How one program does it all seamlessly.

Picture this scenario. Emily Wentworth, director of development, has three major donors of her nonprofit to visit in New York City and little time to prepare before boarding her flight in Los Angeles. During a layover at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, she dials into the Internet with her laptop.

Emily immediately logs in to eTapestry, her nonprofit's Web-based fundraising software. From there, she runs a quick report to check on the status of her e-mail campaign, which provides potential donors with a link to her Web site to make online donations.

She notices that the donors who contribute online to her nonprofit’s Kansas City and Indianapolis offices have responded favorably to the automatic thank-you notes sent from eTapestry. This new method of thanking online donors shows that the nonprofit is in touch with the donor’s preferred style of communication. It also saves her hundreds of dollars in materials and mailing costs.

Before she left the office, she clicked on the eTapestry button in her Outlook task bar to move over all her e-mail communication with her major donors from Outlook into eTapestry. Emily wanted to be sure she could review all communication with her donors, including a thorough review of attachments, together with their giving history, before meeting with the donors in person.

Emily quickly punches in the names of the three donors she will see in a few hours. A check from one of them has been processed by the LA headquarters and recorded into the nonprofit's database with other real-time information accessible to registered users in both of the nonprofit's offices.

She seamlessly links from the donor's eTapestry record into a database where she discovers one of the wealthy donors recently exercised a sale of $2 million in stock options. The donor also purchased a $1 million piece of undeveloped property in the neighborhood where her nonprofit would like to open a resale shop.

Now, Emily knows exactly how to make her nonprofit relevant to the donor’s life. She also is aided by the knowledge that her donor might have more money than usual to bestow on a charity. So, she accesses information through eTapestry to calculate a potential planned gift.

After developing her "ask" strategies, Emily looks for more information through other eTapestry partner links to help her leverage potential donations during the trip. She enters the name of one of the donor’s employers—an East Coast pharmaceutical company—to discover that it has a matching gift program of up to $25,000 annually.

Is Emily living a fundraiser's fantasy? Definitely not. All these features are currently available through eTapestry, a Web-based fundraising tool helping fundraisers who increasingly find themselves short on time and dollars.

"eTapestry helps us ensure that we don't leave money on the table," said Gordon Dowell, director of annual giving for The Kansas State University Foundation.

The foundation uses an integrated eTapestry affiliate to check whether a donor’s employer has a matching gift program. Then, he lets the employee know the maximum match and how to obtain it.

"This is an all encompassing system for us," Dowell said. "We don’t have to acquire piecemeal systems anymore to get the results we need."

Katie Johnston, director of fund development for the Indianapolis affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, uses eTapestry's high-functioning database to quickly acknowledge memorials made by donors and communicate with families about the memorials made on behalf of their loved ones.

"We are a very young organization. However, eTapestry has pushed us 1½ years forward in fundraising from where we thought we would be today," said Johnston, whose affiliate runs one of the largest Susan G. Komen races in the country with 40,000 participants.

Doug Morrow, director of development and communications for Illinois-based Baptist Children's Home and Family Services, uses eTapestry's vast reporting capabilities to help guide his organization's fundraising decisions. In June 2003, Morrow noticed that his nonprofit's gift income projections were significantly off.

After running some in-depth reports, it was clear that the organization’s church support, rather than its individual donations, was down. Morrow quickly mobilized representatives from within the churches and from several church associations to advocate for the children’s home and get donations back on track.

More recently, he stopped tracking these representatives through an Excel spreadsheet and entered them all in eTapestry instead.

"I was able to build the necessary fields within eTapestry to track communications with them," Morrow said. "eTapestry is customizable."

First Priority of Alabama has called on eTapestry's reporting functions to create some extremely detailed segmentation of its donors. The resulting direct-mail campaign produced responses that doubled the organization’s income from the previous year but used less than half the number of direct-mail pieces, said John Harrison, First Priority’s director of public relations and development officer.

The direct-mail letter achieved a response rate of 43 percent in one category, with an average response rate of 11 percent.

