Judi Sohn

Reinventing myself one crisis at a time.

GetActive acquired by Convio

I don’t know whether to laugh or cry.

AUSTIN, TEXAS (January 17, 2007) Convio, Inc. — a leading provider of online constituent relationship management solutions (eCRM) for nonprofit organizations — today announced that it has executed a definitive agreement to acquire GetActive Software, Inc.

Just got an email about it from GetActive. There’s a conference call with clients next week that you can be sure I’ll be in on.

Yes, Convio has many more features than GetActive. Many of which we don’t need and I don’t want to have to pay for and then be nickled and dimed on the ones I do want. That’s why we left Kintera. I’m very nervous that Convio plays the same game, especially with small clients like us who don’t use the CMS products.

I have a routine going with GetActive. I know where everything is and I have a system for getting data back and forth between GetActive and Salesforce easily. I have no intention of switching from Salesforce to the Convio eCRM. Will the Convio folks work with little ‘ole me to seamlessly transition us to their systems for donations, messaging and fundraising without charging us more?

Now I’m laughing. And crying.

As much as I like geeking out with change in technology, this is one area that I had absolutely no plans to change or upgrade this year.

Judi Sohn

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8 responses to “GetActive acquired by Convio”

  1. Have you looked into Tendenci Membership Management Software? They have done a great job for a couple of organizations that I’m involved in.

  2. Hi Javier, No. I’ve never heard of that product.

    When we switched from Kintera to GetActive, it was weeks and weeks of work…talking to vendors, sitting through demos, doing the research, writing up the requirements, getting proposals, making recommendations to the board, budgeting. And then when I realized we needed to add a separate CRM product, I did it all again until we decided on Salesforce. That doesn’t even count the time in implementation and data conversion. That doesn’t count the time training our folks to use a completely different system and working through the quirks.

    I don’t want to do this again now. We’re a small organization with a handful of staff and not enough hours in our day. Our database is our backbone. It’s our most valuable asset. I just don’t have the heart or stomach to go through a switch in the near future, which is why I’m not happy about this announcement. Sure, GetActive wasn’t perfect. There were things I wish it did differently or better. But does that mean I want a completely different vendor right now?

    Heck, no!

  3. I can totally understand. It can create havoc on the organization’s staff and its members. If you are interested in the future, let me know and I’ll put you in touch with the Tendenci folks.

    I wish you the best and hopefully there won’t be drastic changes for you.

  4. Disclosure – I forgot to say I work at the company that creates Tendenci. On rereading my comments I realized I didn’t point that out. Sorry!

  5. Judi, I share your concerns completely. My organization was a very early user of GetActive, and I am a little concerned abou the relearning process that is about to take place.

    My organization uses GetActive, because they are capable of enabling members to send letters, emails and faxes to their particular California State Assembly Members, State Senators, US Representatives, and US Senators. Most people who use GetActive, are with them specifically for this type of feature. It doesn’t appear as if Tendenci has this feature.

  6. […] From NetSquared: This is big news and it bounced around the nonprofit and progressive blogoshere, clogged up the NpTech feed, and flooded listservs. (Just take a look here)  Laura Quinn summarizes some of the concerns, while others look at the implications (here, here, here, and here) Will this merger encourage more healthy competition from the other vendors and providers? Or will Convio innovate less due to their massive new market share nd potential perceived lack of competition?  Jon Stahl gives us a good reading of the Tea Leaves.              […]

  7. Since you’re blogging about Convio and Get Active, I thought you’d find this funny. It’s a marketing blog post from our company, so take it for what it is, still worth a chuckle:

    Free Group Hugs

    http://www.grassroots.com/newsletter/blog/?storyId=3120

    In a 100% altruistic effort to console and comfort victims of the GetActive-Convio merger, Grassroots Enterprise extended an offer of “free group hugs” to clients of the new GetActive-Convio pair. The hugs can be redeemed any time over the next 6 months that the clients feel frustrated, ignored, confused, or simply not loved.

    “We realize that the next several months will be trying times for GetActive and Convio clients, and we want to help,” said Arvind Rajan, President and CEO of Grassroots Enterprise. “And while we can, of course, offer better service, better technology, better strategy and better responsiveness, sometimes what really helps most…is a nice, warm, hug.”

    Unlike the hugs offered by some competitors, the Grassroots Enterprise hugs will be fully customizable, as opposed to off-the-shelf, cookie-cutter, “one size fits all” hugs. Offerings will include:

    * The classic “group hug”

    * The “I feel your pain” hug: A warm, empathetic embrace

    * The macho, “I’m feeling your pain but also causing pain” guy hug: A slightly less warm hug, accompanied by a back slap for those with hug issues

    * The “air hug:” The outline of a hug, but with no actual body contact, for those with even bigger hug issues

    For more information on how you can get your hug, please email at ImAGetActiveClientAndINeedAHug@grassroots.com or ImAConvioClientAndINeedAHug@grassroots.com.