Convio Go! questions

Briena Jacob

Hello,

Thank you again for providing the analytics report. It is very helpful. We are in the midst of gathering information to help make a decision about the generous Convio Go! for Clubs program being offered.

I know we'll have the ability to have more customization in the new program, but  we have a few questions regarding back end work from our database manager. Could you let me know your thoughts on these when you have a chance. Thank you.

1. Will we need to stay with the same merchant vendor from the pilot program or will we be able to go back to our previous one?

2. Will we be able to extract more information about the donor in the notification e-mail? (I think this is yes, but wanted to double check.)

3. When our volume increases, what are the options available for a gift data sync to avoid having to manually enter donations? And what are would be the costs associated with the data sync both for gifts and to update constituent data automatically into our Rasier's Edge system.

Thank you!

Briena

Patrick Hansen

Hi Briena -

Thanks for posting your follow-up questions.  Here's what I can share:

1. Will we need to stay with the same merchant vendor from the pilot program or will we be able to go back to our previous one?

Which merchant vendor were you using previously?  I'd love to hear more about why your Club prefers that vendor.  I ask because Convio can only be used with Internet Merchant Accounts (IMAs) that are on the PayFlow Pro platform.  Even on the PayFlow Pro platform, not all vendors provide the full set of reporting and settlement information that the vendor we used in the pilot provides (which allows Convio's settlement reports to be accurate).  If you can, I would recommend continuing to use the IMA that's already fully configured, tested, and up and running.

2.  Will we be able to extract more information about the donor in the  notification e-mail? (I think this is yes, but wanted to double check.)

We've requested that our engineering team make several enhancements to the notification e-mail, but we haven't gotten a commitment yet on when these enhancements will be made.  What you can do with the more advanced access to the Convio platform you'll get in this program is create your own custom reports, schedule them to run daily, and have the results (or a link to the results) sent to you by email.  The results of those custom reports can contain much more information than what's currently in the standard notification email.  Meaning, you can create a donation report, set the criteria for the gifts that should be included in that report, and schedule the report to run daily, weekly, monthly, etc.  You can even create a couple different kinds of reports, each going out to different staff at your Club.

3. When  our volume increases, what are the options available for a gift data  sync to avoid having to manually enter donations? And what are would be  the costs associated with the data sync both for gifts and to update  constituent data automatically into our Rasier's Edge system.

Getting data into Raiser's Edge en mass is almost never easy.    One disadvantage of the cost-savings you get from using an instance of Convio that is a shared set of tools with the BGCA national office is that we aren't able to automatically synchronize that toolset to multiple Clubs' databases.  Clubs that purchase their own Convio toolset can also purchase an RE Connector to make the flow of data back and forth to RE more automated.  In the case of Go! for Clubs, it's possible to move data back and forth to RE en mass using .CSV files.  It's not an automated data sync, but does allow you to stop doing manual entry of each contact record and/or gift.  Getting .CSV files into RE isn't easy, but is something that a database manager with a strong RE background is likely able to do.

Great questions - keep 'em coming!

-patrick

Briena Jacob

Patrick Hansen:

Hi Briena -

Thanks for posting your follow-up questions.  Here's what I can share:

1. Will we need to stay with the same merchant vendor from the pilot program or will we be able to go back to our previous one?

Which merchant vendor were you using previously?  I'd love to hear more about why your Club prefers that vendor.  I ask because Convio can only be used with Internet Merchant Accounts (IMAs) that are on the PayFlow Pro platform.  Even on the PayFlow Pro platform, not all vendors provide the full set of reporting and settlement information that the vendor we used in the pilot provides (which allows Convio's settlement reports to be accurate).  If you can, I would recommend continuing to use the IMA that's already fully configured, tested, and up and running.

2.  Will we be able to extract more information about the donor in the  notification e-mail? (I think this is yes, but wanted to double check.)

We've requested that our engineering team make several enhancements to the notification e-mail, but we haven't gotten a commitment yet on when these enhancements will be made.  What you can do with the more advanced access to the Convio platform you'll get in this program is create your own custom reports, schedule them to run daily, and have the results (or a link to the results) sent to you by email.  The results of those custom reports can contain much more information than what's currently in the standard notification email.  Meaning, you can create a donation report, set the criteria for the gifts that should be included in that report, and schedule the report to run daily, weekly, monthly, etc.  You can even create a couple different kinds of reports, each going out to different staff at your Club.

3. When  our volume increases, what are the options available for a gift data  sync to avoid having to manually enter donations? And what are would be  the costs associated with the data sync both for gifts and to update  constituent data automatically into our Rasier's Edge system.

