Study Tracks Integrated Marketing Sophistication of Nonprofits

AUSTIN, TX—July 20, 2011—Convio Inc. released findings on the integrated multichannel marketing practices of nonprofit organizations. The “Integrated Multi-channel Marketing” study explores the key success factors for organizations already on their integrated multi-channel journey and identifies how they compare to their peers, and where to focus next to improve success. Key discoveries include: organization size and integrated marketing sophistication do not correlate; and leadership focus along with the right metrics, processes and technology are essential to success.

This study from Convio is the latest example reinforcing the value of integrated multichannel marketing, and builds on the body of knowledge the company has shared with the nonprofit sector for more than a decade. In 2007, Convio announced research proving that an integrated multichannel communications approach enhanced donor lifetime value; and in 2010, “The Next Generation of Giving” research captured donor behavioral trends confirming the multichannel habits of four generations of American and Canadian donors.

“Today, every constituent can and should be engaged through multiple channels so that both the organization and the individual get the most out of the relationship,” said Vinay Bhagat, founder and chief strategy officer of Convio. “In doing so, nonprofits can deepen those relationships by better anticipating needs, interests and passions, and providing relevant interactions and opportunities for participation.

“Determining how to manage this within an organization is non-trivial but has significant payoffs. Our goal for this study was to benchmark where nonprofit organizations were in their integrated marketing evolution, and codify what it takes for nonprofits of all sizes and sophistication levels to enhance success,” Bhagat added.

Key findings include:

There is broad consensus that an integrated approach makes sense. Key benefits cited were the unification of messages across channels strengthens the brand, can cut through the clutter and increase response rates, engage new audiences, grow revenue, and save money.

Integrated marketing sophistication and size do not closely correlate. There are some large organizations where integrated marketing is in its infancy, while some smaller organizations are more advanced in their practices.

Online marketing’s contribution varies greatly. Twenty-nine percent of groups reported raising less than five percent of mass marketing funds (i.e. excluding major gifts etc.) online. Yet, 26 percent of respondents are raising more than 25 percent of funds online. Furthermore, online marketing’s contribution to the fundraising mix is a leading indicator for integrated marketing effectiveness.

The systems and technology to support integration are an essential part of the process. Some organizations report not having software products that would allow their online and direct mail databases to sync, making both execution and validation of an integrated approach difficult, if not impossible.

Critical to understanding success is tracking and mining engagement interactions. For the most part, survey participants said they are tracking all interactions that their software will allow. However, while organizations may be tracking everything they can; often, they do not have the bandwidth or expertise to use the information.

The study focused on five core areas of integrated multichannel marketing including:

• Integrated marketing metrics
• Integrated marketing best practices
• Activity levels in new media
• Organizational strategy
• Integrated marketing priorities

“The data and key findings presented in this study, not only shows the growing importance of integrated multichannel marketing for nonprofits, but also provides some interesting trends on the differences between more sophisticated organizations and their counterparts," said Pam Loeb, principal for Edge Research. “After working closely with Convio on ‘The Next Generation of Giving’ research, we were very interested to see how nonprofits were responding to the multichannel demands of their supporters. It’s interesting to see that most of the participants fell in the middle of the sophistication spectrum, showing plenty of room for growth.”

About the Study
Commissioned by Convio, Edge Research conducted an online survey for nine weeks gathering responses from 123 nonprofits. In addition to the online survey, Edge Research subsequently conducted 15 in-depth interviews. The full study is available at www.convio.com/engage.

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 U.K., Convio serves more than 1,450 nonprofit organizations globally. For more information, visit www.convio.com.

About Edge Research
Edge Research is a full-service marketing research firm that helps nonprofits and corporations meet their strategic objectives. We forge strong partnerships with a select number of clients, learn their business, and continue to provide smart, insightful research and analysis over time. For more information, please visit www.edgeresearch.com.

Source: Convio.