Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence Expands Use of Convio with Online Grassroots Mobilization Project Pegged to Presidential Inauguration

Leading Gun Control Group Leverages Supporters to Recruit New Constituents to Advocate and Donate; Early Response Rates Comparable to Dean Campaign

Austin, Texas (January 18, 2005) —

The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence United with the Million Mom March, the nation’s leading gun violence prevention organization, is pegging to this week’s Presidential inauguration to accelerate its already successful, 18-month-old online advocacy program. The new project, launched 11 days ago and utilizing some of the same Convio Internet tools used by former presidential hopeful Howard Dean, is generating response rates comparable to the first days of the former Vermont governor’s record-smashing online campaign.

Convio is the leading provider of 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. Since it began using Convio in October 2003, the Brady Campaign united with the Million Mom March has been able to increase its online constituency nearly seven-fold to more than 200,000 people; the organization also waged an online advocacy campaign that prompted the U.S. Senate to vote down proposed legislation that would have shielded gun manufacturers and dealers from being sued.

The latest Brady Campaign/Million Mom March project, called "E-Raiser" (http://www.stopthenra.com/site/TR?fr_id=1060&pg=entry), enables supporters people who have already donated, signed petitions or registered to receive email communications to use the Internet for recruiting more people to get involved with the organization and its cause. Supporters now can easily create personal Internet pages to: voice their opinions on gun violence prevention issues and the upcoming inauguration of President Bush; educate friends and relatives about gun violence; solicit donations for the organization; and invite others to set up their own personal pages for the same objectives.

Innovative Use of Peer-to-Peer Marketing

Known as online peer-to-peer marketing, this technique often is used by nonprofit groups particularly those that fight diseases to drive fundraising for and participation in offline events such as runs, walks and bicycle races. In a move that broke new ground, the Dean for America presidential campaign used Convio’s peer-to-peer tools to organize "house parties," or physical gatherings of constituents in supporters’ homes, to discuss campaign issues and also fundraise. The Dean house parties were an important part of the organization’s overall campaign which mobilized more than 650,000 constituents and raised more than $20 million in less than one year. The Brady Campaign/Million Mom March’s use of Convio’s peer-to-peer marketing tools is believed to be the first successful use of online peer-to-peer marketing that is not associated with a physical event or political campaign.

Response rates so far for the program less than two weeks old have been strong:

• More than 160 people have created personal pages and are conducting their own online advocacy and fundraising campaigns targeting new constituents.
  
• Nearly 20 percent of existing supporters who have created their own Web pages and are targeting their personal contacts have recruited at least one donor.
  
• Online donations currently total $7,000-plus, with more than half the gifts coming from first-time online donors responding to solicitations from existing donors.
  
• Forty-four percent of donors are sending a message to President Bush expressing their views on gun control issues.

"This is a new and very efficient way to empower Americans to become public policy activists," said Hannah Wenzel, the E-Raiser project director at the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence United with the Million Mom March. "We launched this program just days ago and it's already motivated a lot of people to participate many existing supporters are getting more involved and, as a result, they are helping to pull in new constituents, spread our message and raise thousands of dollars."

The Brady Campaign and Million Mom March plan to continue the E-Raiser program after the inauguration to mobilize its growing constituency for another looming legislative battle. As early as next month, Congress is expected to reconsider legislation granting unprecedented immunity from civil liability to gun makers and gun dealers. The legislation was narrowly defeated last year in the wake of the Brady Campaign/Million Mom March’s online advocacy campaign against it.

"The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence United with the Million Mom March is a great example of an organization that is using the Internet strategically and in a sustained manner to develop a strong and loyal base of supporters," said Gene Austin, CEO, Convio. "Now that it has built a substantial online constituency of several hundred thousands, the Brady Campaign/Million Mom March is savvy to incorporate Convio’s TeamRaiser™. This allows an organization to take advantage of its most valuable assets — its supporters — by empowering them to reach out and personally appeal to people they know."

Get more information on Convio TeamRaiser

About Brady Campaign United with the Million Mom March

The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence United with the Million Mom March is the nation's largest national, non-partisan, chapter-based grassroots organization leading the fight to prevent gun violence. The organization is dedicated to creating an America free from gun violence, where all Americans are safe at home, at school, at work and in their communities. For more information, please visit http://www.bradycampaign.org/ and http://www.stopthenra.com/.

About Convio

Convio is the leading provider of 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 and membership, advocacy, special events, volunteer fundraising, Web site management and email communications. All solutions include the Constituent360™ platform, a sophisticated, online marketing database that centralizes constituent data and integrates with offline database.

In addition to The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence United with the Million Mom March, Convio works with other leading advocacy organizations, among them, The Ocean Conservancy, American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Chesapeake Bay Foundation and Mothers Against Drunk Driving. Convio’s clients also include American Diabetes Association, AVON Foundation, Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh, Easter Seals, Farm Aid, Georgetown University, KCET Community Television of Southern California, National Trust For Historic Preservation and The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. For more information, please visit www.convio.com.

Press Contact:
Karoline McLaughlin
Director, Corporate Communications
Convio, Inc.
kmclaughlin@convio.com
512-652-7865