Blackbaud Releases 'Connecting Online Advocacy and Fundraising' White Paper

Wireless News
02-19-2011
Blackbaud Releases 'Connecting Online Advocacy and Fundraising' White Paper
Type: News

Blackbaud, Inc., announced the release of "Connecting Online Advocacy and Fundraising", a white paper focused on optimizing advocacy appeals that lead to increased response rates and fundraising.

The company will also host Advocacy Live!, a free web event focused on nonprofit online advocacy on March 9.
The Company said the paper, co-authored by Steve Daigneault, vice president of eCampaigns at M+R Strategic Services, Mark Davis, director of enterprise Internet solutions at Blackbaud, and Milo Sybrant, managing director of new media at Amnesty International USA, explores recent successful online advocacy and fundraising campaigns and provides strategies for optimizing future campaigns.

"The integration of advocacy and fundraising has proven successful with many organizations," said Daigneault. "In fact, advocates are seven-times more likely to give as compared to non- advocates."

According to a release, to further explore the findings and share strategies for optimizing online advocacy campaigns, Blackbaud is hosting Advocacy Live!, a free live web event on March 9 co-hosted by Care2 and featuring the paper's co-authors, representatives from US Congress, and Blackbaud partner, Zuri Group, the winner of Blackbaud's recent advocacy application development challenge.

Advocacy Live!, a three-hour virtual event being held on March 9, from 1 to 4 p.m. ET, sessions, as described by the Company, include:

1 - 1:30 p.m.: 2011 State of the Union for Online Advocacy Featuring: Joe Baker, Vice President Causes and Advocacy, Care2Moderator-led discussion where experts share perspective on online advocacy trends in light of new political reality with the new 2011 Congress and the second half of the Obama administration.

1:30 - 2:15 p.m.: Connecting Online Advocacy and Fundraising Featuring: Steve Daigneault, Vice President eCampaigns, M+R Strategic Services; Shiloh Stark, Online Fundraising Manager, Amnesty International USA; and Christopher Burley, Senior Director of Membership and Online Advocacy, Defenders of WildlifeReview key findings from the new white paper Connecting Online Advocacy and Fundraising. Attendees will learn more about the link between online advocacy and fundraising, illustrated by multiple case studies and best practice tips.

2:15 - 3 p.m.: Communicating to the 112th US Congress Featuring: Ben Jenkins, Product Manager, Blackbaud and a technical representative from the US CongressHear the perspective from the other side as members of the US Congress communications team speak about best practices on best connecting supporters to members of Congress.

3 - 3:45 p.m.: Using Social Media to Boost Online Advocacy Featuring: Molly Kelly, Sr. Technical Strategy Consultant, Zuri GroupWatch a demonstration of a recently deployed Facebook-driven advocacy campaign supporting Amnesty International USA. The group will also discuss how social media is being used to drive successful online activism and engagement.

3:45 - 4 p.m.: Closing Statements Final thoughts and comments on information shared during the session.

Conducted in the fall, Blackbaud issued a development challenge to its partners to create an application that extends online advocacy and fundraising solutions to mobile and social networks, like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. The winning application, which integrates with Sphere Advocacy, Blackbaud's online advocacy solution, will be demonstrated during next month's advocacy web event.

Blackbaud noted that it has been active in building online advocacy solutions for nonprofits for 11 years and continues to invest in extending the platform. Partnering with organizations including Autism Speaks, Amnesty International USA, and Common Cause, Blackbaud helps nonprofits build highly engaging online advocacy campaigns. With Sphere Advocacy, nonprofits can mobilize activists with information that matters to them and increase the number of people that they target with their advocacy campaigns.

Blackbaud has recently extended the advocacy integration for The Raiser's Edge and Sphere Advocacy and is currently completing an enterprise-level advocacy solution on its Infinity platform. "We are committed to developing next-generation advocacy solutions that deeply integrate with our fundraising and CRM solutions, like The Raiser's Edge and Blackbaud CRM, to further incorporate advocacy into the constituent engagement model," said Steve MacLaughlin, Blackbaud's director of Internet solutions. "An integrated and open advocacy system is a very effective companion to fundraising."

Blackbaud recently released enhancements to its Application Programming Interface (API) library for Sphere that now allow for nonprofits to extend their advocacy calls-to-action to new platforms through social media and mobile applications. "Zuri Group's industry expertise and Blackbaud's enhanced advocacy call-to-action tools empower nonprofits by connecting them with their constituents through social media on a whole new and exciting level," said John Murphy, chief executive officer at Zuri Group. "It's not enough for nonprofits to wait passively for visits to their websites-- organizations must reach out to where supporters are spending their time."

With 15 million members and more than 600 nonprofit clients worldwide, Care2 a social action network of people making a difference for the environment, human rights, animals and other causes.

Blackbaud is a provider of software and services designed specifically for nonprofit organizations, enabling them to improve operational efficiency, build relationships, and raise more money to support their missions.

More information:

www.blackbaud.com

www.care2.com

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