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Convio's Vinay Bhagat Keynotes at Higher Education Conference: ''Internet Lessons for Colleges and Universities from Dean Campaign''

Business Wire, April 11, 2005

AUSTIN, Texas -- Internet Visionary for Nonprofits Speaks at "Marketing, PR and the Internet" Conference Hosted by Council for Advancement and Support of Education

Higher education professionals working to advance their organizations will want to hear Internet visionary Vinay Bhagat speak in Chicago this week on lessons they can learn from the Dean presidential campaign about using the Internet to mobilize support and drive giving. Bhagat, founder and chief strategy officer of Convio, Inc., will deliver the keynote address on April 14 at 4:30 p.m. at Chicago Marriott Downtown as part of the 2005 "Marketing, PR and the Internet" conference hosted by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). For more information on the conference, please visit http://www.case.org/conferences/CMCYBER/frames.cfm.> CASE is the preeminent international association of professionals who advance educational institutions. Convio is the leading provider of software and services to help nonprofits and higher education institutions use the Internet for building strong constituent relationships that drive fundraising, participation in events, advocacy and other forms of support.

Dean for America used Convio's online constituent relationship management (eCRM) tools to attract more than 650,000 constituents and raise more than $20 million online in less than one year. Bhagat's address, "Lessons for Colleges and Universities from the Dean for America Campaign," will examine the most successful online political campaign to date and explain how higher education professionals can leverage the same advanced Internet technology and strategies to accelerate their organizations' fundraising, alumni relations and communications programs.

"While there are fundamental differences between political campaigns and educational institutions, the Dean campaign continues to serve as a timeless example of how virtually any organization can quickly reach out to constituents, get them involved and drive giving by strategically weaving the Internet into their operations," said Bhagat. "Like Dean, communications and marketing professionals at colleges, universities and alumni groups, etc. can support advancement greatly by making the Internet a core component and driving force behind their work."

Bhagat's presentation will include online success stories from Georgetown University and The University of Texas at Austin -- both schools were early adopters of eCRM technology and have achieved significant results. Georgetown University, for example, increased its online alumni house file by more than 50 percent and its online fundraising by almost 200 percent in a one-year period. Other higher education institutions that Convio works with include Texas State University, University of Chicago, University of San Francisco, University of Northern Iowa, Amherst College and Hunter College of the City University of New York.

More on Bhagat

Bhagat is a prolific conference speaker and widely published author on ePhilanthropy and other topics pertaining to nonprofits' strategic use of the Internet. He speaks regularly at conferences hosted by CASE, the Association of Fundraising Professionals and the Direct Marketing Association Nonprofit Federation. Bhagat's chapter, "Online Advocacy: How the Internet is Transforming the Way Nonprofits Reach, Motivate, and Retain Supporters," appears in Nonprofit Internet Strategies: Best Practices for Marketing, Communications, and Fundraising Success (2005, John Wiley & Sons, New York). He also wrote "The Internet -- A Powerful Relationship Management Tool for Fundraisers," which is included in The Nonprofit Handbook: Fund Raising, Third Edition, 2002 Supplement (John Wiley & Sons, New York). Bhagat's articles appear regularly in DM News, Journal of the Direct Marketing Association Nonprofit Federation and other publications as well as on Web sites serving nonprofit professionals including OnPhilanthropy.com.

About CASE

The Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) is the largest international association of education institutions, serving more than 3,100 universities, colleges, schools, and related organizations and 22,000 professional members in nearly 50 countries. CASE is the leading resource for professional development, information, and standards in the fields of education fund raising, communications and marketing, alumni relations, and advancement services. For more information, visit www.case.org.

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(TM) platform, a sophisticated, online marketing database that centralizes constituent data and integrates with offline database.