Convio Connection Newsletter Articles Archive

Maximize the Online Opportunity with your High-Value Donors
New research reveals the online behaviors, experiences and expectations of high-value donors and the role the Internet plays in the giving process of these "wired wealthy" donors.

Ask the Expert: What can we do to make sure our organization's email gets delivered to our supporter's inbox?

Using the Internet to Move the Potential Donor
Learn from a veteran major gift fundraiser and consultant how to use the Internet in an effective "moves management" strategy that moves your donor closer to making a gift while creating lasting relationships.

Integrated CRM Mobile Solutions Deliver Instant Information to Constituents' Mobile Devices
Learn how the first integrated CRM mobile solution can help your organization increase membership, deliver information, drive response rates and participation and synch up with your Convio data.

Keeping up with the Joneses: Are You Leading or Falling Behind?
Compare your organization against similar nonprofits on the key online performance metrics by checking out Convio's new Benchmark Index Study, featuring the online marketing results of more than 400 organizations across 11 verticals.

Integrated eCRM and Online Video Helps UNCF Increase Online Giving

Interactive Online Campaign Helps America's Second Harvest Feed the Hungry

Partner Profile: Amergent

10 Online Marketing Strategies for Fundraising in Challenging Times
For fundraising in tough times, use these 10 best practices plus 3 advanced strategies to connect with the new breed of donor to scale online and drive results.

Looking Back, Looking Ahead: What the Numbers Tell Us
Recent research on the growth of online fundraising. Find out where this growth is coming from and how to measure the impact of online marketing.

Ask the Expert: What Makes an Email Newsletter Subject Line Successful?
Too often the subject line of an email newsletter is overlooked. Get advice on how to use this tool in building and maintaining relationships with your constituents over time.

Convio Offers Nonprofits Real-Time Data Integration with Salesforce®
Save administrative time, ensure data integrity and strengthen constituent relationships through more targeted and personalized campaigns.

Four Tips for Using Social Media to Reach, Keep and Engage Your Constituents at a Deeper, More Meaningful Level
As nonprofits continue to face increasing competition for donor dollars and volunteerism, social media present a powerful way to acquire, motivate and retain a strong supporter base.

An Untapped Opportunity: Engaging Your High Value Donors Online
Major donors are increasingly wired. Get a "heads up" on new research about nonprofits engaging their major donors and why online marketing will emerge as a strong source for new major donor prospects.

Seva Foundation Increases Donations via New Gifts of Service™ eCommerce Site; Ready to Expand Outreach to Wider Audience with Integrated eCRM
Despite news stories of concerns that a tight economy would affect the 2007 holiday giving season, Seva Foundation had record-breaking success.

OI Foundation Expands Outreach, Deepens Engagement via Bone China Tea Virtual Fundraising Events; Online Donations Up 65% in 2007
The Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI) Foundation increased its online donations by 65% last year, primarily through its signature Bone China Tea virtual fundraising event.

Ask the Expert: When should we end our end-of-year fundraising campaign?
Sending a year-end e-appeal is far better than sending no e-appeal at all -- here are tips for doing it right.

Convio's On-Demand Solutions and Client Services Help Nonprofits Respond to Wildfires
In the wake of the wildfires in Southern California, nonprofit organizations leveraged Convio to inform constituents and raise funds.

Tis the Season for Online Fundraising... and Socially Responsible Shopping
Seva Foundation launches its new "Gifts of Service™" Web site for socially-responsible shopping.

How a Web Site Usability Audit Can Enhance Your Conversion Goals
To maximize results of your outreach and engagement, use these five tips to more effectively launch innovative and creative campaigns that leverage Convio Open.

How Open Tools and Plug-and-Play Solutions Allow You to "Own" Your Future
Guest columnist Leo D'Angelo recommends why a loosely coupled integrated solution is greater than the sum of its parts.

Viral Marketing Evolved: Four Tips for Multi-Channel Marketing with Facebook
Ready to add Facebook? Four tips to achieve real results.

Ask the Expert: What's the difference between Open Source, Open Standards, and Open APIs?
And is there a difference in how a SaaS vendor and traditional software vendor provide the "openness" my organization needs?

Revolutionary Ways for Organizations to Collect Data and Personalize Feedback
Guest columnist Michael Cervino recommends ways to get the most out of Convio APIs, Extensions and Connectors.

Convio Open Provides Nonprofits Widest Range of Technology and Integration Options to Create Innovative Strategies that Achieve Goals
Gene describes the vision behind Convio Open, and advises organizations to embrace more choice and innovation in constituent engagement by becoming a part of Convio's next generation of eCRM applications.

Five Ways to Leverage Convio Open to Engage Your Constituents
To maximize results of your outreach and engagement, use these five tips to more effectively launch innovative and creative campaigns that leverage Convio Open.

Relationship Pathways: A Holistic, Strategic Approach for Developing Constituents
Sheeraz talks about why nonprofit organizations need to leverage social networking sites and use Web 2.0 strategies to build their email list.

Using Advocacy to Grow your Online Donor Pool
The International Rescue Committee employs online advocacy campaigns to increase awareness and donations.

Online Donations Soar for Small Nonprofit with Big Mission
Nonprofit award-winner Tahirih Justice Center leverages Convio's integrated fundraising and marketing tools to better connect and engage its supporters.

Facebook Opens Up — Philanthropy Rushes In
Guest columnists Tom Watson and Garth Moore recommend five easy steps to cultivate the Facebook generation as your new donor base for the future.

Dinosaurs Beware! The (R)Evolution of Integrated CMS for Nonprofits Provides a Better Constituent Experience
Integrate your eCRM and CMS to learn more about and better engage your constituents.

