Executive Director of technical Systems and Services at Syracuse University (Higher Education, 5001-10,000 employees)
Chose Blackbaud Enterprise Fundraising CRM
When were doing our search, in 2016/2017 we identified three products that might have potential for our use. They were Ellucians Advance, BlackBaud e-CRM and Sales Force. We had 18 years experience with Ellucian, we had several Sales Force installations on campus and very …
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Verified User
Chose Blackbaud Enterprise Fundraising CRM
Blackbaud wins because of the overall organization's specific focus on fundraising. Where Ellucian has been more focused on Banner and other products, showing less interest in alumni/donor engagement and more in student-centered products.
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
Verified User
Chose Blackbaud Enterprise Fundraising CRM
Blackbaud was the industry leader in higher education CRMs at the time.
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
Verified User
Chose Blackbaud Enterprise Fundraising CRM
Blackbaud CRM is more robust and has better functionality. It is necessary for a bigger fundraising shop. Blackbaud Raiser's Edge and NXT worked well in smaller organizations with fewer users and fewer donors/prospects. RE was more affordable than CRM was for the smaller …
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
Verified User
Chose Blackbaud Enterprise Fundraising CRM
Blackbaud is an excellent program that stacks up well with the competition. It provides post-secondary institutions and other not for profits a great way to track donations and donors, reconcile donations, print charitable tax receipts for donors, and provides a strong set of …
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. TR verified that a representative sample of customers was invited. More Info
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
Development Director at South Christian High School (Non-profit Organization Management, 51-200 employees)
Chose Blackbaud Enterprise Fundraising CRM
Blackbaud is the powerhouse and able to handle a large number of donor files. It is not difficult to learn if you take the time to utilize the tutorials. The conversion team was amazing as we worked through the transition.
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
Alumni Development Manager at Florida State University (Education Management, 1001-5000 employees)
Chose Blackbaud Enterprise Fundraising CRM
We previously used Raiser's Edge NXT before switching to Blackbaud CRM. Raiser's Edge was helpful, but it was strictly from a fundraising standpoint. As a higher education institution, we needed the platform to do so much more than just organize fundraising information. We …
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
Development Director in Marketing at Long Island Lutheran Middle & High School (Non-profit Organization Management, 51-200 employees)
Chose Blackbaud Enterprise Fundraising CRM
I've used Salesforce, which is not good for donor management. I've used e-tapestry which has major limitations as well. However, for a basic user experience, this is a good program.
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
Development Director at Judaism Your Way (Non-Profit Organization Management, 1-10 employees)
Chose Blackbaud Enterprise Fundraising CRM
Blackbaud is a big name brand, that has a lot of options for your organization. Since it has different layers, you have the ability to seek support from all of those layers whenever. There are organizations all around the world, so you have the ability to join support groups …
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
Digital Content Strategist in Social Media at Climate Central (Media Production, 11-50 employees)
Chose Blackbaud Enterprise Fundraising CRM
I was given Blackbaud when I started, and we ultimately switched to Classy because of their support, functionality, and flexibility in making new campaigns and pages.
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
Verified User
Chose Blackbaud Enterprise Fundraising CRM
Because we have Blackbaud, using their event module makes database updating and integration much easier that outside products. It is nice to be able to see the full event in one place (guests/seating/donations/tickets/meal choice...) rather than going from database to database …
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
Marketing and Digital Communications Specialist in Marketing at Volunteers of America of Greater Ohio (Civic & Social Organization, 501-1000 employees)
Chose Blackbaud Enterprise Fundraising CRM
I didn't select Blackbaud CRM, it was chosen for us by our National organization. I would not choose Blackbaud if it was my choice. It's outdated and not user friendly.
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
Digital Media Specialist in Professional Services at Digital Media Specialist (Information Services, 1-10 employees)
Chose Blackbaud Enterprise Fundraising CRM
Blackbaud CRM is a great product, especially when fully optimized, implemented, and supported. Its many features often dwarf some of the smaller CRM offerings on the market. That said it is a complex product requiring a great deal of training in some situations and not all …
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
Verified User
Chose Blackbaud Enterprise Fundraising CRM
This system has been in place for awhile and we haven't had the opportunity to look at others yet. It was originally selected for price point and smaller size of our organization.
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
Executive Director in Corporate at Justa Center (Non-Profit Organization Management, 11-50 employees)
Chose Blackbaud Enterprise Fundraising CRM
While Salesforce for Nonprofits is great, Blackbaud CRM is built from the bones up for nonprofits. It doesn't borrow from sales-model CRMs yet incorporates many/most of the great features in a standard CRM.
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
President in Finance and Accounting at Kayllan Publishing (Financial Services, 1-10 employees)
Chose Blackbaud Enterprise Fundraising CRM
With Blackbaud you are getting an industry specific solution. Other products can be molded and adapted to fit into a non-profit environment. However, the Blackbaud platform is made for this environment right out of the box. You are paying more than some of these other competing …
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
Director, Application Development in Information Technology at The Jewish Federations of North America (Philanthropy, 201-500 employees)
Chose Blackbaud Enterprise Fundraising CRM
In comparing Blackbaud CRM to Raiser's Edge, there is more room to configure, customize and seems more refined. In terms of more refined, I am referring to the user interface, the capturing of data, ability to perform simple or complex marketing processes.