Nineteen separate letters were developed to target First Priority's different donors—such as those who gave two years ago and not since, those who gave more than $500 in previous years and those who were monthly donors.

"Knowing a person's giving level helps you more realistically speak to them. If I'm someone whose biggest gift ever has been $20 and I get a letter asking for $200, I'm not responding to that level," Harrison said. "The key to successful fundraising is knowing who you are talking to. With eTapestry’s help, we do."

"Just wanted you to know that I LOVE what you've done with this place."

"Thanks for the new look."

"I love the new version."

"Thanks for the improvements!"

"WOW! Really like to changes to the system."

New features, a new look, and improved usability - the latest release of eTapestry is striking a positive chord with users. The new upgrade, provided at no additional cost to the over 3000 eTapestry customers, combines new functions with an updated user interface.

In addition, an improved technical design gives eTapestry virtually unlimited capacity for handling its growing use and expanding client base. With over 100 organizations adopting eTapestry each month, handling a growing volume of activity has been a priority with the latest release.

Highlights from the latest release include:

• An updated and improved interface for easier navigation and expanded views of data.
• Expanded view of information on the Account Search page.
• New account "Home" page provides a complete summary for viewing or reporting.
• Concurrent support for both calendar and fiscal years.

Even more enhancements are on the way! With new revisions being added every 6-8 weeks, eTapestry is continually evolving to meet the needs of the nonprofit community.

About eTapestry
eTapestry is the leading provider of web-based fundraising and donor management software for nonprofit organizations of all types and sizes. As a web-based application, eTapestry provides access from any Internet connection and handles all maintenance, backup and security. For more information, contact eTapestry at www.etapestry.com, 888-739-3827, or info@eTapestry.com.

eTapestry board members William C. McGinly and Eugene R. Tempel have joined the prestigious "NonProfit Times Power and Influence Top 50" list for 2002.

The list of 50 national nonprofit leaders were chosen by a six-member tribunal made up of The NonProfit Times staff and members of the nonprofit community. The panel narrowed a field of more than 200 nominees through private conversations and a long conference call.

"We are honored to have the input of board members who give incredible leadership and expertise to the nonprofit community," said eTapestry CEO Jay Love.

McGinly joined eTapestry's board in early 2000, a few months after the company was established.

"It's his ideas and fine attention to details in proposed regulations that keep AHP members and all healthcare fundraisers ahead of the curve," the list said of McGinly, who serves as president for the Association of Healthcare Philanthropy.

Eugene Tempel, executive director of the Indiana University Center on Philanthropy, is a founding member of eTapestry's board.

"Frankly, the man appears to be everywhere," according to the NPT Power and Influence list. "While his life seems like a road show, back home in Indianapolis, he has turned the Center on Philanthropy into the first stop of sector information and education."

eTapestry's IT management and other features attracts Grand Rapids Metropolitan YMCA

Bob Branch had the go-ahead to spend thousands of dollars on expensive and traditional nonprofit fundraising software.

Just before the Grand Rapids Metropolitan YMCA was expected to sign on the dotted line, the nonprofit's management team changed course in favor of eTapestry, a less expensive Web-based solution that provides the accessibility and accountability that the YMCA needs to mount a $45-million capital campaign.

Branch isn't the only nonprofit administrator who was looking for greater return-on-investment from his donor database system. Since eTapestry was founded in September 1999, it has served 1,200 different nonprofit agencies in North American and Europe. eTapestry also has partnerships with Goodwill Industries International, Inc., the American Baptist Church, the Nazarene Compassionate Ministries and Seventh-day Adventist to serve them and their affiliates.

eTapestry's dominance in Web-based fundraising software has been reported in an independent survey published in the Chronicle of Philanthropy's June 14, 2001 edition. At that time, the survey said eTapestry had 1,000 customers while its nearest competitor had 240 customers.

"We're adding four to five new customers every day," said eTapestry CEO Jay Love. "This is a growth rate that no other company in this industry has seen or enjoyed."

Love, former Master Software CEO, began eTapestry with three other employees of the fundraising software company that was purchased by Blackbaud in 1997. Since starting eTapestry, Love has seen many Internet companies come and go.

