Blackbaud Online Express vs. GoFundMe Charity

For 100% tax-deductible donations, I 9.5/10 recommend Blackbaud Online Express. The only thing is that it does not charge debit cards automatically, so I have to do it myself. Using Blackbaud Online Express forms for events gets more complicated. The way events work in Raiser's Edge in general is already complicated, so maybe it's more on Raiser's Edge than it is Blackbaud Online Express.

Incentivized

Crowdrise is great for small non-profits who do not have full-time staff to do the accounting work. It works well for those charities that are looking to get others involved and raise their own money. It has a very easy setup process and it's obvious that they are fully invested in helping all kinds of non-profits.

Incentivized

• Automatically matches the donor to a constituent in the database, if there is one, and gives you the opportunity to search if a match isn't found.
• If gift is in honor or memory of someone, it matches the tribute in the database, if it already exists. If not, you are able to easily create a new one.
• Transaction reports are easily accessible on the Blackbaud Merchant Services site.

Incentivized

• Call of action marketing
• Progress thermometer or meter
• Great place for comments by donors

Incentivized

• Access via Blackbaud's web portal, and to Citrix, is clumsy and slow.
• User creation and management is also clumsy, slow, and error-prone.
• Integration with Raiser's Edge is a pro, but it also can make using Online Express more complicated than necessary for users just looking for a simple email marketing tool.

Incentivized

• The fees can be a little higher for small non-profits.
• I wish there was more customization with their follow up emails.

Incentivized

GoFundMe is very easy to use and does a great job allowing us to share insights and stories to leave a lasting impression on donors. From setting up the account to ending the appeal, the entire process has been very user-friendly. I'm very impressed with the experience so far and plan to continue using it for future campaigns.

Incentivized

Customer service for all of Blackbaud's products has really lacked over the years. They are starting to get better in the last year but it can very frustrating. The online knowledge base community is the best resource for information. At times it can take hours for a customer sect even rep to help with questions or problems which is not at all ideal in this industry.

Incentivized

So far support has not answered my questions regarding publishing the campaign or why we do not appear in relevant searches, so I can't give it a good rating.

Incentivized

Blackbaud's Online Express is MUCH easier to use than NetCommunity. Having the ability to "drop" donation forms directly into our existing website is a big improvement over NetCommunity's web pages. Only wish Online Express offered the ability to track constituents sign up for different email communications rather than just one option.

Incentivized

We chose GoFundMe primarily because it is a well-known name, and although there have been some donors questioning the legitimacy of our account, for the most part, donors trust this site and enjoy seeing the impact of donations collectively. Other platforms would also work just as well but we did some research before choosing GoFundMe and our entire team felt it was the best choice.

Incentivized

• Regardless of project or initiative, all fund-raising efforts are managed in one place for the entire organization.
• Donor management is concise, thorough, and systematic - no individual or organization is overlooked.
• Snapshot reporting of successful grant applications and fund-raising are readily available.

Incentivized

• Positive - When the platform upgraded our previous campaigns were available.
• Negative - Internal UX/UI should be clearer regarding stage of campaign publishing.

Incentivized