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
Digital Marketing Manager in Marketing at Scout Marketing (Marketing and Advertising, 201-500 employees)
Chose Blackbaud Enterprise Fundraising CRM
This would really be like comparing apples and oranges. With the exception of Convio, the other platforms are more Enterprise focused where Convio was Non Profit focused. Silverpop & ExactTarget are going to be best in class at what they do just because of the resources they …
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
Development and Marketing Coordinator in Marketing at Goodwill Omaha (Individual & Family Services, 501-1000 employees)
Chose Blackbaud Enterprise Fundraising CRM
eTapestry was the database in use when my boss and I came on board. We did evaluations in terms of price and capabilites and it wasn't worth it to switch. Many other databases were much more expensive, did not offer similar services, and were not as user-friendly. The Blackbaud …
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
Verified User
Chose Blackbaud Enterprise Fundraising CRM
Blackbaud CRM was much more focused on fundraising and was more customizable. Other products considered were often not 'out of the box' in terms of functionality, however much design was needed prior to implementation.
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
Verified User
Chose Blackbaud Enterprise Fundraising CRM
It is more difficult to run reports and extract the information you are looking for. They are a very large company who has no concept of customer service.
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
Project Coordinator at American Heart Association | American Stroke Association (Health, Wellness and Fitness, 1001-5000 employees)
Chose Blackbaud Enterprise Fundraising CRM
I have never used similar products, but I have used Basecamp for a CRM tool. Basecamp is super limiting compared to Blackbaud. They truly do not compare, as the size limitation of Basecamp is a fraction of BB's capacity.
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
Verified User
Chose Blackbaud Enterprise Fundraising CRM
I found the Blackbaud database to simply be more comprehensive and easier to manipulate than the others. The user friendliness of the modules and availability of information in the Blackbaud system was just better.
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
Verified User
Chose Blackbaud Enterprise Fundraising CRM
Honestly I have moved to Salesforce. Salesforce has a stronger user group community, less expensive, more innovation with the appexchange.com and because many corporations use Salesforce, it is pretty easy to get volunteers to support your efforts.
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
It works well enough for fundraising purposes and donor tracking. I think it would be less appropriate for instances or industries where you don't need so many data points on someone. You are able to attach a lot of information to a record so if you don't need that info (simply need contact info for example) you might want a simpler system
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
Accessing in-depth data for a single constituent is easily done and customizable by user working with "tiles" on the home screen
Generating lists of possible prospects with specific similarities can be done with a few clicks and then stored for more research later
well designed relationship options allow for a a look at specific constituents and how they might relate to other constituents in the system leading to more effective prospecting
Screens can be easily customized by user or user group eliminating irrelevant data and presenting only truly relevant information
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
Certain aspects of Blackbaud are oddly non-customizable.
Blackbaud updates/support is slow and often ineffective - our organization switched to Microsoft 365, which is apparently incompatible with Blackbaud. Help/support recommended clunky workarounds that don't actually work, rather than proactively enhancing compatibility
There should be a flag in constituent search to show which people in the results list are deceased.
Query isn't very user friendly. It should be simple to locate the information that you want to pull, and add parameters to that information. Instead you have to write multiple queries to set parameters, then write a query that looks at those other queries. It's time-consuming and easy to make mistakes, and the knowledge/proficiency is difficult to explain or transfer to new staff.
Blackbaud generally just feels like its technology is outdated. It wasn't built for the needs of a modern organization, and its developers have failed to make the necessary improvements over time to stay competitive.
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
We've covered a lot, but mostly because we are happy with the system overall. There are a few kinks, and sometimes it takes a minute to figure out the right wording to pull a report or the best way to code a new category that we want to track. But Blackbaud is always there to help us, and once things are figured out - they are super simple to replicate. It wouldn't be worth it to switch to a new system and lose of all our information and time put in to mastering the system
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
I have not personally had to reach out to Blackbaud CRM Support, because we have a central office that manages the Blackbaud CRM relationship. However, any time I've reached out to our support team, there is nothing they can't figure out by utilizing the support they receive from Blackbaud CRM. I've not had any issues that have gone unresolved, and they can always get things done in a timely fashion.
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
Most of our issues were self-inflicted and related to BB's work. We did not "staff up" correctly, our data to be converted was not in great shape and we set some unreasonable goals. With BBs help we were able to clean our data and prep it for conversion and we adjusted the goals to be more achievable with the timeline we were given. We found the BB staff to be responsive and focused, especially when working on-site with us.
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
Blackbaud CRM is more robust and has better functionality. It is necessary for a bigger fundraising shop. Blackbaud Raiser's Edge and NXT worked well in smaller organizations with fewer users and fewer donors/prospects. RE was more affordable than CRM was for the smaller organization.
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
Change is always expensive and painful, but CRM is worth the time and effort. One immediate benefit is improved transparency internally, especially for internal accounting, controls, and compliance departments.
Cloud hosting helps cut cost and demand on organization staff. Improves access and meets compliance on every level.
Ability to make global changes to recording donor phone communication makes it a one-stop resource for a well-run development team.
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
