Capitol Advantage

Capitol Advantage’s software is offered as a hosted ASP, meaning it is accessible via the Internet with no installation required. Used by thousands of associations, nonprofits and issue advocacy groups, the company’s Capwiz·XC tool suite takes its up-to-date warehouse of state, local and federal government information to the action level. Capwiz is available in an array of iterations for federal issue advocacy, state and local advocacy efforts, or for Political Action Committee management and reporting.
The constituent management tool set enables clients to create, target, send and track email campaigns to constituents and can be integrated with customers’ current websites. Using the technology, clients allow their members to register for email updates, send action alerts to friends, track elected representatives’ votes on relevant legislation, and take action by searching for and contacting government officials, agencies or corporate leaders via email, printed letter or fax or phone. The application also allows organizations to track members’ actions. Capitol Advantage partners with nonprofit software provider, Blackbaud, enabling clients to integrate Blackbaud’s The Raiser’s Edge fundraising technology with Capwiz·XC’s Activist and Activity Database. Capitol Advantage recently began offering a basic fundraising feature that sends out alerts to ask people to make secure donations.
Over the past year, Capitol Advantage added two new features. PACBuilder is a Web-based system that automates compliance reporting requirements providing a suite of tools including a contact management database, management reports, and fundraising capabilities. Knowlegis is a suite of web-based tools that provides clients with accurate legislative data and tools to manage interactions legislators. The suite includes a Blackberry/handheld access to the database, access to up-to-date listings of elected officials and congressional staff, and "ZIP-to-District" matching services that match membership lists to Congressional and state legislative districts.
Capitol Advantage has added new features to its technology; the firm’s customers spurred the addition of Capwiz·XC’s telephone call alert and smart alert functions, for instance. However, Capitol Advantage prefers to make changes universally rather than on a client-by-client basis. Explains Kern, “It becomes hard to make global changes if there are tons of different versions of the product.”