MPower, which sells software for nonprofit constituent relationship management (CRM) and fundraising, has announced that it will host "The Orange Conference" for clients, partners and other members of the philanthropic community on September 24-26 at the Embassy Suites and Frisco Convention Center, in Frisco, Texas, just north of Dallas.

 

Repeat: That's Frisco, Texas, not San Francisco.

 

Although MPower has hosted previous conferences for its community, this is the company's first conference since it moved to an open source model in March, so the name and theme "reflect the new corporate direction," company officials say.

 

MPower now is available (through downloading with registration at www.mpoweropen.com) without licensing fees and with access to the source code, so a user can modify the software as needed. Users can also integrate MPower with other applications that the nonprofit chooses for its CRM and fundraising system.

 

Alternative products are "closed," MPower officials maintain: "They do not allow for easy integration and modification, if any at all, so nonprofits are in effect held hostage by technology that may not meet their needs."

 

The three-day Orange Conference will feature presentations and sessions by MPower experts, nonprofits and industry consultants, covering "strategies, ideas and tips for donor management and fundraising, especially through use of open source CRM software," company officials say.

 

Attendees will learn how to cultivate relationships with donors through an increasing array of channels, including direct mail, television and radio, online, telemarketing, mobile technologies, events, personal contact, newsletters, and subscriptions.

 

Breakout session topics will include Fundraising, which will focus on trends and the application of new technologies, including open source CRM software.

 

In March MPower Systems announced that the company was moving to an open source software model, making its product available to all nonprofits without license fees.

 

Additionally, users will have access to MPower's source code so they can develop features and functionality to meet their organizations' individual requirements. It's available at www.mpoweropen.com.

In conjunction with the MPower Open announcement, the firm also is changing its name to MPower (dropping "Systems") and introducing a new graphic identity.

Karen Jacobs, Vice President of Finance at Precept International, an MPower client, called the move "as important a development for nonprofits as the Internet, which has become a critical tool for cultivating constituent relationships and driving fundraising."

Hundreds of nonprofits already use MPower's fully-developed, full-feature software to manage such tasks as donation processing, fulfillment, event and volunteer management, call center and mail processing activity tracking, and major donor relations.