Paralyzed Veterans of America Uses Convio Online Tools to Drive Fundraising, Marketing and Other Forms of Support

Convio-Powered e-Card Campaign Helps Organization Increase Visibility During Veteran’s Day

AUSTIN, TEXAS (Nov. 11, 2004) — Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA), the leading advocate for veterans' healthcare, medical research, benefits and civil rights, is offering free e-Cards this week — not only to honor those who have served our country as the nation celebrates Veterans Day on November 11, but also to help build a stronger constituent base and generate more support for the organization.

As part of its online strategy, PVA is encouraging people to send free, Convio-powered e-Cards to express appreciation to veterans and active duty service members. At the same time, the campaign helps PVA attract new constituents and learn more about their interests. This serves as the basis for personalizing communications which, in turn, makes the organization and its mission more relevant to constituents, deepens engagement and fosters giving as well as other forms of participation. To send an online e-Card, please visit http://www.thankyouveterans.org/; for more information about PVA, visit http://www.supportveterans.org/.

Convio provides market-leading software and services that help nonprofits use the Internet for developing strong constituent relationships to drive fundraising, marketing, advocacy and other forms of support. Paralyzed Veterans of America, a congressionally chartered veterans service organization founded in 1946, offers unique expertise on a wide variety of issues involving the special needs of its members — veterans of the armed forces who have experienced spinal cord injury or dysfunction — and all veterans, as well as the disability community as a whole. PVA is using a broad mix of Convio tools as part of a comprehensive initiative to more fully leverage the Internet for fundraising, marketing and other mission-critical activities. In addition to Convio’s tools for e-Cards, PVA is using Convio for online fundraising, campaigns, surveys and email marketing.

PVA's Convio-powered e-Card program drives recipients to the organization’s Web site, http://www.supportveterans.org/, and encourages them to sign up for its email newsletter, The PVA Herald. Convio’s Constituent 360™ online database provides PVA a unified view of each constituent, including when they send emails, click through to the group's Web site, donate online and take other action. Query tools allow PVA to segment constituents by a variety of criteria including giving history, interests and geography, and consequently tailor future communications so they are more personalized and relevant to constituents.

"Convio tools allow us to learn what motivates our constituents and what they're passionate about, so we can interact with them in a more personal way," said Nichole Kreiger, director of direct marketing of PVA. "By tailoring communications to their interests, constituents feel like they are getting more out of their relationship with PVA and are more likely to support the organization in many important ways such as advocacy and donations. Convio is empowering us to collect and utilize information about our supporters."

Convio's e-Card capabilities — included with Convio’s email marketing software — allow organizations, like PVA, to create unique online greeting cards by uploading photos, logos and other graphics into eCard templates on their Web sites. These cards can include a message from the organization as well as a link to its Web site home page, newsletter registration page, membership form or any other Web page. PVA constituents can choose from more than half a dozen unique PVA e-Card designs and write a personalized message to a friend or loved one who has served in the U.S. military or is currently serving. PVA also offers the option to send an e-Card to an anonymous, hospitalized veteran or service member. Senders can email the cards to one or more honorees.

"PVA's e-Cards campaign is a good example of how nonprofits can and should be using the Internet — to attract more constituents, learn what motivates them and then personalize communications to promote engagement," said Gene Austin, CEO, Convio, Inc. "Engaged constituents get and stay involved — they donate, advocate and participate in other ways."

About Paralyzed Veterans of America

Founded in 1946, Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA), is the only congressionally chartered veterans service organization dedicated solely for the benefit and representation of individuals with spinal cord injury or disease. PVA is a dynamic, broad-based organization with more than 21,000 members in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. To learn more about PVA, visit its Web site at http://www.supportveterans.org/.

About Convio, Inc.

Convio is the leading provider of software and services that help nonprofit organizations and higher education institutions use the Internet to build strong constituent relationships to drive support and participation. Convio has online solutions for fundraising and membership, advocacy, special events, volunteer fundraising, Web site management and email communications. All solutions include the Constituent360™ platform, a sophisticated, online marketing database that centralizes constituent data and integrates with offline databases. This gives organizations a unified view of constituent interests and motivations -- key for personalized and targeted outreach and communications. Convio also provides services and consulting to help organizations achieve success online.

In addition to Paralyzed Veterans of America, Convio's clients include the American Diabetes Association, American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, AVON Foundation, Brady Campaign United with the Million Mom March, Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh, Chicago Public Radio, Easter Seals, Farm Aid, Georgetown University, KCET Community Television of Southern California, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, National Trust for Historic Preservation, Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation and the Y-ME National Breast Cancer Organization. For more information, please visit www.convio.com.

Whitney Wood Otstott
Corporate Communications Manager
Convio, Inc.
512-652-2632
wotstott@convio.com