As Gulf Coast Prepares for Hurricane Rita, Convio Experts and Nonprofit Spokespeople Available as Sources for Stories on Critical Role of Internet

Business Wire, Sept 23, 2005

AUSTIN, Texas -- Spokespeople Can Discuss Use of Web Sites and Email for Disaster Preparedness, Response, Fundraising and More

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, Inc. 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 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 Hurricane Katrina, Convio customers involved in related disaster relief work have collectively raised more than $110 million online.

Organizations using Convio for their online relief efforts include:

    --  American Red Cross

    --  American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals

    --  American Humane Association

    --  Easter Seals

    --  Farm Aid

    --  Feed the Children

    --  Houston Area Women's Center

    --  Joel Osteen Ministries

    --  Lakewood Church

    --  Mobile Loaves and Fishes

    --  Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society

    --  Paralyzed Veterans of America

    --  SPCA of Texas

    --  UJA Federation of New York

Convio Spokespeople and Topics

Convio spokespeople include:

    --  Gene Austin, CEO

    --  Dr. David Crooke, Chief Technology Officer

    --  Vinay Bhagat, Founder and Chief Strategy Officer

Austin, Crooke and Bhagat can speak about a wide variety of topics
pertaining to nonprofits use of the Internet during disasters and
other crises. Topics include:

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

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

    --  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

Related Articles and Vignettes on Convio Web Site

Articles by Convio on nonprofits, the Internet and disaster relief
efforts can be found on the company's Web site. They include the
following:

    --  "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.>

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

In addition to the organization listed above, Convio's customers include American Diabetes Association, Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Georgetown University, 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.