November 2009 - Posts
From Philanthropy Journal
By Rosita Bradham, Blackbaud Principal Consultant
In today's economic climate, more and more nonprofits are looking for tools to help guide them through an uncertain future.
Developing a strategic plan can help organizations assess where they are today and build a vision for where they want to be.
Before you jump into your plan, there are some basic principles of strategic planning you should keep in mind:
- Identify key stakeholders. Your supporters are your greatest resource.
- Identify key supporters and engage them in your planning process. You are likely to uncover innovative ideas and resources. Involving your staff members at all levels in the planning process is also very important. By gathering and incorporating their ideas into the plan, they will likely feel more engaged in bringing the vision to life.
- Create realistic and achievable goals. Focus on outcomes, and integrate all activities toward achieving clearly understood and measurable directions/strategies.
- Be adaptable and flexible. Your plan should serve as a guide; it is important to check in on a regular basis to update/refresh it.
Read more.
It has been a busy week at Blackbaud. It is, after all, our favorite part of the year - conference time!
In case you've been busy too, here is some of our latest news coverage. The first clip features what Blackbaud has been doing during the economic downturn to make it through even stronger.
The Post & Courier recently interviewed Blackbaud's CEO Marc Chardon for the article "Blackbaud's recession recipe: Preserve jobs, maintain clients, invest for the upturn." The Charleston-based publication will also be featuring Blackbaud's Conference for Nonprofits keynote speaker, Derreck Kayongo of The Global Soap Project in Sunday's Faith and Values section.
The Charleston Regional Business Journal was out in full force covering our recent Conference for Nonprofits this week and penned the following stories: "Blackbaud CEO gives advice at annual nonprofit conference" and "BBCON keynote tells attendees to reconnect to work."
WCIV-TV ABC News 4's Neville Miller even stopped by to interview attendees for his story "Non-Profits Working Together to Make it During Tough Economic Times:
Couldn't make it to Blackbaud's Conference for Nonprofits this year? View recorded videos of a variety of key sessions for free at www.blackbaud.com/bbcontv and brief interviews with the speakers at www.youtube.com/blackbaudinc. You can even follow the Conference buzz on Twitter by searching the #bbcon tag.
Charleston, S.C. (November 19, 2009) – Blackbaud, Inc. (Nasdaq: BLKB) held its 10th annual Conference for Nonprofits this week in Charleston, South Carolina, welcoming 1000 nonprofit professionals from all over the world to learn more about nonprofit technology and techniques to help them succeed in 2010.
“In a downturn, nonprofits that can innovate, invest, involve and inspire their constituents are going to come out stronger than when they went in,” said Marc Chardon, Blackbaud’s chief executive officer. “Our customers live the value of ‘service to others makes the world a better place.’ We at Blackbaud live that value too, and the Conference provides a great opportunity for all of us to walk away with just a little more inspiration and just a little more energy to face the challenges ahead.”
>> Watch a recording of Marc Chardon’s welcome session at www.blackbaud.com/bbcontv.
Read more.
Charleston, S.C. (November 13, 2009) – Blackbaud, Inc. (Nasdaq: BLKB), the leading global provider of software and related services designed specifically for nonprofit organizations, today announced the release of Blackbaud Sphere Grow™. This new “Grow” version of the company’s popular web-based emarketing and event fundraising solution, Blackbaud Sphere, provides nonprofits an affordable turn-key solution with a guided implementation and ongoing consulting services.
“Blackbaud Sphere Grow is a complete online marketing and peer-to-peer fundraising solution that helps nonprofits desiring a greater online presence build engaging websites, create effective email campaigns, run peer fundraising events, and measure their success,” said Steve MacLaughlin, Blackbaud’s director of Internet solutions. “The Grow package was designed to guide nonprofits through their strategy – from launch to analysis – to ensure success.”
Read more.
What: Can’t make it to Blackbaud’s Conference for Nonprofits this year? Don’t worry, we’re bringing some of the best sessions to you—live! You will also see video interviews with our speakers, attendees, and partners.
