Convio, Inc. today presented the National Partnership for Women & Families, an advocacy group dedicated to promoting fairness in the workplace, access to quality health care, and policies that help women and men meet the dual demands of work and family, with an Innovator Award in the Best Online Campaign category for its ‘Right Over Might’ — The Betty Dukes and Women of Wal-Mart Campaign. All award winners will be recognized at an event tonight at Convio’s Client Summit, the company’s annual user conference where more than 1,000 nonprofit clients, partners and industry thought leaders gather as a community to share common experiences and effective strategies for nonprofits.

“We are thrilled and proud to have won this award,” said Tucker Ball, director of new media at the National Partnership for Women & Families. “It recognizes the tangible impact that a small, talented team can have, and it motivates us to keep on fighting the good fight. We firmly believe that giving individuals creative, meaningful outlets to express their support — across a variety of new media channels — inspires them to take action and stay engaged in our campaigns. We also make it a top priority to provide evidence that their voice and contributions really make a difference. This is critical to our ability to mobilize our online activists and be an effective advocate for women and families.”

In March 2011, the National Partnership launched an online campaign to support Betty Dukes and 1.6 million of her current and former co-workers at Wal-Mart as they brought their decade-long fight for fair pay to the U.S. Supreme Court. Arguing that the nation’s largest private employer engaged in widespread pay and promotion discrimination, the women of Wal-Mart attempted to proceed with the largest class action lawsuit in United States’ history.

Using best practices and building on recent successes with social media, the National Partnership designed an online advocacy campaign using Convio that would generate support for Betty Dukes and the women of Wal-Mart, raise awareness about the Paycheck Fairness Act, and put a compelling human face on the issues of workplace fairness and fair pay. The organization used an effective combination of Convio and social media tools to meet these goals and to inspire and mobilize its online activists.

The National Partnership’s intensive four-month long advocacy campaign incorporated emails, surveys, donation forms, action alerts, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and on-the-ground organizing. Campaign highlights included an in-person meeting with Betty Dukes and the lead plaintiffs in the case, which was recorded on video and shared with activists via YouTube to demonstrate that their words of support truly inspired these courageous women. In addition, Senator Barbara Mikulski and Representative Rosa DeLauro both sent emails to National Partnership activists thanking them for their meaningful contributions. The video is available at www.youtube.com/NationalPartnership.

By the end of the advocacy campaign, the National Partnership:

• Sent 16 emails in four months, with an average open rate of nearly 20%;
• Generated nearly 10,000 advocacy responses to members of Congress;
• Presented Betty Dukes and the four lead plaintiffs with a book titled “Right Over Might,” which contained more than 2,000 user-submitted “personal notes” of encouragement; and
• Increased its number of Facebook fans by 65%, including 500 new fans in one day through a coordinated “Turn (Your Profile) Red on Equal Pay Day” action and outreach.

Six other nonprofits received Innovator Awards in categories including Best Overall Use of Convio, Best Integrated/Multichannel Campaign, Best CRM Visionary/ Use of Common Ground, Best Peer-to-Peer Campaign, Best Team Event, and Best Use of New Media. All Convio clients were eligible to submit for the awards.

The seven clients recognized this year epitomize innovation and are shining examples of true constituent engagement and how to maximize the value of every interaction they have with their supporters,” said Gene Austin, chief executive officer and president of Convio. “As the shift continues from traditional forms of engagement to a combination of traditional, digital and social channels, these organizations are on the front lines responding daily to the changing needs of donors, advocates, volunteers and anyone helping to advance their mission. We are proud to recognize their achievements and honored to support them in their continued success.

For more information on the National Partnership for Women & Families visit:

• www.NationalPartnership.org
• www.facebook.com/NationalPartnership
• twitter.com/NPWF
• www.youtube.com/NationalPartnership

More information on the 2011 Summit Innovator Award Winners can be found at www.convio.com/2011innovators.