National Multiple Sclerosis Society Chooses Convio for Organization-Wide Online Constituent Relationship Management Solution

Business Wire, Jan 9, 2006

AUSTIN, Texas -- National Office and its 50-State Network of Chapters Will Use Market's Most Advanced Internet Tools to Support 1,100 Events, Enhance Fundraising Efforts and Strengthen Constituent Relationships

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society, the country's leading nonprofit dedicated to ending the devastating effects of multiple sclerosis (MS), has selected Convio as the organization's enterprise-wide Internet solution.

Convio is the leading provider of online constituent relationship management (eCRM) solutions for the nonprofit sector and works with many of the country's largest, multi-affiliate charitable groups. The company's software and services help nonprofits use the Internet for building strong constituent relationships that drive fundraising, awareness and enduring support.

The National MS Society will use Convio at its national office and across its 50-state network of chapters for volunteer-led fundraising, email communications, Web content management and ecommerce, putting the organization on a single Internet platform to more effectively inspire constituents to give and provide other forms of mission-critical support. Several Society chapters, including those serving Wisconsin and Illinois, already work with Convio and have been achieving strong results.

"The National MS Society needs both the most robust eCRM solution available today and an Internet partner experienced in successfully deploying that solution across our extensive, multi-chapter organization," said Pam Swenk, Vice President of Development, National Multiple Sclerosis Society. "Among vendors serving the nonprofit sector, Convio has a proven technology, methodology and track record in serving groups like ours. In addition, Convio's culture of dedication, commitment and teamwork is a great fit for the Society and will help ensure our success."

With Convio, the National MS Society will be able to enhance its use of the Internet to learn more about its constituency and leverage that information to achieve more effective communications and marketing outreach. People registering online -- to receive email updates, sign-up for events, donate, engage in ecommerce, send advocacy alerts and/or participate in other ways -- will be able to indicate their interests. Using Convio's data synchronization tools, the Society then can integrate this information with its offline custom donor database to develop a comprehensive profile of each constituent's history with the organization. This will allow the Society to better personalize Web content and email communications as well as to target specific groups with relevant messages, which is key for engaging constituents and fostering multiple forms of ongoing support. (For more information on Convio DataSync, please visit http://www.convio.com/datasync.)

Convio TeamRaiser for 1,100 Events and Other Solutions

The National MS Society will use Convio TeamRaiser(TM) throughout its organization to power online registration, donations and communications for approximately 1,100 events including the MS Walk, MS Challenge Walk, MS 150 Cycling events and other local events. Chapters will be able to provide volunteers with easier-to-use tools for building personal fundraising Web sites and tracking fundraising progress. Additionally, TeamRaiser will help with year-to-year retention of volunteer fundraisers for events by saving their Web sites from the previous year so they do not have to start from scratch.

The National MS Society also plans to use:

--Convio Tributes - The latest in Convio's family of constituent-led fundraising solutions, Convio Tributes enables constituents to build personal Web sites in honor or memory of a friend for conducting their own ongoing fundraising campaigns, independent of special events. (http://www.convio.com/tributes)

--Convio Advocacy - This complete set of powerful online tools allows constituents to communicate with lawmakers and other officials on public policy matters. Convio Advocacy now includes a vote-driven action system so organizations can leverage federal legislators' voting records for more targeted campaigns. (http://www.convio.com/advocacy)

--Convio eCommerce - The only ecommerce solution available specifically for nonprofits, Convio eCommerce gives organizations all key functionality for selling online and converting shoppers to donors, advocates, event participants and more. (http://www.convio.com/ecommerce)

All of these products will enable the Society to create Web sites and email communications compliant with industry standards for accessibility, which is imperative for an organization that serves people with disabilities. (For more information on these standards and Convio's accessibility features, please visit http://www.convio.com/accessibility.)

"Convio is excited about partnering with the National Multiple Sclerosis Society," said Gene Austin, CEO, Convio. "Upon completion of the full rollout later this year, the Society will have a common platform for engaging walkers, donors and all types of supporters wherever and however they interact with the organization. The Society-Convio relationship is another example of a large, multi-affiliate organization choosing our company because of our robust products and architecture, our knowledge of large scale deployments and our people."