Trisomy 18 Foundation

"Our investment in Convio was key to broadening our online efforts and building critical capacity to serve our growing national organization. We needed a better understanding of our constituents in order to connect and engage with them on a regular basis. Our audience is now empowered to find the information they need in a phased way, while our staff can easily manage many more initiatives to serve our mission." - Victoria J. Miller, founder and executive director, Trisomy 18 Foundation

About Trisomy 18 Foundation

Trisomy 18 (or Edwards Syndrome) is a serious genetic condition that occurs in approximately one in every 3,000 live births. The Foundation's mission is to guide the search for a cure and treatments, to educate and support medical professionals, and to create a caring worldwide community for affected families. The Foundation envisions a world where Trisomy 18 is a preventable and treatable condition and all parents have access to compassionate, knowledgeable care that respects the humanity of their child diagnosed with Trisomy 18.

The challenge

• A small staff with limited budget and an unwieldy web presence needed to serve audiences with diverse interests
• Sought a cost-effective way to provide patient education, resources and support, as well as interactions with other peer parents, in a 24/7 web-based environment
• Wanted to send email communications to constituents, but lacked appropriate technology
• Changes to website required HTML expertise
• Used PayPal® as the sole means of accepting donations online, which limited donors' payment options
• Lacked ability to engage and communicate with readers of the organization's online forum boards

The solution

• Chose Convio Fundraising, Email Marketing, Web Content Management, Ecommerce and Tributes
• Introduced the various Convio tools through a phased approach to support the organization's growth
• Makes frequent updates to website, without having to use HTML coding
• Leverages conditional content to customize messaging based on fields in constituents' individual profiles
• Solution supports the fast-growing organization, its growing online initiatives, and expanding audience
• Empowers constituents to create websites that share personal stories with friends, family and the community as part of the grieving and healing process

Results

• Increased online monthly donations from $2,000 to $10,000, with total donations more than tripling in one year
• Segmentation capabilities have helped define and build ecosystems of constituents, and meet their diverse needs without adding personnel to the organization
• Doubled email file in just over 12 months, with an average of 400 new registrants each month
• Unique website visitors have increased from 8,000 to 20,000+ in one year, with monthly hits exceeding 1 million
• Freed up staff resources to pursue other organizational goals

Related links

• Trisomy 18 Foundation - Case in Point (PDF)
• Visit Trisomy 18 Foundation's website at www.trisomy18.org