New York, Nov. 27, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MicroEdge, LLC, the leading provider of solutions to the giving community worldwide, today announced record attendance for its 2013 MicroEdge Solutions Conference (MESC). MESC, held annually, is one of the largest gatherings of philanthropic and corporate giving professionals today. This year's conference took place from October 27 - 30 in Denver, Colorado.
MicroEdge's annual conference continues to grow each year, with an expanded program and higher attendance. Over 430 individuals attended the event, which represented a greater than 20% increase in client attendance from the previous year, and the largest solutions conference in the company's history. MESC delivers a wide range of educational and networking programs for foundation management, grants management, and corporate social responsibility. The program offers hands-on training and sessions led by MicroEdge product specialists and industry experts, along with best practices sessions presented by MicroEdge clients. This year, attendees had over 120 sessions and hands-on labs to choose from, covering a wide range of pertinent topics related to the conference theme: Accelerate Your Impact.
The philanthropic community continues to think even more strategically about how it contributes time and money, to ensure that each donated or granted dollar, each volunteer hour, every action taken, does the mostgood. This year's conference program was acutely focused on this, covering progressive strategies and innovative solutions for working smarter and driving greater impact. Conference attendees provided positive feedback on the value of the conference. "MESC is an excellent learning opportunity and I have suggested to our leadership that more staff attend the event in the future," said Brad Westlake, Accountant and Systems Administrator at the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan.
Each year, MicroEdge invites subject-area experts--"Professors"-- to participate in the conference, providing complimentary consultations to attendees. This year's group of Professorsbrought expertise in a host of areas, from CSR performance measurement and sustainable community development, to nonprofit capacity building, human capital development, and short and long term change management. Plus, many of these Professors also have extensive knowledge of MicroEdge systems, allowing them to give attendees big picture advice that is placed within the context of the MicroEdge systems they use. Having subject area experts on site not only helps attendees get pressing questions answered, but also adds to the networking aspect of MESC that has become a central focal point of the conference. "At MESC I made connections that will assist me with utilizing my software to the fullest!" said conference attendee Angie Brewer.
95% of post-conference survey respondents said they would recommend the conference to colleagues and peers. This is exciting for MicroEdge, as the company aims to provide an exceptional learning experience for its clients--one that consistently exceeds expectations. "MESC provides very useful, practical ideas and hands-on experience you can implement back in the office to improve your grantmaking process," said Jamie Amagai, Grants Administrator at The Summit Foundation. "This year was the best MESC yet."
"Our goal is to ensure our clients are successful with their MicroEdge solutions," said Kathy Krais, MicroEdge's Director of Marketing. "We work extensively with them and our partners to build a conference agenda that delivers educational and networking opportunities to help our clients realize that goal and move them further down the path to success. We're incredibly grateful to have 95% of MESC survey respondents tell us that they would recommend the conference to their peers, and our goal is to continue enhancing our conference offerings until we reach 100%."
For More Information
To view highlights from the 2013 MicroEdge Solutions Conference,
visit the MicroEdge
website. For more information, contact MicroEdge at solutionsconference@microedge.comor
800.899.0890.
About MicroEdge
Established in 1985, MicroEdge, LLC is the leading provider of
software and services to the giving community worldwide. MicroEdge
solutions deliver a powerful, integrated, and open framework for
efficient and effective charitable giving. The company is committed
to providing the best technology toolset for foundations,
corporations, government agencies, donors, advisors and financial
institutions. Together, these tools help organizations to work with
one another to raise, invest, manage and award charitable currency.
MicroEdge is headquartered in New York City with regional offices
throughout the U.S. and supports thousands of clients worldwide.
MicroEdge is part of the Vista Equity Partners portfolio of
software and technology-enabled companies. To learn more about
Vista Equity Partners, visit www.vistaequitypartners.com. To learn more about
MicroEdge, visit www.microedge.com.
Media Contact:
Kathy Krais
800.899.0890 ext. 3966
kkrais@microedge.com