"Unlike eTapestry, many Internet companies coming into the market did not think about establishing a customer support and training department and staffing it with people with industry experience," said Love. "Also, we knew if we created something that took all the IT management and legwork out of the picture that the product would fly off the shelf. For many customers, they would have to significantly increase their budgets to pay for the kind of security that eTapestry provides their data."

Branch said IT maintenance was one of his key issues when considering which software to buy.

"The more traditional software had a lot of upfront hardware and software costs with no guarantee for return," said Branch, who estimated eTapestry will save him 40 percent to 50 percent of his total costs over five years. "My IT employee would have to back up the software and manage it if it went down."

With other systems, Branch said once the YMCA bought the system that it was on its own unless it wanted to pay for costly training services.

"When you look at the eTapestry model, it's pay-as-you-go. eTapestry is going to earn my dollar every day, because if I'm not satisfied, I'm under no obligation a month from now," Branch said. "That arrangement gives eTapestry a greater incentive to keep me happy and it gives me a greater level of confidence because we are both sharing the risk of the decision."

About eTapestry
Founded in 1999, Indianapolis-based eTapestry.com is the first Web-based donor database and communications management system that rents its software to customers who access it over the Internet. Nonprofit organizations of all types and sizes using eTapestry.com do not pay the large upfront purchasing costs or the ongoing maintenance and support contracts typically paid in the purchase of more traditional software. For more information, go to www.eTapestry.com.

The AFP Maryland Chapter is hosting an all day conference that is open to all nonprofit organizations. Being held on August 23 the conference is titled - "Leveraging the Internet and Your Database as a Powerful Weapon." This conference is co-hosted by eTapestry.com, a leading developer of web-based donor management and fundraising software.

The AFP-MD (the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Maryland Chapter) All Day Conference will be held on Thursday, August 23, 2001 at the Sheraton Columbia (Maryland) Hotel, and features presentations by Mark Connors and Phil Richmond from eTapestry.com, Ted Hart from the ePhilanthropyFoundation, Jim McGee from Target America, William McGinley from AHP, and Gene Tempel from the Center on Philanthropy.

The AFP-MD All Day Conference again brings together fundraising, marketing and public relations executives and their professional support staff throughout the mid-Atlantic region. Professionals attending the Conference are exposed to a full-day educational program focusing on one specific aspect of development. This year's educational program will feature a full-day presentation on the topic of "Leveraging the Internet and your database as a powerful weapon."

You may register for the Conference by calling AFP-MD at (410) 529-3120. The cost is $60 for members and $80 for non-members.

eTapestry has joined Microsoft and Sun Microsystems in serving as exclusive vendors for the Higher Education Cooperative Purchase Consortium, the nation's largest cooperative consortium.

eTapestry is the only online donor/alumni management software vendor for the consortium, which is a group of 1,800 colleges that have pooled together for better vendor prices. The program is operated by the Foundation for California Community College at www.collegebuys.org. Consortium members can save 8 percent on eTapestry's online donor database and communications management software.

"We're looking for vendors that could help college foundations," said Dave Stuart, chief operations officer for the Foundation of California Community Colleges. "We found that eTapestry was a great example of that. That's why we're excited to have eTapestry as one of our vendors."

The consortium has about 75 vendors, most of which represent exclusive vendors in their market.

"It's an honor to join this great roster of vendors," said Steve Rusche, eTapestry vice president and chief operations officer. "eTapestry looks forward to helping more colleges build better relationships with their alumni and keep track of their contributions."

The Foundation for California Community Colleges, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, is the official auxiliary foundation for the California Community Colleges system. FCCC founded in 1999 the Higher Education Cooperative Purchase Consortium, which currently has more than 1,800 members, including more than 1,100 community colleges and 700 independent colleges and universities in the United States. The consortium has special, negotiated prices with more than 70 vendors. For more information see www.collegebuys.org or www.foundationccc.org.

