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Technology and Teamwork Combine
to Support TAPS
Individuals and corporations use Kintera's online
technology to raise awareness
and funds for the families of America's fallen heroes
Washington,
D.C. - July 22, 2003 - Every year, hundreds
of men and women of the armed forces die in service
to our country. While some of them will make the ultimate
sacrifice on the field of battle, others will lose
their lives while living a unique life as a service
member. These men and women leave behind their beloved
family and friends. Thankfully, Washington, D.C.-based
Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) is
there to provide comfort, support and care to these
military survivors.
TAPS has selected Kintera Inc., the leading provider
of online solutions and services for nonprofits, as
its technology partner to maximize donations and visibility
for TAPS' participation in the 28th Marine Corps Marathon
to be held October 26, 2003 in Arlington, Virginia.
TAPS is using the web-based Kintera Sphereƒ software
platform to offer volunteers and supporters easy-to-use
online tools to help spread the word, raise awareness
and generate funds for the organization in conjunction
with the event.
"The Marine Corps Marathon, also known as the
People's Marathon, is an ideal opportunity for TAPS
to raise funds and awareness in support of the organization's
programs," said Dan Druen, chief executive officer
of TAPS in Washington, D.C. "We turned to Kintera
to provide our organization with an Internet presence
and online fundraising capabilities that TAPS did
not formerly possess. The Kintera tools will greatly
augment our efforts to raise money so that we may
serve more families and loved ones in their time of
need."
Kintera Sphere provides the organization with an integrated
service platform that will help build community and
maximize donations, including event management modules,
a sophisticated e-mail communications system, registration
services, an integrated database and advanced online
donation functionality. The TAPS Website at www.taps.org
offers individuals, associations and corporations
an online opportunity to sign-up to run, sponsor runners
and create teams in the name of fallen loved ones.
Once on the Website, participants can also use Kintera's
Friends Asking Friendssoftware to create their own
personal web page to inform friends and family about
the marathon, solicit donations via e-mail and view
a running account of donations received.
Kintera software provides TAPS staff and supporters
with real-time/anytime tools to distribute information,
effectively communicate and collect funds for the
cause. The Marine Corps Marathon fundraising pages
are seamlessly integrated into the organization's
site.
Additionally, TAPS is partnering with corporations
and associations to create their own co-branded "Team
TAPS." This corporate program, managed through
Kintera software, will allow employees, customers,
vendors, friends and family to come together as a
group to sponsor TAPS. Using e-mail, Team TAPS corporate
partners can announce to their employees the opportunity
to participate in their company's own marathon team.
The message to employees includes a link to a secure
Website where they can register as a runner, sponsor
runners and create teams, and donate.
The TAPS Website and all services are hosted on Kintera's
secure network. Corporate partner Websites are co-branded
with the TAPS logo, as well as the logo from the corporate
participant. Kintera's system tracks how much money
has been raised, provides a "Spread the Word"
function to encourage support from family and friends,
and automatically sends a thank you note and receipt
of contribution to donors.
"With the U.S. Armed Forces personnel putting
their lives on the line daily, Kintera is proud that
our technology is helping to provide comfort and care
to military survivors through TAPS," said Dr.
Harry Gruber, chief executive officer and founder
of Kintera. "Kintera's online technology was
designed to meet the needs of fundraising organizations,
such as TAPS, by making it easy to generate awareness
and funds via the Internet."
Added Brian Hawkins, vice president of Catalyst, the
cause marketing agency for TAPS,
"Implementing the Kintera software allows TAPS
to package a scalable infrastructure to attract and
manage the support that this nonprofit is receiving
throughout the United States."
About TAPS
TAPS was founded in 1994 by Bonnie Carat in the wake
of a military tragedy. Bonnie became a surviving wife
when she lost her best-friend and husband General
Tom Carat who died in an Army National Guard aircraft
crash in Alaska in 1992. Out of this tragedy, Bonnie
found strength through the peer support she received
from the families who lost loved ones in the same
tragic event. "TAPS is a national nonprofit organization
serving families, friends and military service members
who have been affected by a death in the armed services.
We offer peer support, crisis response and intervention,
grief care and counseling resources, casework assistance,
long-term survivor wellness, and community and military
education and outreach.'
About Kintera Inc.
Kintera is the leading provider of software as a service
to help nonprofits foster a powerful sense of community
to achieve their mission. The company's Knowledge
Interaction solutions strengthen an organization's
community by providing volunteers, members, donors
and staff web-based tools to efficiently fulfill their
tasks and share real-time data and information. Kintera's
proven Internet innovations such as Kintera Sphereƒ
and Friends Asking Friends‚ allow organizations
to focus on their mission, not on their technology.
Now nonprofits, educational institutions, associations,
faith-based groups and others can use Kintera's complete
web-based solutions to build communities, manage contacts,
distribute communications, create content and run
reports. For more information and an online demo,
visit Kintera at www.kintera.com.
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