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Blackbaud in the News: To screen or not to screen, when is the question

From Philanthropy Journal
by Lawrence Henze, Managing Director of Target Analytics 

Many nonprofit professionals wonder if their organizations should perform prospect screening.

The truth is, in a perfect world, nonprofits would be performing ongoing screening, since it's a necessity for promoting greater fundraising success. But because this isn't a perfect world, the best plan of attack is to perform prospect screening only when it would be most beneficial and effective. But how do you determine that?  It is a simple question: When is the best time for your organization to conduct a prospect screening project?

Read the full article.

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Target Analytics Releases First Look at 2009 Fundraising Trends

The Target Analytics Index of National Fundraising Performance analyzes direct marketing giving for many of the largest nonprofit organizations in the country. For the 12 months ending Q1 2009, Target Analytics evaluated transactions from 79 organizations, including over 35 million donors and more than 66 million gifts totaling almost $2 billion in revenue. This quarter's Index saw the addition of two new sectors: arts and cultural, and religion.

The Q1 2009 Index findings indicated that nonprofit direct marketing experienced continued revenue and donor declines in Q1 as the economy remained weak. All of the key metrics analyzed in the Index were down from the first quarter of 2008 to the first quarter of 2009.

Here are some of the key findings:

  • Index revenue declined a median 7.8% from Q1 2008 to Q1 2009 with every sector declining.
  • Donor numbers in the Index fell a median 5.8% from Q1 2008 to Q1 2009.   
  • For the first time since the Index began in 2002, overall revenue per donor declined 2.1% from the same period the previous year.
  •  The number of new donors fell 12.9% from the first quarter of 2008 to the first quarter of 2009. Index donor declines are due primarily to declines in new donor numbers, which have fallen faster than overall donor numbers since the 2005 hurricanes, and have fallen three times faster since the recession began than they had in either of the previous two years.

As the Index points out, in evaluating Q1 2009 trends, it is important to remember that first-quarter rates of growth and decline are often greater than eventual year-end results because they are calculated on relatively small numbers of gifts and revenue amounts. 

To access the results report, click here. (pdf)

 



 
Press Release: Blackbaud Support Wins Top Honors

Charleston, S.C. (June 17, 2009) - Blackbaud, Inc. (Nasdaq: BLKB), today announced that The Association of Support Professionals (ASP) has selected the company's support site as a winner of this year's "Ten Best Web Support Sites" award. The 12th annual competition honors companies that showcase excellence in online service and support.

"The judges were especially impressed by Blackbaud's use of interactive technology to deliver a high-quality customer experience," said Jeffrey Tarter, ASP's executive director. "The site is much more than a place to look up answers-it's a platform for a genuine self-serve support community."

Read the full press release.



 
Be the first to register for Blackbaud's 2009 Charleston Conference for Nonprofits

This year, the conference will take place November 15-18 in Charleston, SC and registration is now open!  Register before August 20 for a $100 discount!

Blackbaud's 2009 Conference is a three-day professional development and networking event for everyone in the nonprofit world including Blackbaud customers, friends, and those that just want to learn more. This conference is chock full of inspiring sessions and speakers with information relating to technology, marketing, fundraising, financial management, and leadership (just to name a few).

Attendees will walk away from sessions with new and fresh ideas they can apply before they even leave beautiful Charleston, SC.  Also, attendees will be the first to learn about the innovative features the techies at Blackbaud have up their sleeves to make your life easier.    

With an action-packed schedule, attendees can have fun and learn from their peers.  View last year's schedule of expert speakers delivering practical advice and resources. Full program details are available at the Conference website - the "go-to" resource for all Conference information. But before you go, hear what your peers are talking about.  

Start planning your trip today:
Visit the Conference website for detailed travel and lodging information.

Questions, or want to register for one day only:
Just call the events hotline at 866.292.4006 or email conference@blackbaud.com.



 
Blackbaud’s Kit Matthew Honored by The American Association of Museums

Kit Matthew was recently honored as one of six distinguished museum professionals for her service and commitment to The American Association of Museums (AAM) peer review program. This AAM program is a wonderful example of a progressive association serving as a catalyst for developing best practices in its field. Congratulations to AAM on another successful year in coordinating this program, and congratulations to Kit for her excellence in service! 

Kit Matthew, Blackbaud's arts and cultural product manager, has 20 years of nonprofit experience spanning fundraising, marketing, executive leadership, facility planning, and exhibit and program development in museums, conservation groups, cultural organizations, and science education and research. She serves as a lecturer and graduate student advisor at the University of the Arts’ MA Program in Museum Studies. In addition to being active as an accreditation reviewer for the AAM, and as a peer reviewer for federal educational agencies, she has served on boards for a children’s museum, a wildlife rehabilitation center, and a ballet company.

AAM's peer review program matches qualified professionals with museums participating in the organization's Accreditation or Museum Assessment Programs. This innovative program helps increase knowledge about standards and best practices and encourages broad, active participation in their development.