Getting data into Raiser's Edge en mass is almost never easy.    One disadvantage of the cost-savings you get from using an instance of Convio that is a shared set of tools with the BGCA national office is that we aren't able to automatically synchronize that toolset to multiple Clubs' databases.  Clubs that purchase their own Convio toolset can also purchase an RE Connector to make the flow of data back and forth to RE more automated.  In the case of Go! for Clubs, it's possible to move data back and forth to RE en mass using .CSV files.  It's not an automated data sync, but does allow you to stop doing manual entry of each contact record and/or gift.  Getting .CSV files into RE isn't easy, but is something that a database manager with a strong RE background is likely able to do.

Great questions - keep 'em coming!

-patrick

Thank you again for your help! I have a few more questions that I'm hoping you can provide insight for. I'm actually including them in your responses from below.

1. Will we need to stay with the same merchant vendor from the pilot program or will we be able to go back to our previous one?

Which merchant vendor were you using previously?  I'd love to hear more about why your Club prefers that vendor.  I ask because Convio can only be used with Internet Merchant Accounts (IMAs) that are on the PayFlow Pro platform.  Even on the PayFlow Pro platform, not all vendors provide the full set of reporting and settlement information that the vendor we used in the pilot provides (which allows Convio's settlement reports to be accurate).  If you can, I would recommend continuing to use the IMA that's already fully configured, tested, and up and running. I am checking with our accounting department on this. I know there were some issues in matching up donations to the donor when we received a lot at once.

2.  Will we be able to extract more information about the donor in the  notification e-mail? (I think this is yes, but wanted to double check.)

We've requested that our engineering team make several enhancements to the notification e-mail, but we haven't gotten a commitment yet on when these enhancements will be made.  What you can do with the more advanced access to the Convio platform you'll get in this program is create your own custom reports, schedule them to run daily, and have the results (or a link to the results) sent to you by email.  The results of those custom reports can contain much more information than what's currently in the standard notification email.  Meaning, you can create a donation report, set the criteria for the gifts that should be included in that report, and schedule the report to run daily, weekly, monthly, etc.  You can even create a couple different kinds of reports, each going out to different staff at your Club. Our main concern is making sure we can process gifts with ease by knowing the basic/critical information right away. Will the link for the new reports take our database manager to the report instantly, or will she need to log into Convio? In our old system she was able to extract all the contact information, know why the gift was being made, the amount, if it was a tribute/memorial, and where they'd like it directed, in the original notification email. I think her main concern is being able to find this information quickly/seamlessly.

Also, in the notification e-mail and/or reports will we have more control of the "Campaign or appeal" name. Or will this be the area tracking where the donor is linking from, so we can better track this information. Right now all online donations come through as the "BGC pilot," but we know when certian donations come in they are actually from a mailing, phone call or some other Club initiative we are pursing.

If needed, would you or someone be willing to do a conference call with her. I'm nowhere near as smart as she is with our database, and I want to be sure all her questions are answered. Thanks!

3. When  our volume increases, what are the options available for a gift data  sync to avoid having to manually enter donations? And what are would be  the costs associated with the data sync both for gifts and to update  constituent data automatically into our Rasier's Edge system.

Getting data into Raiser's Edge en mass is almost never easy.    One disadvantage of the cost-savings you get from using an instance of Convio that is a shared set of tools with the BGCA national office is that we aren't able to automatically synchronize that toolset to multiple Clubs' databases.  Clubs that purchase their own Convio toolset can also purchase an RE Connector to make the flow of data back and forth to RE more automated.  In the case of Go! for Clubs, it's possible to move data back and forth to RE en mass using .CSV files.  It's not an automated data sync, but does allow you to stop doing manual entry of each contact record and/or gift.  Getting .CSV files into RE isn't easy, but is something that a database manager with a strong RE background is likely able to do. Do you have a ballpark price for the RE connector? I doubt we'd get it for this year, but could it be something we could add later if needed?

Great questions - keep 'em coming!

Patrick Hansen

Briena Jacob:

Thank you again for your help! I have a few more questions that I'm hoping you can provide insight for. I'm actually including them in your responses from below.

1. Will we need to stay with the same merchant vendor from the pilot program or will we be able to go back to our previous one?

Which merchant vendor were you using previously?  I'd love to hear more about why your Club prefers that vendor.  I ask because Convio can only be used with Internet Merchant Accounts (IMAs) that are on the PayFlow Pro platform.  Even on the PayFlow Pro platform, not all vendors provide the full set of reporting and settlement information that the vendor we used in the pilot provides (which allows Convio's settlement reports to be accurate).  If you can, I would recommend continuing to use the IMA that's already fully configured, tested, and up and running. I am checking with our accounting department on this. I know there were some issues in matching up donations to the donor when we received a lot at once.

