Case Study: Side by Side Kids rebuilds fundraising and streamlines operations with Convio Common Ground

Side by Side Kids - Customer Case Study

Side by Side Kids is a faith-based afterschool and mentoring program serving an underserved Austin neighborhood, relying on volunteers and university partners to support about 150 students. After the economic downturn and loss of key funding, the new executive director found the organization’s installed donor database (Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge) was underused due to complex software, insufficient staff training, high maintenance costs and in‑house IT burdens, leaving outreach and rebuilding efforts stalled.

They moved to Convio Common Ground, a web-based, intuitive CRM that required minimal training, eliminated in‑house IT management and offered predictable costs. Over two years the organization gained faster access from anywhere, integrated fundraising and email tools, volunteer self-service, and the ability to track mission data and program outcomes—improving efficiency, donor communications and their capacity to demonstrate impact to supporters.

Side by Side Kids

Silvestre Guzman

Executive Director