Blackbaud News

Target Analytics Introduces Mid-Level Donor and Alumni Engagement Custom Modeling

2011-06-14T14:40:00Z

This morning, we anounced the availability of two new custom models from Target Analytics. These include a Mid-Level Giving Likelihood Model to help identify annual donors willing and able to move to annual leadership giving levels and identify current leadership donors that would make good prospects for major gifts and the Alumni Engagement Model which was specifically developed to help higher education institutions identify engaged alumni and cultivate them to become supporters.

Both of these fundraising models were designed to help nonprofits be more efficient and maximize the giving potential of their existing supporters.

For more information about custom modeling, visit www.blackbaud.com/modeling or read the press release.

Register for BBCon 2011 yet? David Meerman Scott, Randi Zuckerberg, 190+ sessions... And don't forget the parties!

2011-06-07T13:40:00Z

The excitement is building for BBCON 2011, Blackbaud Conference for Nonprofits! Today we announced the keynote speakers, including Randi Zuckerberg, Facebook’s director of marketing communications and research, and David Meerman Scott, author of two bestselling books on how organizations can use social media effectively as part of their overall marketing strategies.

This year’s Conference will feature:

190+ educational sessions – where attendees can qualify for CFRE and/or CPE credit while learning about organizational impact, interactive and direct marketing, fundraising, CRM, analytics, financial management, and Blackbaud technology best practices.
Pre-conference Internet workshop and Internet-focused Track – for organizations looking for hands-on training and experience. Throughout the conference, Blackbaud will feature over 40 sessions dedicated to Internet topics including five panels on a variety of topics from peer-to-peer fundraising to social media strategies.
Improved peer networking opportunities – with special events and discussions by organization type.
Interactive nonprofit expo – where attendees can learn all about the latest Blackbaud technology and meet Blackbaud partners.
Blackbaud Learn Labs – 25 hands-on computer lab sessions where attendees can get free product training.
Customer support central – where attendees can get their product questions answered.

The “early bird” registration fee of $750 is available until June 30, 2011. For more information, and to register, visit http://bbcon.blackbaud.com. Follow the Conference news on Twitter at www.twitter.com/bbcon or become a fan of Blackbaud on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/blackbaud.

New Research on Multichannel Charitable Giving

2011-05-31T13:41:00Z

Today we released the 2011 donorCentrics Internet and Multichannel Giving Benchmarking Report, which features research on nonprofit online giving in the context of an integrated direct marketing program. The Report also includes an extended analysis on the value of multichannel giving.

Developed by Blackbaud’s Target Analytics company, the Report finds that although multichannel giving has become a popular objective of nonprofits as a way to build constituent support, it is not widely practiced. The large majority of donors give through only one channel and use only direct mail as their vehicle for donations. According to the Report, the only donors who do significant multichannel giving are new donors acquired online. Large numbers of these donors switch to direct mail giving in subsequent years. This is the group of donors for which multichannel giving is crucial for garnering repeat gifts and realizing true long-term giving potential.

View the full Report at www.blackbaud.com/multichannel

Boy Scouts to use Blackbaud CRM to keep in touch with 30 million alumni and supporters

2011-05-23T13:42:00Z

We are excited to announce today that we are expanding our partnership with the Boy Scouts of America (BSA)!

An existing client, BSA recently worked with Blackbaud to standardize 115 websites and reengage lapsed Boy Scouts alumni, resulting in a 61 percent surge in donations.

Download Blackbaud Interview's podcast featuring an interview with Mark Moshier, Boy Scouts of America's funding team leader

Today, we announced that BSA will now use Blackbaud CRM as the platform for its constituent relationship management efforts. Blackbaud CRM software will assist the BSA as it moves to a cutting-edge IT infrastructure offering an improved experience for its members and greater administrative efficiencies.

Read the press release

Blackbaud Announces Free April Webinar Schedule

2011-04-07T18:08:00Z

Blackbaud will offer two free series of web seminars this month to help nonprofit professionals build strategies, skills, and action plans for expanding and strengthening their donor communities.

