Blackbaud News : Blackbaud in the News

News Roundup: Blackbaud's Recession Recipe and Conference Coverage

Melanie Mathos — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:07:00 GMT

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.

The CPA Technology Advisor Reviews The Financial Edge

Melanie Mathos — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:46:00 GMT

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.

Blackbaud in the News: Tech tools for nonprofits

Melanie Mathos — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 20:39:00 GMT

Posted on WebCPA.com and featured in the October 19 issue of Accounting Today

In a tight economy, the right tech mix helps nonprofits retain income levels, services

No one had to tell the nonprofit sector that the world economy was slipping deeper into recession. Relying largely on donors, memberships and conferences to maintain their budgets, nonprofits usually feel the pinch first and are the sector of the economy that is last to recover.

But when the task of soliciting funds and materials is at its most difficult, not-for-profit organizations become more innovative in the ways they work - including the use of advanced technologies.

Blackbaud in the News: A Conversation with Marc Chardon (Updated with video)

Melanie Mathos — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 15:48:00 GMT

Alan Cooper, publisher of LowcountryBizSC recently sat down with Blackbaud CEO Marc Chardon to discuss his background and business experience, Blackbaud’s history, recent expansion, and strategic focus for the future.

When asked what he was most proud of at Blackbaud, Marc mentioned his pride in his employees: “I am proud of our employees and how they not only serve their customers, but how they offer their time to give back to the local communities in which they live and work. The people who decide Blackbaud's philanthropic efforts are the first line company employees, not management. I don't direct these initiatives; in fact, I see my role as more of simply getting out of the employees' way!”

Watch the video:

Read the full conversation here.

Blackbaud in the News: Independant Fundraising Events

Melanie Mathos — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 20:46:00 GMT

From the September/October 2009 edition of Advancing Philanthropy:

Independent Fundraising Events
By Mark Davis, Blackbaud's director of technical solutions

Each year, people fundraise on behalf of their favorite nonprofits in any number of events, such as runs, walks, bicycle rides, auctions, car washes and hundreds of other creative ways. Almost everyone is familiar with such large, nationally organized fundraising events as the Heart Walk, the Memory Walk and the Race for the Cure. However, what about the numerous independent fundraising events (IFEs) that can be as small as a simple bake sale or a single runner training for a marathon? While not as prominent as the better-known fundraising campaigns, these events have a distinct advantage in that they essentially cost practically nothing for the beneficiary organization because the expenses are covered by the independent event organizer.

Read the article. (.pdf)

Blackbaud in the News: Is your organization working to its potential?

Melanie Mathos — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 15:46:00 GMT

From the September 4 edition of Philanthropy Journal

By Mark Banning, director of educational services at Blackbaud

Does your organization view training as an optional expense or an investment? Often seen as a burdensome cost, training programs that deliver measureable results are a worthy investment for a number of reasons.

We all know our team members are what make us great. But did you know that employees at organizations with inadequate training programs plan to leave for another opportunity within 12 months, as opposed to those at organizations that provide excellent training and comprehensive professional development programs? A company that invests in its employees is not only spending wisely on those individuals, but also investing in the future of its mission. Even in economically challenging times, we all need to find ways to keep watering our "oak trees."

Read the full article.

Blackbaud in the News: Tips to Strengthen Your E-mail Campaigns

Melanie Mathos — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 19:18:00 GMT

From the 8/25/09 edition of the Fundraising Success Advisor
by Abny Santicola

E-mail is a great option for fundraising communications because it's inexpensive and provides virtually instant access to friends and supporters. What's more, it's measurable.

In the session "The Right Message: Making the Most of E-mail Marketing in a Down Economy" at the DMA Nonprofit Federation's 2009 New York Nonprofit Conference, Allison Van Diest, senior product marketing manager for Blackbaud, shared best practices for creating strong positioning and message architecture.

Van Diest said today's nonprofit supporters:

read e-mail before direct mail;
satisfy their interests on their own schedule;
expect information to be personalized;
expect immediate feedback;
expect information on progress/stewardship; and
expect to share online experiences with others.

Blackbaud in the News: Keeping it on the Mid-Level

Melanie Mathos — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 13:04:00 GMT

From Philanthropy Journal
By Amy Chase, Principal Consultant, Blackbaud

Facing an increasingly challenging funding environment, nonprofits are looking for new and innovative ways to maintain and grow support.

As a nonprofit professional, where should you start?

Should you invest in cultivating major donor prospects, increasing your sustainer program, or shift your focus to your most loyal donors? The answer may be closer than you think.

Organizations can look to their current donor base - specifically their mid-level donors - as a way to continue to build affinity and sustain, if not increase, their contributions.

First, you need to determine what a mid-level donor looks like for your nonprofit, as it differs for each organization.

