[March 27, 2009] Convio Study: Online Tools Continue to Drive Value in Today's Economy Tweet Mar 26, 2009 (Close-Up Media via COMTEX) -- Convio, Inc., announced the results of its annual Convio Online Marketing Nonprofit Benchmark Index Study. The group reported that this year's study indicates that online engagement -- whether it is fundraising, advocacy or building a constituent database -- continues to see positive growth even in a down economy. "Results from the 2008 study indicate that online engagement continues to play a vital role for nonprofits, especially in this economy," said Gene Austin, CEO of Convio. "Compared to traditional marketing and engagement channels, online marketing and fundraising held up well. The study results prove that online marketing should be a key component of any nonprofit organization's strategy to raise money, empower constituents and build a solid database of donors and supporters." The study analyzes data compiled from 597 nonprofit organizations, representing millions of online interactions and transactions from Convio's Software as a Service (SaaS) system. The study aggregates results into benchmarks that nonprofit organizations can compare against their peer group and the industry as a whole. In addition the study provides separate benchmarks for 14 nonprofit industry sub-groups, or verticals across 21 key metrics. "The value of this type of data for Convio's clients and the nonprofit community as a whole is remarkable," said Holly Ross, executive director of NTEN, a membership organization of nonprofit professionals who put technology to use for their causes. "Convio, with their SaaS-model, is uniquely positioned to provide this data. And with a decade of expertise as well as a strong network of partners, they're able to help organizations analyze the information, turning it into actionable strategies and tactics that drive fundraising and advocacy results." Highlights of the study include: - 2008 saw positive year-over-year growth in online fundraising, email file growth and website traffic. This is in contrast to reports that indicate traditional direct mail led engagement and fundraising growth declined in 2008 overall and especially in the fourth quarter. - Average monthly website traffic grew year-over-year at a rate of 20 percent. This growth is important since a charity's website is often the first touch point between an organization and individual. When used effectively, it can convey the importance of an organization's mission, help register new constituents and generate desired actions such as making a donation or signing a petition. - Email file growth grew at nearly 28 percent from 2007 to 2008. The number of email addresses on file has a direct impact on an organization's ability to communicate with, cultivate and solicit actions from constituents. Generally speaking, the larger an organization's communication reach, the more constituents who are available to help them reach their goals, whether that is raising more money, mobilizing more advocates, or simply increasing awareness. In total, nonprofit organizations used Convio to process $777 million in online donations in 2008, send 3.1 billion emails with greater than 95 percent delivery rate, execute 44 million advocacy calls to action and power more than 3,500 web domains. Convio is a provider of on-demand constituent relationship management (CRM) software and services. Report Information: www.convio.com/benchmark2009. ((Comments on this story may be sent to [email protected])) [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]