Cultivating Lifelong Donors
This free, five-part web seminar series will help nonprofits build long-term giving programs that span the entire supporter lifecycle. The presenters will explain key methods for building a successful fundraising pyramid and how to steward and engage donors at each giving level. Learn tactics for encouraging supporters to transition through the fundraising pyramid to reach their ultimate giving level. Learn more about this series and register today.

Nine Essential Elements to Online Success in 2011
This free, three-part web seminar series will focus on how to use social media, video, email, search engine optimization, and mobile media to communicate more effectively with current and prospective donors. Blackbaud experts will show you what to do, who’s doing it well, and how you can implement the nine essential elements of online success. Learn more about this series and register today.

Blackbaud Launches Global Account Program to Support International Non-Governmental Organizations

2011-03-30T16:11:00Z

Blackbaud has launched its Global Account Program, an initiative that streamlines service and support of international non-governmental organizations (iNGOs).

The Global Account Program began in 2010 as a pilot program. Based on the success achieved with a small group of customers, Blackbaud is rolling out the program to more customers and prospects, dedicating global resources to ensure the success for its largest international customers. The program comprises the world’s top aid and activist organizations, including the following iNGOs:

GreenPeace International
Save the Children
UNICEF
World Wildlife Fund
CARE
OXFAM International
Amnesty International
World Vision International
Plan International

Read more about the Global Account Program in the press release.

Blackbaud Enters into Strategic Partnership with Association of Fundraising Professionals

2011-03-21T18:01:00Z

Blackbaud, Inc. has entered into a Strategic Partnership agreement with the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP), the largest community of fundraising professionals in the world. As a strategic partner, Blackbaud will continue its work with AFP supporting educational opportunities for fundraising professionals.

The AFP Strategic Partners program was designed for companies that want to create a year-round partnership with AFP that showcases their commitment to the association and its mission to advance philanthropy and ethical fundraising throughout the world. AFP represents more than 30,000 members in 213 chapters throughout the world, working to advance philanthropy through advocacy, research, education, and certification programs.

For the fifth year in a row, Blackbaud is also the presenting sponsor for the AFP Conference on Fundraising. More than 4,000 nonprofit professionals are expected to attend the event, taking place from March 20-22 in Chicago.

Blackbaud Offers Multiple Sessions, Panels, and Workshops at NTEN’s 2011 Nonprofit Technology Conference

2011-03-17T18:53:00Z

Blackbaud is expanded its partnership with Nonprofit Technology Network (NTEN), including a Diamond Sponsorship of the 2011 Nonprofit Technology Conference (NTC) from March 17 – 19, 2011 in Washington, DC. Blackbaud has partnered with NTEN this year to assist at the conference in an expanded role including co-sponsoring the Third Annual Social Network Benchmark Survey, leading multiple sessions, launching a new social media learning series, and live streaming of selected sessions for virtual attendees.

During the three-day conference, Blackbaud will demonstrate its technology solutions at the Science Fair in the NTC Exhibit Hall. The Blackbaud solutions to be shown include Blackbaud Social, Blackbaud CRM (Constituent Relationship Management), Friends Asking Friends, and The Raiser’s Edge(i).

The 2011 NTC is also the site for the first of four workshops in Blackbaud’s new Social Media Learning Series. This four-part, invitation-only event series aims to teach NTEN members advanced tactics and strategies for how to use social media to support their marketing, fundraising and program delivery efforts. The first workshop will kick off at the conference on Thursday, March 17, 2011 from 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM. Blackbaud’s Internet marketing manager, Chad Norman, will lead the session, with support from leading experts including Danielle Brigida, digital marketing manager at National Wildlife Federation. The three other sessions will be announced throughout the year in major cities co-hosted by Blackbaud and NTEN.

Read more about Blackaud and its partnership with NTEN in the press release.

Blackbaud to Host Social Media Strategies Panel at South by Southwest Interactive Festival

2011-03-09T19:38:00Z

Blackbaud will be hosting the Social Media Strategies Panel at the South by Southwest (SXSW) Interactive Festival on Monday, March 14 from 9:30 a.m to 10:30 a.m. CT. The panel will feature leaders from Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Foursquare, March of Dimes, and Make-a-Wish Foundation discussing social web initiatives that benefit nonprofits.