Challenging times create communication imperatives for faith-based nonprofits

Melissa Dodge — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 17:08:00 GMT

Featured in Church Executive Magazine
Volume 2009, Issue 8 - 8 2009

by Stuart Manewith, CFRE, Business Development Manager at Blackbaud

Challenging times create communication imperatives
Leaders connect with staff and congregations through 21st century technology.

There are opportunities, believe it or not, for churches and other faith-based nonprofits in an economic downturn. In order to survive, churches have no choice but to continue striking a balance in conducting ministry initiatives, relationship-building and business.

Most importantly, they are continuing to support their communities. And, in order to be successful during difficult times, they are all the more dependent on faith-driven giving.

Communicating effectively is the key in connecting not only with a congregation, but with staff as well. If a message is not properly delivered it will be lost - and the method to deliver that message is changing. Let's look at a few of those communications:

1) More church offices and administrators will prefer to communicate by e-mail - and there will likely be an explosive increase in the use of text-messaging. Church staff members will be more accessible with the instant communication that e-mail and text-messaging provides.

Read the full article.

Blackbaud in the News: 10 Things You Need to Know About Reactivating Lapsed Donors

Melanie Mathos — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 13:09:00 GMT

As featured in Fundraising Success

By Lawrence Henze, Managing Director, Target Analytics, a Blackbaud company

The more you know about your lapsed donors — their characteristics, interests and relationships to your organization — the better prepared you are to recapture these donors or, more importantly, prevent them from lapsing in the first place. Prevention is perhaps the strongest strategy in addressing lapsed-donor issues. Consider the following when developing your donor-retention strategy:

1. Proactive research
Acquisition for the sole purpose of bringing in new donors, without an eye toward donor retention, might be the major factor in high attrition or lapse rates. Why build an acquisition profile on a group of donors with a 50 percent to 75 percent attrition rate?

The solution is to build acquisition-to-retention model profiles that identify the characteristics of acquired donors who persist in their giving for two to three years. It's a much better strategy because you can identify persistent donors and their common characteristics and focus on acquisition lists that mirror these characteristics. Better yet, use a donor-retention model to score acquisition lists, and only mail prospects with a high likelihood to respond and persist over time.

Read the full article.

Blackbaud in the News: You Don't Have To Send Holiday Greetings to Everyone

Melissa Dodge — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 18:26:00 GMT

From The Nonprofit Times

You Don't Have to Send Holiday Greetings to Everyone
Database modeling and donor history deciding who will get holiday solicitations

by Michele Donohue, featuring Matt Cobbett, the director of cooperative database products at Target Analytics

Nonprofit direct mailers are following the Christmas carol instructions about "making a list, checking it twice" for end-of-the-year mailings. But forget about naughty or nice - these mailers want donors.

Save the Children is preparing to mail approximately 300,000 lapsed donors this coming fall, according to Gail Arcamone, director of direct response marketing at the organization's Westport, Conn. headquarters.

Arcamone said that the organization plans to mail smarter by modeling the lapsed donor list, scoring individuals based on their potential to give. So instead of mailing the entire donor file, "we can just really mail more efficiently to the donors who are most likely to respond."

Read the full article.

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

Melanie Mathos — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 15:21:00 GMT

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

Melanie Mathos — Tue, 26 May 2009 18:24:00 GMT

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.

Blackbaud in the News: Extreme Fundraising

Melanie Mathos — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 13:37:00 GMT

As featured on Forbes.com
by Steven Bertoni

Endurance sports, personal blogs and personal (often disease related) charities have merged into a new form of extreme fundraising. Both charities and for-profit software companies such as Blackbaud and Active Network are capitalizing on the trend, offering ready-made personal fundraising sites with blogs, payment capability and more. Blackbaud estimates online fundraising has hauled in $3 billion in donations worldwide over the past seven years, with the pace accelerating over the past year.

Read the full article.

Blackbaud in the News: What you should know about sensitive data

Melanie Mathos — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 18:53:00 GMT

From The Philanthropy Journal

Ideas that work: What you should know about sensitive data

Bucky Wall and Jake Marcinko | March 16, 2009

Data security issues have garnered a great deal of press lately.

So far in 2009, at least three credit-card processors, a major airline carrier and several government agencies have been involved in the compromise of sensitive personal information. Over 100 million records containing Social Security numbers, bank accounts, health-care details, and age, gender and other information on individuals have been lost. However, while there will likely be a great deal of fallout from these incidents, the fact remains they will have little impact on these organizations' bottom line. The reasoning for this has to do with the nature of the relationship the organizations have with the individuals they serve. Rarely do government institutions and business-to-business companies have personal relationships with customers. However, the relationship between most nonprofit organizations and their donors is different.

Read the full article here.