusive list of "hot" Web sites. Although Nonprofit Times considered more than 200 nonprofit Web sites, only six made the final list which appears in the publication's September 15 "Direct Response Fundraising" edition (http://www.nptimes.com/dme/Sept03/HotNPSite03.pdf).
Dean for America (www.deanforamerica.com) and Easter Seals (www.easter-seals.org) are among the 140 organizations that work with Convio, the leading provider of Internet software and services to help nonprofits become more effective at fundraising, mobilizing support and managing constituent relationships. Convio clients' Web sites also have won awards from or been recognized by other groups including the Web Marketing Association and The Jim Mullen Foundation (sponsor of the New Freedom Awards).
"The Nonprofit Times' Web site hot list recognizes not only Convio's strong technology but, more importantly, the vision, marketing savvy and creativity of the Dean campaign and Easter Seals," said Gene Austin, CEO of Convio, Inc. "Equipped with today's most advanced Internet tools, these two clients are 'writing the book' on effective use of the online medium to fundraise and involve constituents. We are delighted to see them receive the recognition they deserve for their Internet initiatives."
Nonprofit Times judged each site on "how its message was conveyed, with importance placed on availability of materials, rotating content, ease of navigation and unique features," according to the story accompanying the hot list. " ... Those chosen were able to best convey the mission and tone of their organizations through a computer screen and a couple of speakers," the story explains.
Dean For America -- former Vermont Governor Howard Dean's campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination -- has been widely celebrated for its groundbreaking use of the Internet to fundraise and organize a constituency. Characterizing the Dean campaign as "the cutting edge in political candidacy," the Nonprofit Times coverage focuses on the group's use of Convio TeamRaiser(tm) software, which provides Internet tools to supporters so they can be Dean Team Leaders who create their own Web pages and use email to solicit and recruit others. More than 2,300 supporters have signed up to be Dean Team Leaders. Since going live with Convio in April, Dean For America has registered more than 406,000 supporters through its Web site and raised millions of dollars online -- as much as $3.6 million in a single quarter.
Nonprofit Times chose Easter Seals for innovative use of its Web site for fundraising, outreach and constituent communications. The Nonprofit Times article spotlights Easter Seals' production and online posting of a compelling, Flash technology-based, two-minute film narrative, "Palmer's Story," about the experience of a young girl's adaptation to life after losing use of her legs in a car crash. The organization put the movie online in mid-July as part of a larger campaign. Site traffic doubled and the average number of donations increased four-fold daily during the two-month campaign.
Easter Seals -- the nation's 21st largest charity (according to Nonprofit Times) -- provides services to help children and adults with disabilities gain greater independence. In August 2002, Easter Seals re-launched its national Web site and email marketing system with Convio and is migrating its entire organization, which includes more than 100 Web properties, to a single Internet technology platform and constituent database for more coordinated, integrated fundraising, marketing and communications. Easter Seals also is using Convio to help support nationwide growth of its "Walk With Me" event series and as its primary tool for grassroots advocacy at the local and national levels. Easter Seals' national Web site has experienced a 350 percent increase in visitors per week compared with the same timeframe last year.
"Palmer's Story is just one of many online initiatives we've been able to pursue for outreach, raising awareness and driving support because we now have a robust infrastructure that has opened up this important channel of communications," said Shirley Sexton, Director of Internet Marketing for Easter Seals. "Convio has vastly enhanced our marketing and communications."
About Convio
Convio is the leading online Constituent Relationship Management (eCRM) company serving the nonprofit sector. Convio's offering of Internet software and services helps organizations attract, motivate and retain constituents for fundraising, marketing and advocacy as well as other forms of support and participation. Convio's product suite includes modules for Web content management, email marketing, general fundraising and membership, advocacy, special events, volunteer fundraising and also online directories and surveys. The Convio platform automatically shares data among all product modules and with offline databases, giving nonprofits a unified and more complete view of each constituent so staff can conduct personalized and targeted marketing. Convio also offers consulting services to help nonprofits adopt online marketing best practices.
In addition to Dean For America and Easter Seals, Convio's clients include Mothers Against Drunk Driving, American Diabetes Association, The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, AVON Foundation, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, KCET Community Television of Southern California, Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh, National Trust For Historic Preservation, Georgetown University and Y-ME National Breast Cancer Organization. For more information, please visit Convio's Web site.
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