Heller Consulting and Convio Produce Free Best Practices Guides

Guides Offer Benefit of “Consultant in a Book” Based on Heller Consulting’s and Convio’s Fundraising and Database Expertise

Austin, Texas (November 16, 2009) —

Convio, Inc. and Heller Consulting today announced at the Convio Summit the availability of two free best practices guides exclusively for nonprofits using the Convio Common Ground CRM system.  Unlike other vendors’ documentation that typically just describes database fields and navigating to them, these new guides are unique in leading fundraisers through the considerations for setting up a fundraising database system to reflect the way a development department operates.

"Donor database documentation never tells you how to set up your system for the way your fundraising actually works," said Keith Heller, principal, Heller Consulting. "These best practices guides are the secret sauce for really using your fundraising database to its fullest. They’re like a consulting experience in a book."

Written by Heller Consulting, a Convio Solution Provider authorized to provide services around the Common Ground system, the guides focus on how to best set up the software’s financial codes to support key reporting needs and how to implement gift entry processes that take full advantage of Common Ground functionality. They are part of an ongoing effort by both companies to get information about nonprofit technology, fundraising, and marketing best practices into the nonprofit sector’s hands.

"Heller Consulting and Convio both believe that helping nonprofits get more from our software and services is critical to their success and ours," said Tom Krackeler, vice president, Common Ground. "By providing nonprofits with knowledge based on our collective experience of working with more than 2,000 nonprofit organizations, we're ensuring that our clients will be equipped to optimize our software and services versus purchasing something that they can’t fit into their organization. Their success translates into our success."

The guides are available exclusively to nonprofits that have purchased Convio Common Ground. Interested parties can get more information at the Convio Summit this week in Austin, TX, or by visiting the Resource Center tab within the Common Ground product.

This week, Convio Common Ground was named a finalist in the Force.com Forty Innovation Showcase held by salesforce.com for its ability to solve a real business challenge, visual design and level of customer adoption.

About Heller Consulting

Heller Consulting brings efficient business practices and effective use of technology to nonprofit fundraisers, supporting greater success with less effort. Since 1996, the company has served more than 700 nonprofits of every type and size.  For more information, please visit www.teamheller.com.

About Convio

Convio is passionate about helping nonprofit organizations use software and services to fulfill their missions. The company is the leading provider of online marketing, fundraising, advocacy and constituent relationship management software and services to nonprofit organizations. The company’s online marketing suite offers integrated software for fundraising, advocacy, events, email marketing and web content management, and its database system, Convio Common Ground™ CRM, helps organizations efficiently track and manage all interactions with supporters. All products are delivered through the Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model and are backed by a portfolio of best-in-class consulting and support services and a network of partners who provide value-added services and applications focused on the unique needs of nonprofit organizations.  For more information, please visit www.convio.com

Press Contact:
Karoline McLaughlin
Director, Corporate Communications
Convio, Inc.
kmclaughlin@convio.com
512-652-7865