Case Study: Civil War Trust achieves dramatic online fundraising growth and multi-channel engagement with Convio

Civil War Trust - Customer Case Study

The Civil War Trust (CWT), the largest U.S. nonprofit dedicated to preserving Civil War battlefields, had saved more than 30,000 acres since 1987 but struggled with a dated, hard-to-update website and a cumbersome donation process. Despite strong offline fundraising and brand recognition, CWT’s online presence offered little prospecting or tracking capability and limited their advocacy reach.

CWT adopted Convio CMS to integrate content, fundraising, email and advocacy, building a content-rich site with battlefield-specific giving and measurable email campaigns. Coordinated online/offline efforts produced multiple six-figure gifts, successful advocacy campaigns, a 73% then 67% rise in unique visitors, and online fundraising growth of 45% in year one and 88% in year two, with email open rates averaging 40% for newsletters and 25% for e-appeals.

Civil War Trust

Rob Shenk

Director, Internet Strategy & Development