Who: Featured presenters include: Marc Chardon, Blackbaud CEO; Jay Love, eTapestry CEO; Joy Simpson, development consultant; Paul Clolery, NPT Publishing Group’s editorial director; Holly Ross, NTEN’s executive director; Derreck Kayongo, The Global Soap Project’s founder; Dean Feener, The Salvation Army USA Southern Territory’s mission information systems director; Richard McPherson, McPherson Associates, Inc.’s president and creative director; Steve MacLaughlin, Blackbaud’s director of Internet solutions; Bo Crader, Blackbaud’s business solutions manager; Chris Tuttle, Blackbaud senior consultant; and Raheel Gauba, Blackbaud creative director.
When: Monday, November 16 – Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Where: View the full schedule and watch the live stream at www.blackbaud.com/bbcontv.
Background: This year’s broadcast will feature sessions designed to help nonprofits take a closer look at their operations, renew, and get energized for 2010. Topics include ethics, using technology to change the world, making viable plans in uncertain times, fundraising strategy makeovers, web analytics and search engine optimization, and preparing for a website launch. Blackbaud is live streaming the Conference in partnership with Unimedia, a visual communications firm located in Charleston, SC that provides turn-key creative solutions.
From the November 2009 issue of Fundraising Success:
Special Report: Fundraising 101
10 Ways to Make Your Web Site Fundraising Friendly
By Raheel Gauba, Creative Director at Blackbaud Internet Solutions
Over the last few years, online fundraising has emerged as an area with the greatest potential for growth. Still, it remains one of the most underutilized means of fundraising today.
Online activities for nonprofit organizations fall into one of three segments:
1. No online presence: An organization that falls into this segment doesn't have a Web site and, in some cases, has not secured a domain name either. It conducts all of its online activities through e-mail from a free e-mail service provider such as Gmail or Hotmail.
2. Limited online presence: This organization has a static Web site and typically fundraises via a non-
integrated payment-service provider. The content is managed manually either by an in-house Web manager or outsourced to local agencies. The Web site is not integrated with the nonprofit's local system of record.
3. Dynamic online presence: There's a wide range of organizations and various levels of online presences in this segment ranging from a CMS-driven Web site for dynamic content management to full-blown integration with a system of record that supports fundraising and marketing activities.
Read the full article.
Blackbaud — The Financial Edge
From CPA Technology Magazine's Nov. 2009 Review of Not-for-Profit Accounting Programs.
The Financial Edge from Blackbaud is primarily designed for mid-sized to large nonprofit organizations that require transparency and accountability in their actions. However, the vendor has just recently released a small business version (see below). The Financial Edge is a powerful system hidden behind a deceptively simple user interface.
EASE OF USE/FLEXIBILITY- 
Often, navigational ease is tied to program strength, with the rule being that the more powerful a product, the higher the level of difficulty encountered during use. Not so with The Financial Edge from Blackbaud. The main user interface is easily navigated, with little to no screen clutter. A drop-down menu at the top of the screen provides system function access, while product module access is found in the vertical menu to the left. The homepage can be easily customized, such as by adding features and functions used on a daily basis. Navigational arrows will take you back and forth between screens, with the name of the organization and the current module displayed immediately to the right.
The Financial Edge Dashboard allows users to monitor all activities and tasks. New panes can also be created to display on the dashboard, providing additional information such as graphs and charts or other critical data. Links to frequently used web pages can be easily created, and the Automatic Account Creation function simplifies the entering of account information.
MODULES/SCALABILITY-
Modules available in The Financial Edge include GL, Accounting Form, AP, Accounting Queue, AR, Advanced Budget Management, Advanced Security, Allocation Management, Budget Management, Cash Management, Cash Receipts, Consolidation Management, Electronic Funds Transfer, F9 reporting, Fixed Assets, PaperSave, Payroll, Point of Sale, Project, Grant and endowment Management, Visual Basic for Applications, Application Programming Interface, Student Billing, School Store Manager, WebPortal featuring WebPurchasing and WebInvoicing, along with integration to The Raiser’s Edge.
Smaller nonprofits will be interested to know that the vendor just introduced The Financial Edge for Small Offices. Designed for one to three users through a license or subscription/hosted model, The Financial Edge for Small Offices bundles six common modules together (GL; AP; Miscellaneous Cash Receipts; Project, Grant and Endowment Management; Budget Management; and Cash Management). The availability of this product makes The Financial Edge a truly scalable product from one end of the spectrum to the other.
Read the full review.