I've been asked by someone in my office to look into Researcher's Edge for our organization. It seems cumbersome to say the least. Is anyone using it and how is it working? Are there several modules within that must be purchased in order to work the best? I'm trying to decipher everything they've sent me and feel like once we commit to purchase one module, then we will have to purchase another and the list goes on. Is that correct? Any input would be great! Thanks. Crystal Orlea Research Analyst Provena United Samaritans Medical Center Danville, Illinois

I am assuming you are speaking of Raiser's Edge; not Reseacher's Edge...with that in mind, it depends on what you will be doing...there are different modules for example: Tribute module: for honor/memorials; Prospect Research module: for prospect researching...and the like...in my personal opininon RE is a pretty easy and very workable database program....I worked on Etapestry and that was pretty difficult...but again that's just me... Kitri Steigerwald Donor Relations Specialist ADA Foundation Chicago, IL

FYI, Blackbaud Analytics has been changed to Researcher's Edge, for those that didn't hear about the name change (too many RE's if you ask me)... When I started here, we had the prospect module and basic RE, and BBA (as it was called then). You don't really need anything else. Researcher's Edge is a completely standalone application with tentative ties to Raisers Edge. You can only move certain information over to Raisers Edge, and the rest has to be run out of Researchers Edge. I'm working on a method to move the information to Raisers Edge to make the information more accessible to our relations people, but its a slow and difficult process to get Researchers Edge to give you the information in a decent format... You can run some neat donor reports out of Researcher's Edge though, and I know the campuses use it pretty extensively. Hope this helps! Doug Doug Creek University of Alaska Database Administrator [Email Removed]

No - actually I am talking about Reseacher's Edge. We've been on RE for many years. I've been here 5 years and looking into Researcher's Edge. Just not sure if it is right for our organization.

Researcher's Edge..? hmm...on a side note I liked Blackbaud Analytics better...but anyway, I always learn something new on the forums. Sorry for the mix-up in my reply... Thanks Doug... Kitri Steigerwald Donor Relations Specialist ADA Foundation Chicago, IL

Researcher's Edge..? hmm...on a side note I liked Blackbaud Analytics better...but anyway, I always learn something new on the forums. Sorry for the mix-up in my reply... Thanks Doug... Kitri Steigerwald Donor Relations Specialist ADA Foundation Chicago, IL

Researcher's Edge..? hmm...on a side note I liked Blackbaud Analytics better...but anyway, I always learn something new on the forums. Sorry for the mix-up in my reply... Thanks Doug... Kitri Steigerwald Donor Relations Specialist ADA Foundation Chicago, IL

Thank you for the info. That does help somewhat. I have two pdf's they sent me and I'm trying to understand....If I purchase, does that include ProspectPoint and WealthPoint or are those additional modules? I think I'm making this harder than I should. Thanks! Crystal Orlea Research Analyst Provena United Samaritans Medical Center Danville, Illinois

I much preferred Blackbaud Analytics too just because when you say RE now, you have to specify which one you are talking about, which is very annoying. As far as prospectPoint and WealthPoint, I know that we have WealthPoint, but I'm not sure how we purchased (whether it was included or an additional module). This happened way before my time (and wouldn't have happened if I had been here because we weren't ready for it), and I can't seem to find the original invoices for it. Sorry, Doug Doug Creek University of Alaska Database Administrator [Email Removed]

Thanks Doug. You've been a big help already. Have a great day. Crystal Orlea, Research Analyst Provena USMC Foundation Danville, Illinois

We purchased Blackbaud Analytics, now Researcher's Edge, about a year ago. During my conversations with Blackbaud, I never could get it straight which program did what, and I still am confused. We have Prospect Point and Wealth Point and I think you really need both of them. We were able to run all our donors through Prospect Point to get ratings for their ability and propensity to give at different levels. Wealthpoint gave us more details about the wealthier people in our database with Dun & Bradstreet, Who's Who, real estate, etc. Then there is Wealthpoint Online to get updates or to check out new prospects. Nancy Schools Capital Health System Foundation [Email Removed]

Speaking of too many RE's - we call it TRE (The Researcher's Edge) to avoid confusion of which application we are speaking of :) As what Nancy said - that's what we have and our Development Staff found it useful to look for prospect donors. The initial purchase of TRE included first set of records in RE (Raiser's Edge) so you'd need to have separate database for TRE and RE. Rick Baker Systems Specialist, Institutional Advancement Gallaudet University

OK - this gives me some information to take back to my superiors. I think we need to talk to our Blackbaud Rep with some organization specific questions related to our Foundation. I really enjoy reading how you all have used The Researchers Edge and how you call it TRE - much better term! Thanks again and any more info is always appreciated. Crystal Orlea, Research Analyst Provena USMC Foundation Danville, Illinois

TRE... I like that... Thanks for the tipoff :) Doug Doug Creek University of Alaska Database Administrator [Email Removed]