Using Cross Channel Marketing to Motivate Donors
St. Francis House exceeds fundraising goals using Convio's integrated marketing and interactive Web site tools.

Ask the Expert: Why should a nonprofit choose a Software as a Service (SaaS) model for its online constituent relationship management (eCRM) needs?
If organization considering whether to build on a homegrown system or purchasing from a SaaS vendor, read on.

Four Reasons to Use Peer-to-Peer Solutions to Empower Your Constituents
Whether you use Convio TeamRaiser(TM), Tributes, or Convio's new Personal Events, you'll find these peer-to-peer solutions deliver benefits beyond the dollars raised.

Five Tips for Choosing a Web Content Management System
Ready to purchase a Web content management system? Here are 5 tips to consider when searching for a CMS solution.

Client Point of View: In-Person Training Well Worth the Investment
In-person training results in greater productivity and use of Web tools.

Why it Makes Sense, if Not Immediate Cents, to Experiment with Participatory Media Sites
Sheeraz talks about why nonprofit organizations need to leverage social networking sites and use Web 2.0 strategies to build their email list.

Thinking about Updating the Look and Feel of Your Web Site?
Guest columnists Melissa Roberts and Susan Finkelpearl recommend ways to achieve a successful redesign by considering your target users.

Ask the Expert: Should we require names on our online subscriber signups?
Requiring names may limit the number of people willing to sign up, thereby limiting the number of people we could send advocacy and fundraising email messages. What do other organizations do?

Do Email Silences Matter? Is Your On-Again, Off-Again Communications Style Making Your Supporters Stray?
Guest columnists Karen Matheson and Eve Fox examine the effect of inconsistent communications on email opt-in lists.

Integrated Marketing: The Power of Combining Online Marketing with Direct Mail for Extraordinary Results
Convio and StrategicOne study how integrating online marketing with direct mail increases fundraising results.

Ask the Expert: What should my organization know about Email Sender Authentication?
Email authentication enables more reliable message filtering. Using some form of email authentication also can help prevent spoofing, phishing, and hoax messages.

5 Tips for Leveraging Constituent Data to Help Nonprofits Get Big Results
Looking for more effective online/offline marketing approaches? Convio offers 5 tips to get your constituent data in shape.

Lessons from a Cupcake Fan: How Online Constituent Relationship Management (eCRM) Makes Constituents Feel Special
Sheeraz Haji contemplates what nonprofit organizations can learn from his relationship with Weight Watchers®.

Everyone Has an Opinion: Using Online Surveys to Reach More Supporters
Guest columnist Chuck Anderson offers tips on using online surveys and people's penchants for sharing their opinions to reach new constituents and learn more about them.

Ask the Expert: What is ACH (EFT) and how can it help my nonprofit organization?
In an online fundraising context, ACH debit transactions can be used to automatically draft one-time or sustaining gifts from a donor's checking account. This is often generically referred to as EFT. Find out answers to frequently asked questions about these kinds of transactions.

The State of E-Philanthropy in 2007
In a nonprofit environment with 20x online fundraising growth in six years, Convio Founder and Chief Strategy Officer, Vinay Bhagat, reviews the state of online marketing in the nonprofit sector, its challenges, and the best approaches for online success in 2007.

Five Tips for Making Fundraising Event Registration More Productive
Organizations that have planned events in the past know that "a-thon" types of events often require a great deal of time and expense -- from the registration process through fundraising awards and final accounting.

Emaily Post's Guide to Online Decorum
Guest author Olga Woltman offers some light-hearted, yet informative tips to nonprofit organizations about the do's and don'ts of polite email society.

Ask the Expert: What are the top concerns involving information security that my organization should be sure to address?
Individuals in today's workplace, whether nonprofit or for-profit, often make common errors when thinking about privacy and information security. Find out about six important points that you should consider when evaluating your information security plans.

Online Social Networks — An Emerging Strategy for Reaching and Engaging Constituents
Social networks offer a promising new way for organizations to reach new supporters. Discover how two organizations are using social networks to improve constituent outreach.

Five Ways to Drive Funds and Involvement Through Constituent Passion
Find out how the newest approaches and online tools can help organizations not only get more constituents involved, but also drive better results in fundraising and outreach.

How do I ensure my email is permission-based?

Lessons in Online Fundraising from Disaster Relief Organizations

Convio Offers Nonprofits Real-Time Data Integration with Blackbaud's The Raiser's Edge®

An Organized Donor Database: The Key to Successful Integrated Marketing

The Danger of Assumptions in Marketing

Major Gifts and the Internet — An Untapped Opportunity?

New Functionality Extends Convio5 to Help Nonprofits Capture More Funds

Capital Campaign Communications: Giving Major Gift Prospects the Right Kinds of Updates

How will the "logic puzzle" and similar changes to congressional communication practices affect online advocacy?

Donor Control and Comfort Increase Loyalty

Convio5 Helps Nonprofits Use Best Practices in Quick or Customized Forms
Convio's Newest Offering Ensures Organizations Can Always Build Effective Online Donation Forms

Fundraising’s New Synergy: Success Lies in Striking a Balance Between Old and New

How can search engine marketing help our nonprofit organization get the word out about our mission?

Convio’s Latest Offering Changes Landscape of Online Fundraising

What does my nonprofit organization need to be doing for search engine optimization to ensure constituents can find us on the Web?

Innovations in Online Direct Response Fundraising Drive Results

Convio Helps Organizations Break Away from the Traditional “Ask” into New Online Opportunities for Fundraising, Outreach and Building Constituent Loyalty

What is Sender Policy Framework (SPF) and why is it important to my nonprofit organization?

Online Fundraising Jumps in 2005 and Integrated Marketing Shows Results; Some Organizations May Raise More Than 50 Percent of Funds Online in 2006