Panel Description:
Social media platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Foursquare, are proving to be powerful vehicles for raising the profiles of nonprofit organizations. Nonprofit entities are leveraging social media outlets in record numbers to raise funds for their programs, inspire advocacy, and build awareness. In turn, the companies behind these popular social media platforms are offering support to nonprofits in the form of specialized programs, tools, and initiatives. Join us as Frank Barry, leading Internet strategy manager at Blackbaud, moderates the discussion on how Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare, and YouTube are giving nonprofit organizers the tools to raise funds more effectively and draw supporters to their cause. Additionally, representatives from Make-a-Wish Foundation and March of Dimes will discuss their experiences using social media to benefit their causes and programs. Come ready to interact, discuss, and be challenged to think differently about how to use social media in innovative ways.

When:
Monday March 14, 2011, 9:30-10:30 a.m. CT

Where:
Austin Convention Center

Blackbaud Releases New Research Highlighting Important Trends in Nonprofit Peer-to-Peer Fundraising

2011-03-04T13:55:00Z

Today, we announced the release of two groundbreaking research studies at the Run Walk Ride 2011 Fundraising Conference at the Intercontinental Buckhead Hotel in Atlanta.

The first study — delivered by Amy Braiterman, Blackbaud principal strategy consultant, and David Hessekiel, founder and president of the Run Walk Ride Fundraising Council and Cause Marketing Forum in Rye, NY—revealed the results of their first annual “Peer-to-Peer Event Fundraising Consumer Survey.” Blackbaud and the Run Walk Ride Fundraising Council conducted the Peer-to-Peer Event Fundraising Consumer Survey to gain a better understanding of what motivates individuals to devote their personal time and energies to fundraising events and what online tools and methods they use to raise funds.

The second study reported on the findings of Blackbaud’s first annual “donorCentrics Event Benchmarking Summary,” a study based on in-depth analysis of fundraising performance data from six top nonprofit organizations from 2007 through 2009. Spearheaded by Target Analytics, a Blackbaud company in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the study uncovered valuable insight about the importance of team captains and team members as well as effective online marketing support to a nonprofit organization’s bottom line fundraising efforts.

Online Giving Grew 35 Percent in 2010 and Accounted for 8 Percent of All Fundraising

2011-02-15T17:20:00Z

Today, we released the 2010 Online Giving Report, which provides the most comprehensive review of online giving trends currently available in the nonprofit sector.

Key findings from the Report, which can be downloaded at

www.blackbaud.com/bb/online/fundraising.aspx include:

> Nonprofits of all sizes continue to see growth in online giving

Year-over-year online fundraising grew 34.5% in 2010. This was led by 55.6% growth by large organizations. Smaller nonprofits grew by 22% and medium organizations grew by 15.9% compared to the same time period in 2009.

> Online giving accounts for 7.6% of all total fundraising

Large organizations went from raising the lowest percentage of total fundraising online at 5.1% in 2009 to the highest percentage at 7.7% in 2010. The International Affairs and Health Care sectors now have more than 10% of their total fundraising from online giving.

> Haiti-related online giving shaped 2010 giving trends

January 2010 had the largest percentage of online giving for the entire year. 18.4% of online giving took place in January compared to 18.3% in December 2010. This change can almost single handedly be attributed to giving to Haiti relief efforts. International Affairs organizations had their online giving grow 130.8% compared to 2009.

> Year-end giving still accounts for the largest percentage of online donations

October, November, and December of 2010 represented 31.3% of total online giving during the year. All sectors in the analysis, with the exception of International Affairs, had their largest online giving month of the year in December.

> Donors continue to make significant gifts online

In 2010, 88% of organizations had at least one online gift of $1,000 or more. The median online gift of $1,000 or more was $1,250 and the largest amount given online in the analysis was $100,000. 41% of these significant gifts were exactly $1,000 and 6% were $5,000 gifts.

Read more and learn about how your organizations can use this information to improve fundraising.Download the report at www.blackbaud.com/bb/online/fundraising.aspx.

