Convio uses Akido to redirect attacks

Rather than me posting yet another entry about Convio, I decided to lift this message that Robert L. Weiner from the Strategic Technology Advisors to Nonprofit and Educational Institutions posted to a fundraising listserve yesterday:

Convio just announced that they will be releasing a donor database, code-named Akido, on the SalesForce.com platform. This will be a separate product from their online Constituent Relationship Management suite -- you don't have to be a Convio CRM client to use the database. They also say it's not simply a new template for SalesForce, but a product built from the ground up. Info is at: http://www.convio.com/signup/crm-system.html

As of now, the database is only available through what they're calling their Charter Program (which I read as beta testers). The program announcement includes a FAQ (at the bottom of the page) about the database and the program, plus some promotional videos: http://www.convio.com/convio/news/charter-media-room.html

And if you want more, Gene Austin, their CEO, is blogging about the new database here: http://tinyurl.com/5uldng

They plan to release the product in the 2nd half of this year. They haven't announced pricing.

For those of you that are curious, Akido is a form of martial arts that combines sport, philosophy, and religious beliefs. The irony for me is that Akido is known for "blending with the motion of the attacker and redirecting the force of the attack rather than opposing it head-on." It can also be categorized under the general umbrella of "grappling arts."

Too funny.

From the stories I've heard of people who have tried to integrate online and offline data from their eCRM provider... it sounds like they picked the perfect name to redirect one of their biggest criticism into a new business opportunity.