In 2008, some 300 peer reviewers conducted 209 site visits to museums as part of the accreditation and MAP programs. This represents nearly 10,000 hours of time volunteered by museum professionals to support the sustainability of individual museums while bolstering the field as a whole through promotion of standards, ethics and best practices.

For more information on AAM's peer review program, visit www.aam-us.org/getinvolved/pr.



 
Nonprofits Turn to Blackbaud NetCommunity Grow to Launch Interactive Websites

Charleston, S.C. (June 11, 2009) – Blackbaud, Inc. (Nasdaq: BLKB), announced today that an increasing number of nonprofits are selecting its new website management offering, Blackbaud NetCommunity Grow™. A Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solution, Blackbaud NetCommunity Grow was developed to make it easier for nonprofits to quickly build interactive websites that are integrated with their constituent relationship management (CRM) solutions and backed by strategy services to help them be successful. Additionally, as a fully-hosted solution available on a subscription basis, Blackbaud NetCommunity Grow is ideal for nonprofits that need flexible payment and deployment options.

“We developed Blackbaud NetCommunity Grow as an affordable, prescriptive solution to help nonprofits that may not have the resources or expertise to build a highly-interactive website,” said Steve MacLaughlin, Blackbaud’s director of Internet solutions. “When nonprofits choose this solution, they are getting more than technology, they’re getting award-winning support and strategy services based on best practices for nonprofits, and campaign planning to help them acquire, cultivate and retain online donors.”

Read the full press release.



 
Giving USA 2009 Results Confirm 2008 Target Analytics Index Findings

In this guest post, Target Analytics’ Helen Flannery compares key findings from the Giving USA 2009 results with the 2008 Target Analytics Index of National Fundraising Performance

The Giving USA Foundation today released its national fundraising estimates for 2008, showing a decrease in revenue for nonprofits from 2007 to 2008. These results align with the 2008 Target Analytics Index of National Fundraising Performance, released this past April.

The Target Index and Giving USA studies use very different methodologies. The Target Index analyzes direct marketing giving based on gift file downloads from 75 nonprofit organizations (primarily large national direct mailers). Giving USA, on the other hand, models giving from all sources, for all nonprofit organizations in the country using reported charitable giving in combination with other factors like stock market performance and tax law changes.

That said, the Giving USA results nevertheless confirm the trends we saw in our Index – that 2008 was a disappointing year for many nonprofits.

The Target Index reported a median revenue decline of 3.3% from 2007 to 2008. Revenue in Giving USA’s individual giving segment, the segment most comparable to the Target Index, declined 2.7% over the same period. Both analyses essentially saw a decline of 3% in individual revenue from 2007 to 2008.

The Target Index and Giving USA both saw substantial declines in health and human services revenue from 2007 to 2008 and both saw modest 1% growth in international relief.

The 2008 Target Index also showed similar declines in other measures of fundraising health such as donor numbers, new donor acquisition, and retention rates.

Target Analytics releases the Index on a quarterly basis and we are currently analyzing results from Q1 2009. Findings will be available for download the afternoon of June 25th at http://www.blackbaud.com/targetanalytics/benchmarking/nationalindex.aspx.



 
Good News for a Friday!

Everyone hates to hear stories about homes being burglarized, and it’s even more upsetting to hear when it happens to a nonprofit.

Eagle Harbor Boys Ranch, a Charleston, SC organization that provides a home for 16 children between the ages of 6 and 21 who have been neglected, abused or orphaned, was recently the victim of such a break-in.    The assailant stole a computer that was an integral part of day-to-day operations, including the source to donor information (although, no credit card info was stored).  The good news is, that same day, the computer was found and restored! 

When learning of this, Blackbaud put the mission of “service to others” into action.  eTapestry’s Jay Love immediately called and offered a solution to ensure their data is secure in the future. Best Buy also stepped up to donate a brand new computer. 

Thanks to some local publicity, Eagle Harbor Boys Ranch is back on their feet:

Neighbors reach out to boys ranch
The Post and Courier
Danny Gilbert jumped at the opportunity Tuesday night to pay $90 for a computer that was stolen from his office at the Eagles Harbor Boys Ranch just…

Boys' Home Buys Back Stolen Computer
ABC News 4
Summerville, SC - A Berkeley County home for boys gets its stuff back just days after it was burglarized. A midnight burglary on Monday left Eagle…



 
How did they do that?

On May 20th the Communities Foundation of Texas (CFT) helped raise $4 million for 353 Dallas nonprofit organizations!  How is that possible?  CFT accomplished this success because of support from 8,000 Dallas area donors, a dedicated staff, and help from the easy-to-use DonorBridge website created with Blackbaud Nonprofit Central™.  Plus, great news coverage and social media reach helped get the word out. In one day, with the help of Twitter, DonorBridge news reached 10,000 people on that site alone with the group’s @DonorBridge account.
 
Below is a sampling of the coverage:

Dallas Giving Day raises more than $4 million
Robert Miller of the Dallas Morning News explains how the day was operated as well as describes it as the “Dallas Way.”  Top 10 recipients are listed, the actual financial results will be announced in mid-June.

