GetActive Software

AUSTIN, TEXAS (January 17, 2007) Convio, Inc. – a leading provider of online constituent relationship management solutions (eCRM) for nonprofit organizations – today announced that it has executed a definitive agreement to acquire GetActive Software, Inc. Convio and GetActive are widely recognized as the two foremost eCRM software and services vendors within the nonprofit sector. The acquisition is expected to significantly strengthen Convio’s ability to provide the most innovative Internet solutions that help nonprofit organizations build high-impact fundraising, marketing and advocacy campaigns. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The acquisition is expected to close by the end of the first quarter of

Results from end-of-year giving campaigns are still coming in, but one fundraising trend was clear in 2006: nonprofits’ growing expertise in integrating campaigns across multiple communications channels.

The increasing costs of acquiring new donors through traditional methods, the continuing challenge of donor fatigue and the exponential growth in online donations has spurred many organizations to bring online outreach into the mix.

As we gathered information for last month’s special section on e-philanthropy, we spoke to a number of folks whose comments didn’t make it into print. Following is a sampling of those comments. Some came from our own interviews, while others (marked accordingly) were in response to Katrin Verclas’ request for comments from members of the Nonprofit Technology Enterprise Network, of which she is the executive director. — M.B.

Multiple Channels Can Strengthen Each Other Multiple Channels Can Strengthen Each Other March 21, 2006 By Abny Santicola, editor, FundRaising Success Advisor An e-mail campaign should be central to your multi-channel marketing efforts, says Sheeraz Haji, CEO of Berkeley, Calif.-based provider of online constituent-relationship-management services GetActive. While it does depend a bit on an organization's audience and constituents, Haji says there are very few demographics not online today. In multi-channel fundraising efforts, when considering which donors to solicit via e-mail, don't rule out the older demographic. While audiences aged 55 and older have the lowest e-mail penetration rates, their penetration rates are also

Are you making the most of the Internet? If your organization is like many nonprofits, it might be time to rethink your online strategy.

Instead of thinking of the Internet as a sideline area rife with additional expenses and hassles, “all nonprofits should be thinking of it as a core tool,” according to Sheeraz Haji, CEO of GetActive Software in Berkeley, Calif.