AUSTIN, Texas, Nov. 13, 2003 (PRIMEZONE) -- Convio, Inc., the leading provider of software and services that help nonprofits use the Internet to develop strong constituent relationships, today announced two new sets of powerful solutions: Convio Affiliate Express and Convio Rewards.
With Convio Affiliate Express, Convio provides an even more comprehensive Internet solution for nonprofits with chapters or affiliates. The new solution allows centrally managed nonprofits to extend Convio Internet tools to smaller chapters or affiliates so they can create and manage their own Web sites and also send email communications, delivering content tailored to their constituents' needs and interests. Convio Affiliate Express complements Convio Affiliate(tm), which was introduced last year and provides similar tools but is geared for larger chapters and affiliated groups.
Convio offers these two products because chapters and affiliates of different sizes have different needs as well as staff and resources for managing their online initiatives. A multi-affiliate organization can use a combination of Convio Affiliate and Convio Affiliate Express to enable all its chapters, regardless of size, to leverage the Internet more effectively. (For additional information on Convio Affiliate Express and Convio Affiliate, please visit www.convio.com/affiliateexpress and www.convio.com/affiliate, respectively.)
Convio Rewards is a new online tool for measuring and rewarding constituent involvement. Using Convio Rewards, an organization assigns points to measure the value of different online actions. For example, responding to an action alert may be worth 10 points while making a donation merits 30 points. As constituents participate online, they accrue points that are redeemable for gifts or other incentives. This loyalty-marketing technique, originally pioneered by consumer marketers (e.g., airline frequent flyer programs), can be very powerful for nonprofits.
"Convio Affiliate Express and Convio Rewards are important additions to Convio's family of products," said Gene Austin, CEO of Convio, Inc. "We now are uniquely positioned to provide online constituent management capabilities to nonprofit organizations with affiliates of all shapes and sizes. And with Rewards, our customers can provide enhanced loyalty programs to their best supporters to help sustain their participation."
Convio Affiliate Express
Convio Affiliate Express meets the needs of both a parent organization and its smaller chapters or affiliates. A parent organization can use Convio Affiliate Express to:
- Provide chapter or affiliate owners with tools to develop and manage turnkey Web sites, or "Chapter Pages," that help preserve the look and brand identity of the main organization's Web site; and
- Give chapters or affiliates email tools for frequent online communication with their constituents.
Using Convio Affiliate Express, both new and established smaller affiliates can:
- Build constituent affinity and drive event participation by making their Web pages a destination for chapter news, event information and photo albums;
- Communicate frequently with members through easy-to-create emails with chapter or affiliate news and links to the Web site;
- Grow membership by enabling online registration and encouraging members to forward affiliate information to others; and
- Create a sense of community and increase constituent involvement by providing members-only pages and letting members post personal stories and photos.
Administrators at a parent organization use Convio's Constituent360(tm) to centrally maintain member information collected online, such as email addresses, in a single database. The central organization also can provide common branding and formatting for all affiliates to use for their Web sites and email to ensure a consistent, professional image.
Convio Rewards
Nonprofits can use Convio Rewards to cultivate multiple gifts, increase gift size and trigger non-monetary support. By awarding points redeemable for gifts and other benefits, an organization can encourage constituents to donate more frequently and at higher giving levels. Administrators can designate how many points to give a supporter for different contribution levels, awarding more points for larger donations to stimulate more giving.
A nonprofit also can give points to constituents when they extend the organization's reach and impact by sending emails or Web site links to friends and relatives to "spread the word" -- a practice known as "viral" marketing. A cause-driven group can give a constituent points each time he participates in an online advocacy campaign: for example, when he responds to an email action alert and uses the Internet to email, fax or write to lawmakers and other decision makers.
About Convio(r)
Convio is the leading provider of software and services that help nonprofit organizations use the Internet to build strong constituent relationships to drive support and participation. Convio has online solution centers for fundraising and membership, advocacy, special events, volunteer fundraising, Web site management, email communications and alumni relations. All centers include the Constituent360(tm) platform, a sophisticated, online marketing database that centralizes constituent data and integrates with offline databases. This gives nonprofits a unified view of constituent interests and motivations -- key for personalized and targeted outreach and communications. Convio also provides services and consulting to help nonprofits achieve success online.
Convio's clients include Dean For America, Easter Seals, American Diabetes Association, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, AVON Foundation, National Trust For Historic Preservation, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, KCET Community Television of Southern California, Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh, Georgetown University and the Y-ME National Breast Cancer Organization. For more information, please visit www.convio.com.
-0- Convio Susie Tull 512-652-2662 stull@convio.com