UPDATED with org list: Local charities pushing for donations on special 2-for-1 “Giving Day”
Pegasus News lists the many organizations that participated in Dallas Giving-Day.

DonorBridge Works Wonders
Phil Cubeta, of GiftHub.org explains how DonorBridge helped 8,000 North Texas donors find appropriate local charities, raising $4 million in 48 hours.

Blackbaud Launches Nonprofit Central for Community Foundations
Find out more information on Nonprofit Central and how other communities foundations can follow CFT’s lead. 



 
Press Release: Tony Award Productions Uses The Patron Edge for 2009 Tony Awards® Ticketing

Charleston, S.C. (June 3, 2009) - Blackbaud, Inc. (Nasdaq: BLKB), today announced that Tony Award Productions, a joint venture between The Broadway League, Inc. and The American Theatre Wing, Inc., has selected The Patron Edge® to record ticketing history, process credit card transactions and manage reserved seating for its 63rd annual awards program recognizing Broadway productions and performances.

"I was familiar with Blackbaud's Raiser's Edge product through a previous organization so I knew that their ticketing system would be a cost-effective and user-friendly software that would easily meet our needs," said Dawn Kusinski, director of ticketing services for Tony Award Productions. "We converted our existing database and went live with The Patron Edge ahead of schedule-and in a very short time period-were up and running for our 2009 show. Blackbaud was the only technology provider that could not only meet our demanding project timeframe, but also deliver a solution that fit our pricing and support needs."

Read the full press release.



 
Press Release: New Software-as-a-Service offering to empower prospect researchers with actionable prospect data

Charleston, S.C. (June 1, 2009) – Blackbaud, Inc. (Nasdaq: BLKB), today announced the launch of ResearchPoint™ by Target Analytics™, a solution that helps nonprofits identify, target, and cultivate  potential major and planned giving donors. Among the early adopters using ResearchPoint to gain a better understating of their donor bases are Operation Homefront and The Wichita State University (WSU) Foundation. With ResearchPoint, these organizations can now efficiently manage key prospect information and build donor cultivation strategies.

>> Register for a free web seminar on June 17 at 3 p.m. ET or June 24 at 2 p.m. ET
     to learn how nonprofits are already benefiting from ResearchPoint. 


Read the full press release.

 



 
Blackbaud in the News: What women want - Understanding women’s philanthropic giving

From The Philanthropy Journal 
By Katherine Swank, consultant at Target Analytics, a Blackbaud Company

Women, as a group, are increasingly impacting fundraising efforts in the U.S.; however, their philanthropic objectives can differ significantly from men's. Women tend to focus on specific sectors and want greater accountability for their gifts. On the whole, women want to create new solutions, seek more contact and control, and want to be kept informed of the results from their giving. Many also seek social networks within the organizations that interest them. If women make up a significant portion of your donor base, you may need to change the way you speak with them and start listening for their direction.

The topic of women in philanthropy is finally gaining its due study. Several books and a growing number of philanthropic institutes have helped us to see a clearer picture. Reinventing Fundraising, Realizing the Potential of Women's Philanthropy, by Sondra Shaw-Hardy and Martha Taylor, focuses on the "Six C's" of women's motivation for giving:

  • Create new solutions to old problems.
  • Use their financial power to effect change rather than to preserve the status quo.
  • Make a commitment (or commit) to the organization's vision.
  • Enjoy a personal connection with the institution or organization.
  • Collaborate and work with others as part of a larger effort.
  • Celebrate.

Read the full article here



 
Press Release: Blackbaud Launches Nonprofit Central for Community Foundations

Online nonprofit database helps donors make informed decisions and nonprofits share needs
 
Charleston, S.C. (May 20, 2009) – Blackbaud, Inc. (Nasdaq: BLKB), today announced the availability of Blackbaud Nonprofit Central™, a solution created specifically for community foundations that enables them to connect nonprofit organizations with donors of similar philanthropic interests. Integrated with Blackbaud® NetCommunity™, Nonprofit Central is an online database that provides donors information they need to make informed philanthropic decisions in a single online experience.

Read the full press release.



 
Press Release: Blackbaud Partners with TechSoup Global to Offer Low-Cost Fundraising Tools

Charleston, S.C. (May 18, 2009) – Blackbaud, Inc. (Nasdaq: BLKB), announced today that it will partner with TechSoup Global, a nonprofit organization devoted to making technology and technology education available and affordable to other nonprofits and libraries all over the world, to distribute BlackbaudNowand MatchFinder® to eligible nonprofits and libraries.

 

Read the full press release.


 
Press Release: Public Broadcasting Stations Enhance Online Efforts with Blackbaud Sphere and Team Approach

Charleston, S.C. (May 12, 2009) - Blackbaud, Inc. (Nasdaq: BLKB) today announced the increasing adoption of Blackbaud Sphere by public broadcasting stations to enhance online member acquisition and engagement. Since the addition of Sphere and Team Approach to Blackbaud's family of products, and the increasing desire of members to connect online, public broadcasting stations across the country are beginning to further realize the benefits of a unified view of members.

Read the full press release.



 
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