Catholic Relief Services Uses Convio to Enhance Online Constituent Experience, Strengthen Relationships and Accelerate Giving

International Humanitarian Agency Adopts Market-Leading Internet Solution to Create Online Community and Attract Younger Donors

Austin, Texas (February 7, 2006) —

Catholic Relief Services (CRS), the official international humanitarian agency of the U.S. Catholic community, has selected Convio Internet tools to build stronger relationships with constituents, cultivate the next generation of supporters and foster more online giving.

Convio is the leading provider of online constituent relationship management solutions (eCRM) for nonprofits. The company's software and services help organizations use the Internet for building strong constituent relationships to drive fundraising, marketing, advocacy and other forms of mission-critical support.

CRS is switching to Convio after using multiple systems for fundraising, email marketing and advocacy. This decentralized approach created "silos" of data on constituents and prevented the organization from having a complete view and understanding of each constituent's interests, motivations and interactions, which is key for creating personalized, relevant and more effective communications and appeals.

Tsunami was Catalyst for Switch to Convio

The huge spike in its Web site traffic following the 2004 tsunami underscored the need for CRS to implement a scalable, integrated Internet solution. A record number of people came to the CRS site to donate and/or obtain information about the crisis, but the organization lacked robust tools to capture important details from its online visitors.

CRS now will use Convio Fundraising and Convio Advocacy to build stronger, more valuable relationships with its constituents. People visiting CRS' Convio-powered Web site will be able to register, provide information on their interests and motivations, and also opt-in to receive communications such as email updates, newsletters and personalized Web site content. CRS also will use Convio tools for reaching out to and cultivating a younger, more tech-savvy audience. Additionally, CRS will be able to synchronize online constituent data with its PledgeMaker donor database for a more complete view of each constituent's history of giving, volunteering, advocating, and participating in events, etc.

"We wanted to create a meaningful online experience for our supporters while efficiently managing and strengthening our relationships with them," said Ken Hackett, President and CEO, Catholic Relief Services. "Convio is genuinely interested in our success and equips us with the right online tools to accomplish these goals."

According to Convio, the disasters of the past year have made it clear to a growing number of nonprofits, such as CRS, that they have to do more on the Internet than simply process donations.

"Nonprofits increasingly are recognizing that they need an integrated Internet solution that allows them to learn more about donors and constituents and then use that information for relevant and timely communications, appeals or other mission-critical 'calls to action,'" said Gene Austin, CEO, Convio. "By working with Convio, Catholic Relief Services will have access to the best data synchronization capabilities on the market and be able to leverage the industry's most advanced online tools to effectively engage constituents and drive lasting support."

About Catholic Relief Services

Since 1943, CRS has served the poorest of the poor in the developing world, helping those in need without regard to race, belief or nationality. Today, CRS works in 99 countries worldwide.

CRS is recognized as a world leader in assisting victims of war, famine and natural disaster. But CRS is also on the forefront of sustainable human development, working with communities and local partners to tackle the root causes of poverty and civil strife. Through programs in areas such as agriculture, education, health care, micro-enterprise and peacebuilding, people are becoming empowered to create permanent change and build a brighter future for themselves and their communities.

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, advocacy, Web content management, event fundraising, ecommerce and email communications. All solutions include the Constituent360™ platform, a sophisticated, online marketing database that centralizes constituent data and integrates with offline databases.

Convio has been named 2005 "Private Company of the Year" by the Austin Business Journal. In addition to Catholic Relief Services, the company's clients include American Red Cross, American Diabetes Association, American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, AVON Foundation, Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Easter Seals, Farm Aid, KCET Community Television of Southern California, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, National Trust For Historic Preservation, Ronald McDonald House Charities, The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation and Thirteen/WNET New York. For more information, please visit www.convio.com. 

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