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Convio Introduces New Personal Outreach Tools, Helps Nonprofits Leverage Online Social Networks to Empower Supporters.


Convio Widgets and Personal Outreach Pages Help Constituents More Effectively Connect with Organizations, Conduct Ongoing Fundraising and Advocacy Campaigns

AUSTIN, Texas -- Convio, Inc. - the leading provider of on-demand software See SaaS.  and services that help nonprofits use the Internet for building strong constituent relationships and driving support - today announced new personal outreach tools to help organizations more effectively empower supporters for driving ongoing awareness, support and giving.

Convio Widgets work like bumper stickers on the Web, letting organizations tap into the power of online social networking See social networking site.

social networking - social network
, blogging and more. Additionally, Convio's enhanced personal outreach capabilities provide constituents new ways to extend their individual fundraising and advocacy campaigns beyond events, memorials or tributes.

Widgets and Online Social Networking

Online social networks (e.g., MySpace.com, LinkedIn.com, Facebook.com, etc.) enable people to connect and interact online around shared interests or causes. Market research firms estimate that social networking sites attract nearly half of all Web users in the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. , with sites like MySpace.com now ranking among the top ten most-visited Web sites on the Internet.

Convio Widgets enable individuals to help promote an organization's campaigns or appeals on social networking and online publishing sites. Widgets are small blocks of code with specific branding which nonprofits can make available from their Web sites. Online visitors can easily copy a widget Pronounced "wih-jit," for decades, the term has been a popular word for a generic "thing" when there is no real name for it. It is often used to describe examples of made-up products along with other fictitious names; for example, "10 widgets, 5 frabbits and 2 dingits. , which looks like a small banner ad A graphic image used on Web sites to advertise a product or service. Banner ads come in numerous sizes, but are often rectangles 460 pixels wide by 60 pixels high. Also 460 x 55 and 392 x 72 sizes are commonly used. , and post it on their own personal pages. Contacts who click on a widget from a social networking site are linked back to an organization's main Web site where they can perform different actions such as donate, register or respond to an advocacy action alert. Nonprofits using Convio Widgets can, for example:

* Increase participation in special events by enabling constituents to display widgets promoting the event which provide links back to the organization's registration page;

* Help supporters solicit more donations by using widgets that resemble graphical meters and display progress toward personal fundraising goals; and

* Generate stronger grass roots grass roots
pl.n. (used with a sing. or pl. verb)
1. People or society at a local level rather than at the center of major political activity. Often used with the.

2. The groundwork or source of something.
 advocacy support by allowing constituents to use widgets promoting particular advocacy campaigns.

"We're excited to start using Convio Widgets. Online tools like these have the potential to enable a group's most passionate supporters to become even more connected with an organization and conduct proactive outreach," said Jeff Regen, Vice President of Online Marketing & Communications, Defenders of Wildlife Defenders of Wildlife is non-profit 501(c)(3) organization founded in 1947 out of concern for perceived cruelties of the use of steel-jawed leghold traps for trapping fur-bearing animals. . "Since widgets are 'portable' and go anywhere an individual goes in the increasingly popular world of online social networking, they also provide a great opportunity for nonprofits to reach larger audiences, attract new supporters and build larger constituencies."

Personal Outreach Pages

In addition to Convio Widgets, the company has launched new personal outreach tools to help organizations utilize supporters for conducting more effective online fundraising and advocacy campaigns. With Convio, nonprofits already have tools which let supporters easily conduct online outreach and create personalized fundraising Web sites for events as well as in honor or memory of friends and relatives. Now, organizations can empower constituents even more by enabling them to create personal pages on an ongoing basis, independent of special events, tributes or memorials.

Convio's personal outreach sites let constituents raise money and advocate on behalf of an organization at any time and for numerous causes. For example:

* A board member or volunteer can create a personal Web page describing their involvement and experiences with a specific cause, and encourage others to donate or take action to support the cause;

* An individual celebrating a birthday or wedding can use a personal page to spread the word about more meaningful gifts; or

* Someone moved by news coverage of a humanitarian crisis can create a personal page within minutes to help inform others, drive online giving and have a greater impact.

"While the Internet continues to play an increasingly larger role in our lives, as demonstrated by the popularity and explosive growth of online social networks, it is critical that nonprofits continuously implement new strategies and tactics which allow supporters to do more online," said Gene Austin, CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. , Convio, Inc. "With our new personal outreach tools, Convio has taken the lead in helping groups more effectively utilize their constituents to help spread the word about important causes while increasing giving and building ongoing support for their organizations."

Convio Widgets will be available in early 2007.

About Convio

Convio is the leading provider of on-demand software and services to help nonprofits use the Internet strategically to build strong relationships with constituents for driving fundraising, advocacy and other forms of support. Convio has online solutions for fundraising, advocacy, Web content management, event fundraising, ecommerce and email communications. All solutions include the Constituent360[TM] platform, a sophisticated, online marketing database that centralizes constituent data and integrates with offline databases.

Convio has been named to the 2006 Inc. 500 list, recognizing the fastest growing private companies in the nation. The company's clients include American Red Cross American Red Cross: see Red Cross. , American Diabetes Association The American Diabetes Association, or the ADA, is an American health organization providing diabetes research, information and advocacy. Founded in 1940, the American Diabetes Association conducts programs in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, reaching hundreds of , American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (A.S.P.C.A.), chartered in 1866 in New York by Henry Bergh to shelter homeless animals, to assist farmers in caring for their livestock, and to cooperate with law enforcement agencies in the prosecution of , AVON Foundation, Easter Seals, Farm Aid, Mothers Against Drunk Driving Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) is a nonprofit organization with more than 600 chapters nationwide. MADD seeks to find effective solutions to the problems of drunk driving and underage drinking, while also supporting those persons whose relatives and friends have been killed by drunk , National Multiple Sclerosis Society The National Multiple Sclerosis Society, a United States-based non-profit organization, and its network of chapters nationwide promote research, educate, advocate on issues relating to multiple sclerosis, and organize a wide range of programs, including support for the newly , National Trust For Historic Preservation, Ronald McDonald House Charities This article or section needs sources or references that appear in reliable, third-party publications. Alone, primary sources and sources affiliated with the subject of this article are not sufficient for an accurate encyclopedia article. , The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation and Thirteen/WNET New York New York, state, United States
New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of
. For more information, please visit www.convio.com.
COPYRIGHT 2006 Business Wire
No portion of this article can be reproduced without the express written permission from the copyright holder.
Copyright 2006, Gale Group. All rights reserved. Gale Group is a Thomson Corporation Company.

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Publication:Business Wire
Date:Nov 15, 2006
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