US firm Convio Group buys UK agency Baigent Digital
US-based marketing company Convio Group, which specialises in working with not-for-profit clients, has expanded into the UK with the $3.3m acquisition of Baigent Digital LLC.
The group will use the deal to extend its online fundraising, email marketing and CRM offer to charities in the UK.
With an initial $2.9m paid in dollars, the deal could also see $0.4m in cash paid upon the achievement of performance targets, payable over three-and-a-half years.
Said Gene Austin, president and CEO of Convio: “Our research indicates there is a significant interest in integrated, cloud-based solutions with UK charities. Baigent’s capabilities and established relationships with many leading UK charities provide a springboard to gain rapid entry into the UK market. The broad range of solutions and services our combined companies will provide to the market will enable UK-based organizations to build stronger relationships with supporters, raise money more efficiently and be more successful.”
Baigent, which was founded in 1997, offers charities digital and design services, working with UNICEF, Cancer Research UK and Action for Children.
“I believe that our team’s capabilities and deep understanding of the UK charity sector, combined with Convio’s integrated solutions and online fundraising expertise, will lead to great results for UK charities,” said Martin Campbell, managing director for Baigent. “Convio’s solution incorporates fundraising, marketing, peer-to-peer and CRM capabilities in an integrated fashion via the cloud. We don't see any other products in the UK market offering this kind of feature set.”