May/June 2004

Convio 4.0® Ushers in New Era of Email Marketing
Built-In Best Practices and Major Content and Data Management Enhancements also Help Maximize Online Results

Getting emails delivered, opened and read -- key to any online strategy -- is tough, with people facing an increasing barrage of legitimate email communications as well as spam, or unsolicited email. More than ever, nonprofits need effective online tools for connecting consistently with constituents on a timely basis and successfully delivering the right message to prompt action such as donating, running a volunteer fundraising campaign, joining or renewing membership, advocating on pending legislation or participating in an event such as a walk or run.

The New Era of Email Marketing for Nonprofits
Whether the goal is to drive membership, increase donations, foster advocacy, raise awareness or improve volunteer participation, Convio 4.0 gives nonprofit professionals the email capabilities needed to wage more effective email campaigns that drive significantly higher constituent response and participation.

Building on Convio's track record of helping nonprofits achieve success online, Convio 4.0 incorporates email marketing best practices directly into the Convio software solution -- helping nonprofits build more effective email campaigns every step of the way. With Convio 4.0, nonprofits can:

• create compelling email communications tailored to each constituent's interests;
  
• optimize messages for greater open and response rates;
  
• check for wording or other elements that might trigger increasingly stringent spam filters;
  
• drive higher response rates for increased donations, improved volunteer participation and other online goals; and
  
• track results across multiple email messages in an email campaign to accurately determine campaign success.

New Convio Features
Convio 4.0 was designed with extensive input from nonprofits on the types of online marketing functionality they need in today's increasingly wired world. Available for the first time in a single, powerful email marketing software solution designed specifically for nonprofits, features include:

• the ability to create and track emails in the context of a campaign, configuring multiple messages and deliveries for each audience and objective;
  
• spam checking to ensure every message has the best chance of getting through spam filters and arriving in the constituent's inbox;
  
• A/B testing, or varying an element -- such as the subject line -- in two or more messages, then sending each to a small percentage of the intended audience to determine which is more effective, so campaign messages can be adjusted to achieve optimal results; and
  
• contributed content, which allows a centralized editor to easily solicit, review and approve contributed content from affiliates, chapters, departments or other contributors, and automatically format it in a single email newsletter. 

The New Standard for Usability
A comprehensive and powerful solution, Convio 4.0 has an easy-to-use, intuitive interface. There's no need for complicated technical planning or expertise, so the power of advanced online marketing tools is accessible for any size organization, across all levels of technical ability. With a few keystrokes and mouse clicks, staff members can:

• follow online best practices built in to the software, with step-by-step coaching that helps to ensure compliance.  For example, staff members are prompted through each step of setting up an email message -- from selecting the design template and choosing the target audience, to inserting merge fields (such as first name) and content based on constituent interests;
  
• quickly personalize email and Web site content, with pull-down and context menus to simplify the process of adding content based on a constituent's interests or past involvement with the organization. That content is displayed as an email message or a Web page is being composed, showing exactly how it will look when viewed by the constituent;
  
• create reusable elements in Web pages and email for a common look and branding across all future content. They can also easily manipulate image size, placement, alignment, and other attributes without the use of complex editing tools; and 
  
• easily customize database fields for capturing the specific type of constituent information that matters most to their organization.

Integrating Online Efforts with Constituent Information
Sending email communications and building Web pages is only part of the story. Convio's Internet-based software solutions include a common marketing database so that email and Web site content can be customized for each constituent's interests.

For example, an organization can collect constituent information through its Web site, online surveys, at events and more. Then, the organization can use that information in email communications to not only address each constituent by name, but also include more valuable content based on each constituent's interests, donation history, geographic location and other attributes. Personalizing content and making it relevant fosters a stronger relationship between the organization and each constituent, which leads to higher response rates.

In addition, nonprofits using Convio's email marketing software can track constituents' online activities such as opening an email, clicking-through on a link or forwarding emails to others.  That data then can be used in other online marketing programs to tailor the communication more closely to each constituent's interests and motivations.

For more information on Convio's products and services, visit www.convio.com/solutions.