Preparing for and Coping with Hurricane Rita: Critical Role of the Internet; Convio Experts and Nonprofit Spokespeople Available as Sources for Stories on Use of Internet for Disaster Preparedness, Response, Fundraising and More

Business Wire, Sept 22, 2005

WHAT: As relief efforts continue in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and
with Hurricane Rita heading toward the Gulf Coast, charitable
organizations nationwide now are gearing up for another round of
intense activity -- both on the ground and on the Internet. Nonprofit
groups of all sizes and with varying missions are increasingly relying
on the Internet to quickly generate urgently needed funds, recruit
volunteers, drive other forms of support and keep constituents updated
as developments unfold.

Convio and some of the nonprofits it serves are available as sources
for stories about how savvy organizations are leveraging the Internet
to prepare for and respond to such disaster situations. Convio's
customers utilizing the Internet for hurricane-related disaster relief
efforts include:

    --  American Red Cross

    --  ASPCA

    --  American Humane Association

    --  SPCA of Texas

    --  Mobile Loaves and Fishes

    --  Easter Seals

    --  Houston Area Women's Center

    --  Joel Osteen Ministries

    --  Lakewood Church

INTERVIEW TOPICS:

    --  Guarding against online fraud and best practices for online
        security, privacy, spam and phishing

    --  Best practices for driving online giving and support during
        disasters

    --  How recent disasters -- the 2005 U.S. hurricanes, the 2004 SE
        Asia tsunami and the 9/11 terrorist attacks -- have
        accelerated adoption of the Internet by nonprofits and
        consumers

CONVIO SPOKESPEOPLE:

    --  Gene Austin, CEO

    --  Dr. David Crooke, Chief Technology Officer

    --  Vinay Bhagat, Founder and Chief Strategy Officer

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

Convio articles discussing these subjects also can be found on the
company's Website.

    --  "Non-Disaster Groups Use Internet for Real-Time Katrina
        Response" http://www.convio.com/katrinarelief

    --  "How can my organization prepare for spikes in Web traffic
        that may be caused by natural disasters or other unexpected
        events?" http://www.convio.com/preparedness

For vignettes on how nonprofit groups have been using the Internet for
responding to Katrina and impacts on their organizations, please go to
http://www.convio.com/Katrinaresponse.

BACKGROUND ON 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. Since the Katrina disaster, Convio's customers
have collectively raised more than $110 million online. Organizations
using Convio for their relief efforts include the American Red Cross,
American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Easter
Seals, Farm Aid, Feed the Children, Houston Area Women's Center,
Mobile Loaves and Fishes, Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society, Paralyzed
Veterans of America, Texas SPCA and UJA Federation of New York.