OI Foundation Uses Convio to Increase Outreach and Deepen Engagement

Voluntary National Health Organization Uses Convio’s Constituent-Centric Approach to Power its Signature Bone China Tea Virtual Fundraising Event, Extend Year-Round

Austin, Texas (February 4, 2008) —

The Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI) Foundation (http://www.oif.org/) uses Convio to empower its constituents online, increasing its online donations by 65% last year, primarily through its signature Bone China Tea virtual fundraising event.

As the only voluntary national health organization dedicated to helping people cope with the problems associated with osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) — a genetic disorder characterized by bones that break easily — the OI Foundation uses Convio TeamRaiser™ to give its volunteers tools to reach out to their personal networks on behalf of the organization.

Last year, 49 volunteers hosted virtual tea parties from January through April, raising nearly $42,000 from 778 individuals friends, family members and co-workers who were invited to "stay at home and have a quiet cup of tea" while contributing the money they might have spent on new clothes, babysitters, transportation, and other expenses associated with a formal tea directly to the OI Foundation.

"Our volunteers want to share their own stories to inspire others, and that's where Convio comes in," says John O'Brien, director of development at the OI Foundation. "Convio TeamRaiser gives our volunteers the ability to easily personalize their invitations, allowing them to feel more engaged with the OI Foundation."

Taking relationships to new levels is an important outcome of the OI Foundation's online campaigns. "The Bone China Tea idea is brilliant. And because we personalized each and every invitation with our son Alec's story, it made the Bone China Tea even more special with our family and friends," said Gil and Alma Cabacungan, who have participated in the Bone China Tea events for two years.

"The Bone China Tea pages were very simple and easy to use. It made it easy to send out the emails as well as follow up and thank people. Everyone was very impressed with the Web site's capabilities," said Beth Gero, who raised her pledges online this year.

The Bone China Tea campaign begins each year with volunteers preparing invitations with OI Foundation-labeled tea bags then recruiting other volunteers to send the invitations to family, friends, and co-workers. The OI Foundation provides these event host volunteers with step-by-step instructions on how to participate and set up their own personalized TeamRaiser page.

"As a small staff of eight, we rely on Convio to help us increase our outreach by making it easy for our staff and volunteers. We have been so pleased with the results of these TeamRaiser-powered events, that we plan to hold the Bone China Tea fundraisers year-round, and expect to double the number of participants from 49 to 100 in 2008," said O'Brien.

The OI Foundation receives more than 6,000 questions each year from parents seeking information about medical treatments for their children, or adults with OI who have questions about issues such as aging, hearing loss, pregnancy, or respiratory disease. The funds raised from the Bone China Tea campaign support the OI Foundation's research and education initiatives.

About the Osteogenesis Imperfecta Foundation

The Osteogenesis Imperfecta Foundation, Inc., is the only national voluntary health organization dedicated to helping improve the quality of life for those coping with the problems associated with osteogenesis imperfecta. The Foundation's mission is to fund research to find better treatments and a cure, provide education resources to the community, improve awareness, and facilitate mutual support. For more information, please visit http://www.oif.org/.

About Convio

Convio is a leading provider of on-demand constituent relationship management software and services to nonprofit organizations to enable nonprofit organizations to more effectively raise funds, influence public policy and support their missions by leveraging the Internet to build strong relationships with constituents. The Company's online constituent relationship management, or eCRM, solution includes a suite of on demand software modules for fundraising, advocacy, email marketing and Web content management complemented by a portfolio of best-in-class consulting services.

Convio's clients include American Red Cross, American Diabetes Association, American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Sierra Club, Susan G. Komen Foundation, and National Public Radio. For more information, please visit http://www.convio.com/.

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