Convio and Charity Dynamics Help Austin Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure® Tap the Power of Social Networks with Open Initiative

AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Convio, Inc. today announced a million dollar success story for the Convio Open Initiative—technology and partnerships that empower nonprofits to tap the new Web and mobilize online communities in support of their causes. Built by Charity Dynamics, a Convio partner, Boundless Fundraising™ (www.boundlessfundraising.com) exceeded all expectations in its first implementation -- helping Susan G. Komen for the Cure Austin Affiliate towards the $1 million fundraising goal set for the 2008 Komen Race for the Cure. Launched by the organization a mere 16 days prior to the event, the Boundless Fundraising social networking application was adopted by over 650 participants. The Boundless Fundraising application was made possible through Convio’s Open APIs (application programming interfaces) and extensions. The Convio Open Initiative is a combination of applications, integration tools, APIs (application programming interfaces) and partnerships to meet the nonprofit sector’s growing need to tap the power of the new Web.

“The success of Charity Dynamics and Komen Austin shows that social networking and new integration options are having a profound effect on the way nonprofits reach and engage new constituents,” said Gene Austin, chief executive officer for Convio. “When we took a leadership position with Convio Open we set out to help nonprofits redefine online marketing and fundraising channels, create new and diverse communities of supporters and harness the multiplier factor of constituents and their social networks. We’re very excited to see our clients and partners tap into these new capabilities to increase visibility, connect with more people and reach their fundraising goals.”

The growth of social networks represents a major new channel for nonprofits to reach constituents to support their missions, while new technologies are enabling a more compelling online experience for donors, advocates, and other constituents. By implementing these new Web technologies and applications, nonprofits are growing and expanding constituent data files, intensifying the need for simpler integration with donor database systems and interaction between applications.

Susan G. Komen for the Cure Austin Affiliate (www.komenaustin.org) implemented Boundless Fundraising™ from Charity Dynamics as part of an integrated online strategy to support the 2008 Komen Austin Race for the Cure, a 5K race benefitting the fight against breast cancer. The Boundless Fundraising application passes data and transaction to Komen Austin’s Convio system simplifying constituent relationship management and tracking of supporters. Of this year’s 21,000 participants 22% maintained an active Facebook account related to the Race for the Cure.

Eager to tap into these social networking communities, Susan G. Komen for the Cure Austin Affiliate partnered with Charity Dynamics, a leading provider of online solutions for nonprofit organizations, to harness the power of Boundless Fundraising. The results were impressive. In just 16 days, 676 participants added the application. At 12%, team captains showed the highest adoption rate (in fact, statistics showed that the more participants trained, the more likely they were to add the app). What’s more, Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure Austin Affiliate received more than 2700 referrals from Facebook as a result of the Boundless Fundraising application.

Boundless Fundraising did more than spread through participants’ networks, attract new constituents and help raise funds: It substantially improved the fundraising performance of its adopters. Participants who added Boundless Fundraising to their pages outperformed non-adopters by 595%, garnering more than three times as many donations, sending nearly 10 times as many emails, and achieving more of their goals by a 2:1 margin. While participants without Boundless Fundraising who updated their personal pages fared better than those who did not, both groups’ performances fell short in comparison to those of Boundless Fundraising adopters.

At the Annual Convio Client Summit this week in Austin, Convio will be demonstrating Convio APIs to allow integration between Convio and custom Web applications, extensions that allow integration with open platforms such as YouTube®, Facebook®, Flickr and Plaxo™, and database connectors for popular donor/constituent databases. During the Summit, Charity Dynamics will also be demonstrating Boundless Fundraising and how nonprofits are successfully using this new application to tap into social networks.

For more information about Convio Open and sharing information, interested parties can visit a dedicated Web site about the initiative at http://open.convio.com.

For more information about Boundless Fundraising interested parties can visit http://www.boundlessfundraising.com.

About Convio

Convio is the leading provider of on-demand constituent relationship management (CRM) software and services that give nonprofit organizations a better way to inspire and mobilize people to support their organization. The company’s online marketing suite offers integrated software for fundraising, advocacy, events, email marketing and web content management, and its Convio Common Ground™ CRM system helps organizations efficiently track and manage all interactions with supporters. All Convio products are delivered through the Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model and are backed by a portfolio of best-in-class consulting and support services and a network of partners who provide value-added services and applications focused on the unique needs of nonprofit organizations.

Convio clients include nonprofit organizations, institutions of higher education, associations and faith-based organizations around the world such as American Red Cross, American Diabetes Association, American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Humane Society of the United States, Easter Seals, National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Susan G. Komen for the Cure®, Sierra Club, and National Public Radio. For more information, please visit www.convio.com.

About Charity Dynamics

Charity Dynamics provides comprehensive online solutions for nonprofit organizations. From strategy to implementation and beyond, Charity Dynamics partners with clients of all sizes to deliver the services, software, and support they need to meet their objectives. Clients include The ALS Association, American Cancer Society, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Operation Smile, and the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. For more information, please visit www.charitydynamics.com.

About Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure Austin Affiliate

Susan G. Komen for the Cure Austin Affiliate provides breast health services to women and men in Bastrop, Caldwell, Hays, Travis, and Williamson Counties. For more information, visit them on the Web at www.komenaustin.org or call 512-473-0900. Komen for the Cure is the world’s largest grassroots network of breast cancer survivors and activists fighting to save lives, empower people, ensure quality care for all and energize science to find the cures.

Convio disclaims any proprietary interest in the marks and names of others.