Nov/Dec 2005

Convio Tributes Gives Nonprofits a New Way to Empower Constituents to Raise Funds, Reach Additional Constituents and Personalize their Organizations' Missions

A key asset for any organization is its constituents. They share passion for and commitment to the nonprofit's mission.

Many organizations already have discovered the effectiveness and efficiency of tapping their constituents for fundraising events such as walks and runs. This approach allows an organization to provide supporters with the motivation and online tools to touch the people they know, who in turn can reach out to the people they know, and on and on for a continuously growing support base. This approach also enables staff members to involve constituents directly with the organization, giving supporters a sense of ownership of and responsibility for the organization's success.

To help nonprofits further tap the power of their constituents to raise funds and drive support throughout the year, not just in conjunction with an event, Convio now offers Convio Tributes. Based on the proven constituent-driven fundraising techniques used in Convio TeamRaiser, this new set of online tools gives an organization's supporters a convenient, effective way to raise money for the organization by setting up Web sites in memory or in honor of a friend or family member.

From a tribute site, a constituent can tell his or her story about a friend or loved one through easy-to-use Web content tools, send emails to friends and family asking them to visit the site, and solicit donations on behalf of the organization. These activities help the organization raise much-needed funds, reach new constituents and put a personal face on the organization's mission.

Some examples of constituent tribute sites include:

A site supporting breast cancer research for a loved one who is suffering from or has died from breast cancer;
A site honoring a community teacher, with donations going to a local reading program;
A site created by a homeless shelter volunteer, describing how he's been touched by his work, and encouraging friends and family to make donations to the organization; and
A site in tribute to a grandmother whose lifelong passion was promoting animal welfare, with donations from the site going to a humane organization.

New sources of ongoing funding

Using Convio Tributes, an organization can drive new sources of sustainable funding by empowering its constituents with a convenient way to support the organization. For example, an organization can offer constituents the option to create a tribute site to enable donations in lieu of flowers for a funeral and promote subsequent donations on the anniversary of passing, birthday or other occasion. Visitors and those invited to the site can make donations directly to the organization as a tribute to the honoree.

Conveying a mission more effectively

In addition to being an effective fundraising vehicle, tribute sites can be one of the best ways to communicate a mission. A list of many tribute sites with corresponding personal stories conveys a powerful message. For example, an anti-drug organization might have 100 constituent-created memorial sites around victims of drug-related violence, helping the organization further its message and make its concerns more personal and compelling.

Getting constituents more involved

An organization's constituents have a natural affinity for the organization. Already, they have somehow supported the organization or expressed interest in its mission. By giving them an outlet to relate how the organization's mission has touched them or those close to them, any organization can use Convio Tributes to get its constituents more involved and dedicated to ensuring the organization's ongoing success.

Attracting new constituents

Any organization can reach out to new people by giving its existing constituents email tools to promote their tribute sites to friends and family. The constituents' contacts are more likely to donate and become involved with the organization in other ways since the appeal comes from someone they know and trust.

Find out more about Convio Tributes.

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