BALTIMORE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Convio, Inc. (NASDAQ: CNVO) today presented United Way of Lake County (UWLC), a nonprofit organization that unites leadership and resources to create lasting change to improve lives in Lake County, with an Innovator Award in the Best Peer-to-Peer Campaign category for Page it Forward: Lake County’s Biggest Book Drive, which used Convio Personal Fundraising to create a sense of urgency around the organization’s first ever summer book-drive campaign. All award winners will be recognized at an event tonight at Convio’s Client Summit, the company’s annual user conference where more than 1,000 nonprofit clients, partners and industry thought leaders gather as a community to share common experiences and effective strategies for nonprofits.
“We were thrilled when we learned that we had won an Innovator Award for our peer-to-peer fundraising campaign,” said Valerie Petersen, marketing communications associate at UWLC. “This award helps to remind both our Board of Directors and staff that we are making an impact in Lake County, getting attention for our efforts, and becoming a trendsetter in the nonprofit community.”
In some areas of Lake County, 76 percent of incoming kindergartners have no knowledge of books. In order to address these literacy issues, UWLC teamed up with Lake County-based Bernie’s Book Bank to create Page it Forward: Lake County’s Biggest Book Drive. They set an ambitious goal of giving 100,000 books to low-income children in Lake County during the summer of 2011. UWLC created six drop off events (three corporate challenges and three community events) where people could donate their new and gently used children’s books, and encouraged other local organizations and families to start book drives of their own to support the cause. In addition, the organization put a contemporary twist on the traditional book drive concept by offering several platforms where individuals could Page it Forward in their own unique way. In addition to direct mail and e-blast communications, UWLC also offered mobile text-to-give options, and a Facebook page where sponsors donated one book per “like” on the page. To create a sense of urgency around the drive, the organization created the “Catch the Truck” peer-to-peer fundraising campaign using Convio Personal Fundraising, where one of UWLC’s employees reached out to friends and family to help her collect as much money in donations as the Page it Forward book collection truck did in books that same day. Within 24 hours, the employee had collected nearly $2,000 from 50 different donors. After seeing the success from this Page it Forward personal fundraising appeal, UWLC organized another appeal and named it the “Virtual 10K Relay.” Four fundraising champions were identified to raise funds, with a collective goal of $10,000. Each of the champions were assigned a 24-hour period where they attempted to meet their personal goal before “handing off the baton” to the next champion the following day. Collectively, the team of champions raised nearly $13,000 in four 24-hour periods, surpassing their goal by $3,000.
By taking such a creative approach to its fundraising efforts, UWLC exceeded its goal of 100,000 books before the campaign ended and raised $15,000 (equivalent to 6,000 books) in five 24-hour periods with the “Catch the Truck” and “Virtual 10K Relay” personal fundraising campaigns. As a result, they increased their goal to 150,000 books. Their innovation did not go unnoticed by media; the book drive was highlighted in print, on radio, and on Chicago television coverage.
Six other nonprofits received Innovator Awards in categories including Best Overall Use of Convio, Best Integrated/Multi-channel Campaign, Best Online Campaign, Best CRM Visionary/Use of Common Ground, Best Team Event, and Best Use of New Media. All Convio clients were eligible to submit for the awards.
"The seven clients recognized this year epitomize innovation and are shining examples of true constituent engagement and how to maximize the value of every interaction they have with their supporters,” said Gene Austin, chief executive officer and president of Convio. “As the shift continues from traditional forms of engagement to a combination of traditional, digital and social channels, these organizations are on the front lines responding daily to the changing needs of donors, advocates, volunteers and anyone helping to advance their mission. We are proud to recognize their achievements and honored to support them in their continued success.”
For more information on United Way of Lake County, visit:
- www.LIVEUNITEDlakecounty.org
- www.facebook.com/unitedwaylakeco and www.facebook.com/pageitforward
- www.twitter.com/UnitedWayLakeCo
- www.youtube.com/UWLakeCounty
More information on the 2011 Summit Innovator Award Winners can be found at www.convio.com/2011innovators.
About United Way of Lake County
United Way of Lake County (UWLC) is preparing our children to succeed in a changing world by focusing on education and building safe and stable families. UWLC focuses on four key educational programs: Success By 6 Program—prepare for kindergarten; Reading Success Program—read at grade level; Stay in School Program—graduate high school; and the Safe and Stable Families Program—empowering families. UWLC is overcoming reading and educational barriers by reaching children, from preschool through high school, through these key programs. The overall effect and benefits are multiplied by the strong collaboration with agencies and UWLC’s community partners.
About Convio
Convio is a leading provider of on-demand constituent engagement solutions that enable nonprofit organizations to maximize the value of every relationship. With Convio constituent engagement solutions, nonprofits can more effectively raise funds, advocate for change and cultivate relationships with donors, activists, volunteers, event participants, alumni and other constituents. Convio offers two open, cloud-based constituent engagement solutions: Convio Common Ground CRM™ for small- and mid-sized nonprofits and Convio Luminate™ for enterprise nonprofits. Headquartered in Austin, Texas with offices across the United States and United Kingdom, Convio serves more than 1,500 nonprofit organizations globally. Convio is listed on the NASDAQ Global Market under the symbol CNVO. For more information: www.convio.com