Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT

Pros

This is a powerful CRM service/software. We've expanded our utilization over the years, but I still know there are areas we don't even scratch the surface of when it comes to compiling information on donors and potential donors. A few years ago we made the leap to RE:NXT, placing our data in the cloud -- it's wonderful to be able to access data from wherever I am, whether I need a phone number or address, or some data on donation history.

I've been a Raiser's Edge user for 20+ years, and I have to say I can't imagine keeping track of our donors without it. From historical data to personal notations, you can keep so much info here (even uploading photos, documents, etc.).

With RE:NXT we have integration between the CRM and our web site donation forms. They're easy to build and drop in to the coding for the site.

Cons

We've felt that there are a couple of things in the EVENTS module that we wish worked better for us/our organization, but that's a small hiccup when it comes to the functionality and quality of BB fundraising.

Pros

What I like most about this product is that as a fundraiser, I have many tools that keep me organized and remind me to thank our donors.

Cons

My co-worker who uses this software for only adding donations has a very difficult time with it. She says it takes way too many steps to add donations. It is also frustrating that you have to create a new record for someone who has been memorialized by a gift. It seems odd to add someone into your record base that is deceased and there is a cap on the number of constituents you can have in the database without having to pay more. The reporting pages are confusing and difficult to understand how to set up a goal and see our progress toward it. There are many things like this that we come across that are frustrating to us.

Pros

The history of the donors is what is most useful. Raiser's Edge has been around for so long and we have such a long history with it that the historical data is priceless.

Cons

Because we have such a long history and so much historical data with RE, we can not really shop around for new products without the risk of losing data or enduring a massive implementation process.

Pros

My biggest likes for the Raiser's Edge are the various modules: Events, Membership and Online Express. I can organize the information and pull it back out in queries so easily. The canned reporting is not bad either. They pretty much have every kind of basic report you could need. You can pull some pretty decent reports that track actions, solicitors, giving and profiles. The key is making sure your data is clean and organized.

Speaking of which, Raiser's Edge has done a great job of improving it's data clean up functions. They have improved duplicate removals. They have added e-mail and phone clean ups. And they are always on top of making sure their clients are heard (even if it takes them a little while to deliver).

Cons

The reports have aged out at this point in the desktop version (non-cloud). Development departments are looking for different ways to report their money and we are now depending on Crystal Reports to constantly fill that void. I wished the reports were more malleable and you could really build out the layouts to accommodate what staff wants to see. The biggest thing I hear in terms of complaints from my staff are the number of clicks to get a process done, whether entering an event on a record to recording a membership. Sure we can set up default settings for many of the procedures, but there is still that need sometimes to have to go through and enter manually.

Pros

What I like most about the software is the ease of use.

Cons

What I like least about the software is that it can be slow to update when I enter changes or gifts.