Advocates Seven Times More Likely to Donate Money to a Cause

2011-02-14T16:43:00Z

Now that I have your attention - what are you going to do about it??

If you are unsure about how to get started in online advocacy, here are a couple of great places to start:

Dowload the new white paper “Connecting Online Advocacy and Fundraising”
Register for Advocacy Live!, a free web event focused on nonprofit online advocacy on March 9, 2011

Read more about the event in a press release.

Leading Arts and Cultural Associations Partner with Blackbaud

2011-02-09T13:59:00Z

We're excited to announce partnerships with three of the leading arts and cultural membership associations; American Association of Museums (AAM), Association of Children’s Museums (ACM), and American Public Gardens Association (APGA). Through these partnerships, members of these associations will receive exclusive discounts on Blackbaud’s Altru™ solution, which is specifically designed to improve the overall management of general admissions arts and cultural organizations.

Blackbaud’s Altru solution is the first technology of its kind to centralize all the information a general admissions arts and cultural organization collects so staff members can access a single view of their organization, data, supporters, and audiences. It presents it in a way that helps staff better plan and execute activities, boosting efficiency. With Altru, staff members can engage and cultivate audiences and supporters more consistently and efficiently across multiple departments. In addition, since the software is web-based, organizations can reduce their IT costs.

To learn more about Altru, visit www.blackbaud.com/altru where you can hear from customers, watch a product demonstration, or chat live with a Blackbaud representative.

Read the press release.

Richard Becker Joins Blackbaud as President of Target Analytics

2011-01-25T15:34:00Z

We are excited to announce that Richard Becker has joined Blackbaud as president of Target Analytics. In case you aren't familiar with Target Analytics, it is a Blackbaud company offering solutions for donor acquisition, prospect research, benchmarking, custom modeling, and data enrichment to more than 6,000 nonprofits. (Read more at www.blackbaud.com/targetanalytics.)

Richard will be based at the company’s Cambridge, MA.-headquarters and will lead Target Analytics strategic direction as well as the sales, operations and product management teams.

Richard brings extensive experience in data management, analytics, and marketing services, having held key strategy and general management positions with information technology providers including Equifax, Affiliated Computer Services (ACS), and Bellsouth.

Richard joins Target Analytics from Equifax, a global information service provider, where he most recently served as vice president – strategy and innovation, responsible for new product innovation, business planning, and market development. Previously, Richard led the product management organization for Equifax Credit Marketing Services, where he was the architect of TargetPoint, Equifax Marketing Service’s most successful and fastest growing product line.

Welcome, Richard!

Blackbaud Reveals Top Trends in Nonprofit Technology

2011-01-20T15:06:00Z

We released a new white paper today focused on top trends in nonprofit technology to help nonprofits reinvigorate their fundraising plans for the coming year.

Highlights from Blackbaud’s Top Technology Trends include:

Technology is a crucial tool in delivering accurate, up-to-date information about prospects and donors in real-time across departments. Information consumers, both internal and external, will come to expect access to data in line with progressive forums, such as mobile, cloud-based tools. Nonprofits should expect mobile-powered major giving applications that provide constituent data on the go to become widely used in the coming years.
The web continues to grow as a primary channel for messaging and communicating an organization’s mission. Based on an audience and its needs, nonprofit websites will increasingly offer virtual opportunities for education, conversations, community, and stewardship, tailored to the user’s level of engagement with the organization.
The best fundraisers are those who ask their personal network for support. No one can promote an organization better than those who already believe in the mission and have a built-in network of high-propensity prospects. Tools to localize and personalize fundraising through independent fundraising events and other network-based fundraising tools – while retaining efficiencies and economies of scale associated with centralized systems – will be key.
Social remains an evolving medium and is best deployed as part of a comprehensive, mission-based strategy, although many organizations have found new constituencies who respond to this channel exclusively. Social networks provide the ability to communicate a mission and message to a large group, serving as a supplementary or primary acquisition channel. Nonprofits can deliver updates and announcements while leveraging a network of supporters for a tangible return on investment.

Read the full white paper.