2.  Will we be able to extract more information about the donor in the  notification e-mail? (I think this is yes, but wanted to double check.)

We've requested that our engineering team make several enhancements to the notification e-mail, but we haven't gotten a commitment yet on when these enhancements will be made.  What you can do with the more advanced access to the Convio platform you'll get in this program is create your own custom reports, schedule them to run daily, and have the results (or a link to the results) sent to you by email.  The results of those custom reports can contain much more information than what's currently in the standard notification email.  Meaning, you can create a donation report, set the criteria for the gifts that should be included in that report, and schedule the report to run daily, weekly, monthly, etc.  You can even create a couple different kinds of reports, each going out to different staff at your Club. Our main concern is making sure we can process gifts with ease by knowing the basic/critical information right away. Will the link for the new reports take our database manager to the report instantly, or will she need to log into Convio? In our old system she was able to extract all the contact information, know why the gift was being made, the amount, if it was a tribute/memorial, and where they'd like it directed, in the original notification email. I think her main concern is being able to find this information quickly/seamlessly.

Also, in the notification e-mail and/or reports will we have more control of the "Campaign or appeal" name. Or will this be the area tracking where the donor is linking from, so we can better track this information. Right now all online donations come through as the "BGC pilot," but we know when certian donations come in they are actually from a mailing, phone call or some other Club initiative we are pursing.

If needed, would you or someone be willing to do a conference call with her. I'm nowhere near as smart as she is with our database, and I want to be sure all her questions are answered. Thanks!

3. When  our volume increases, what are the options available for a gift data  sync to avoid having to manually enter donations? And what are would be  the costs associated with the data sync both for gifts and to update  constituent data automatically into our Rasier's Edge system.

Getting data into Raiser's Edge en mass is almost never easy.    One disadvantage of the cost-savings you get from using an instance of Convio that is a shared set of tools with the BGCA national office is that we aren't able to automatically synchronize that toolset to multiple Clubs' databases.  Clubs that purchase their own Convio toolset can also purchase an RE Connector to make the flow of data back and forth to RE more automated.  In the case of Go! for Clubs, it's possible to move data back and forth to RE en mass using .CSV files.  It's not an automated data sync, but does allow you to stop doing manual entry of each contact record and/or gift.  Getting .CSV files into RE isn't easy, but is something that a database manager with a strong RE background is likely able to do. Do you have a ballpark price for the RE connector? I doubt we'd get it for this year, but could it be something we could add later if needed?

Great questions - keep 'em coming!

Hi Briena,

Here are some additional thoughts on your questions.  I'm re-listing your questions so we don't got too turned around adding to eachother's comments. 

• Will the link for the new reports take our database manager to the report instantly, or will she need to log into Convio?  She will receive a link by email; when she clicks on the link, the link will open in her browser and she'll login to Convio, but is taken directly to the results of the report. This ensures that potentially large lists of constituent data are kept secure and are not being sent or stored in email.
  
• Also, in the notification e-mail and/or reports will we have more control of the "Campaign or appeal" name?  You will have full control over how you label donation campaigns and donation forms.  Any donation forms that we build for you as part of the program will use a basic naming convention to help identify the campaign and the form, but you can change the way these are labeled at any time.  Also, Convio's reports include source and subsource information that can help you track donations back to their origin.  There are more advanced ways to use Convio's tracking to identify gifts by channel - this is something that you can definitely learn over time by taking a more hands-on approach to using the Convio tools in the Go! program.
  
• If needed, would you or someone be willing to do a conference call with ?  I would say, for starters, feel free to invite her to one of the final two upcoming Pilot Program calls.  She'd be welcome to participate and ask questions on the call.  We'll have opportunities in each of the next two sessions to have more Q&A around the Go! Program.  If she's unable to join, or if she joins and then still has questions, I'd be glad to set aside some time to talk through her questions.
• Do you have a ballpark price for  the RE connector? The ballpark price for the connector is $2,000 for setup initially and ~$75/month ongoing (depends on the size of your email list).
  
• I doubt we'd get it for this year, but could it be  something we could add later if needed?  The RE Connector is only available for Convio clients (including clubs) who purchase their own instance of Convio.  The RE Connector is not available to Clubs that are in the Go! for Clubs Program using a set of tools that are shared with BGCA. 
  

Hope that helps!

-patrick