Stand to Reason
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"Convio has given our staff the ability to keep our site updated while following 'best practices' built directly into the software. Plus, in just three months of donations and sales from our Convio-powered Web site, we covered our three-year projected costs."
- Melinda Penner, director of operations, Stand to Reason |
About Stand to Reason
Founded in 1993, Stand to Reason (STR) trains Christians to think more clearly about their faith and to make an even-handed, incisive, yet gracious defense for classical Christianity and classical Christian values in the public square. STR's speakers teach hundreds of times each year throughout the U.S., Canada and globally. STR's Web site has become a critical aspect of its work, providing training to more than 100,000 visitors each month.
- Recognized that its 800-page Web site had become key to driving donations and fulfilling the organization's mission of training constituents, but also had become cumbersome for visitors to navigate
- Web site was run by volunteers — STR wanted to improve site navigation, but had limited budget and no IT staff; any new online tools had to be affordable and easy-to-use
- Needed to post timely information quickly, without relying on volunteers
- Needed a full-featured online store, including ability to sell digital content, such as MP3s and PDFs
- Had limited ability to communicate with donors electronically, though 25 percent of donors in its email file had originated online
- Needed ability to integrate online donations and purchases with an offline donor management system
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- Selected Convio Fundraising, Web Content Management and Email Marketing in 2005; chose Convio because tools were cost-effective and did not require a major up-front investment
- Solution includes easy-to-use, but powerful online tools that staff members can use to deliver training content
- Sends "welcome" emails to constituents who first contact STR online, introducing them to the site; also sends emails about podcasts, training events, and new content
- Implemented product store that includes cross-selling features
- Site now allows visitors to view information on upcoming events and filter events by speaker
- Synchronized the organization's donor management system with Convio
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- In first six months of using Convio, increased online donations 65 percent over the same period the previous year
- Paid three-year projected costs of Convio in three months through online donations and product sales
- Improved delivery of training content by reducing the number of clicks needed to reach content and by adding a comprehensive site search engine
- Began selling lesser-known products through cross-selling
- Increased online registered users more than 150 percent in six months
- Became number one podcast in iTunes "Religion and Spirituality" section following email blast to constituents announcing availability of the new podcast
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