Indianapolis-based eTapestry is the first Web-based donor database and communications management software. Founded in 1999, eTapestry rents its software to customers and delivers it on the Internet. eTapestry is less expensive and more versatile than traditional fundraising software applications. It is used by nonprofit organizations of all types and sizes. For more information on eTapestry, go to www.eTapestry.com.

Indianapolis-based eTapestry.com is moving Jan. 27 into 9,000 square feet of newly constructed space in Fort Harrison in anticipation of its steady growth over the next few years.

The company, which employs 37 people, has outgrown the 3,700 square feet of office space it has occupied in the fort's former communications center and other nearby offices. eTapestry.com has an option to lease the new building's remaining 9,000 square feet.

eTapestry.com looked for space that could accommodate all of its Indianapolis employees under one roof and give it plenty of room to grow. eTapestry.com started in 1999 as an applications service provider of fundraising and communications management software. It now serves more than 700 customers and anticipates that base to grow to 3,000 by the fall of 2001 and to 10,000 by the following year.

The new building is located at 9201 Harrison Park Court, south of 56th Street and east of Post Road.

In keeping with its non-traditional style, eTapestry.com has opted to retain the building's warehouse feel by leaving its tall ceilings and exposed pipes.

"There's no marble," said COO Steve Rusche. "It's a functional, comfortable, affordable and interesting environment."

Two huge garage doors that open to reveal glass windows will remain in the back of the building to give the company's programmers sitting near the doors the option of opening them to work in natural light. The company's sales force will work on a smaller, more intimate mezzanine level. Most employees will work in an open-concept environment with few interior walls.

eTapestry.com plans to set up basketball goals and a ping-pong table in the portion of the building that is unused. As an added employee benefit, the company also installed showers in company bathrooms to make it easier for employees to work out during their lunch hour in the adjacent space or in the nearby Fort Harrison State Park.

eTapestry.com, a leading developer of Internet-based software for nonprofit organizations has announced a partnership with ELetter, Inc., of San Jose, Calif.

ELetter, Inc., is an innovative printing and mailing service that allows users to easily mail printed business communications from the convenience of their desktops via the Internet. The printing and mailing services allow the user to send various types of mail pieces, including solicitation letters, thank-you notes, promotional postcards and monthly flyers to donors, members and prospects.

eTapestry will provide its nonprofit client base various direct mail templates and database management software that will allow easy access to ELetter's direct mail services. ELetter will provide a user-friendly direct mail component to complement eTapestry.com's software system and enhance the success of its client fundraising and communications efforts.

Jay Love, CEO and Founder of eTapestry.com said, "Integrating ELetter's service into eTapestry's software will allow our users the capability to execute direct mail fundraising campaigns and other organizational communication, right from their desktops. Direct mail campaigns can be a very time-consuming process. By adding ELetter's innovative service to eTapestry, we are streamlining the direct mail process for our clients."

Founded in September 1999, eTapestry.com is the first fundraising applications service provider (ASP), a company that rents its software to customers and delivers it on the Internet. As such, eTapestry.com is less expensive and more versatile than traditional fundraising software applications. It is used by nonprofit organizations of all types and sizes.

For more information regarding eTapestry.com, visit www.eTapestry.com. To learn more about ELetter, Inc., visit their Web site at, www.eletter.com.

With the start of the new millenium, eTapestry.com is settling into their new corporate headquarters, a move that provides for the exciting growth that is taking place. eTapestry moves into the historic Fort Benjamin Harrison area on the East Side of Indianapolis. Fort Harrison was once an active Army base and still serves as the main finance center for the United States military.

The Fort Harrison area provides an attractive setting for employees. Situated in a refurbished military operations center, the new offices provide three-foot thick walls and even a vault formerly used to store ammunition. The Fort's parade grounds and Indiana's newest state park border the office providing an attractive setting for work and play.

This new facility will provide for the continuing growth of eTapestry. Nonprofit organizations across the country are finding the unique capabilities of a fundraising application that is run over the Internet to be the ideal solution for their needs. With access from any location, no software to load or purchase, and complete maintenance handled by eTapestry, it is rapidly expanding the way organizations manage their donor records.