Virtual fundraising and events firm MaestroSoft has been acquired by Arreva, a cloud-based, fundraising and donor relationship management software firm in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Terms of the deal, which closed on May 9 and announced today, were not disclosed.
MaestroSoft will continue to operate as a stand-alone Arreva company from its Bellevue, Wash., headquarters. The firm has conducted more than 20,000 nonprofit auction and gala events during the past two decades. The auction event management software solution is used by private and public schools, higher education, Boys & Girls Clubs, Ronald McDonald Houses, Rotary and Kiwanis Clubs, hospital foundations and health nonprofits.
The acquisition is part of Arreva’s strategy to move more into the virtual events space given the widespread cancellation of in-person events and the push for digital events. Susan Packard Orr, co-founder and chairman of Arreva, said via a statement that “many nonprofits have limited resources and staff, particularly in light of the impact of the current COVID-19 pandemic.”
Arreva and MaestroSoft have some clients in common. However, “the client base we’ve acquired is largely incremental and extends our collective reach significantly through new clients and deeper and broader opportunities with shared clients,” said David Blyer, co-founder, president and CEO at Arreva.
“It is essential for nonprofits to have unified technology solutions that can help them deploy and manage strategies from a singular platform, especially during the age of social distancing,” said Blyer.
MaestroSoft leadership will remain intact. Jay Fiske is co-president and chief Auctioneer. Ken Kleve will continue as co-president and chief operating officer.
Arreva did not have auction software or auction capabilities prior to the acquisition. “We do have robust integrated and automated event registration and event management capabilities through ExceedFurther,” said Blyer. “However with the acquisition of MaestroSoft, Arreva now offers a comprehensive and robust suite of software and services for auctions – especially virtual auctions, virtual bidding and text-based donations in this changed landscape.”
Fiske, who was chairman and CEO of MaestroSoft, said via a statement: “For us, the heart and soul of the company was just as important as the quality of the software and Arreva invests in providing top-notch accessible support and offering best practice advice. MaestroSoft and new customers will only benefit from the integration of these two nonprofit technology companies.”
