“After our mergers, it made sense to move to a single integrated platform capable of providing the technology we needed to power all our online fundraising programs and initiatives,” said Glenn Tringali, executive vice president of fundraising and operations for Autism Speaks. “The ease of use for donors and other front-end enhancements, as well as simplified site management afforded by Kintera’s Custom Friends Asking Friends and Web site Content Management System (CMS) system were critical in our decision to choose the Kintera platform.”

Powered by volunteers and families with loved ones on the autism spectrum, the successful Walk Now for Autism grassroots fundraising effort not only generates vital funds for autism research, but also raises awareness about the increasing prevalence of this complex disorder. The organization planned to roll out over 100 newly redesigned Walk Now for Autism sites by the end of the 2007, and a number of other special events sites will follow in early 2008.

“Autism Speaks’ decision to move to the Kintera platform marks the organization’s commitment to providing donors and participants with the best possible online fundraising experience, as well as building online fundraising initiatives around a comprehensive technology platform,” said Rich LaBarbera, Kintera CEO. “Given Kintera’s multi-tenant architecture, Kintera’s Custom Friends Asking Friends and CMS are scalable enough to handle the needs of the nation’s largest autism walk program now and in the future. Additionally, with Kintera, Autism Speaks has selected a vendor that is committed to ensuring the privacy of its donors.”

Autism Speaks Selects Kintera to Power Signature Fundraising and Awareness Events Built upon Kintera’s flagship Friends Asking Friends® technology, Custom Friends Asking Friends (CFAF) enables organizations to build their own event and quickly create an event fundraising Web site. Kintera is experienced in supporting both national and regional campaigns for the myriad of clients using CFAF and Friends Asking Friends Kintera Thon for their events. The solution empowers Autism Speaks’ walk participants to become fundraisers and recruiters on behalf of the organization, facilitating exponential growth in donations and participation levels. Custom Friends Asking Friends provides clients with a personal online fundraising headquarters with e-mail tools, configurable individual and team pages, donor and participant recognition, donation support, gadgets, and comprehensive reporting and bookkeeping services, among other features.

www.autismspeaks.org

www.kintera.com.