Best Of
Re: Selling Merchandise through RE NXT
@Austen Brown you are right about it being a band-aids. Just want to make sure the options are considered:
You cannot change default confirmation page, BUT you can have a custom page build and once the transaction is done, donor is directed to that page. It won't have the details of what was "purchased" but at least it won't be confusing. (i.e. Thank you for your purchase, you ordered is being processed, and you will hear from us in X days).
Using the "Other fees" option, there will be no event registrant (participant) records on the constituent record, so that shouldn't be a concern.
The biggest issue I can think of is, there isn't a great "report" that will tell you what was purchased for how many. You can see it in the event record page on NXT, but I don't think a good report is available for this.
Re: Selling Merchandise through RE NXT
A lot of great comments here about how non-gift transactions can muddy the waters. Even if you set up separate campaigns, funds, appeals, and packages; utilize benefits, and set the receipt amount to $0 you should know that the BENCHMARKING Dashboard will still see these transactions as gifts as there are no filters available for that dashboard.
You will also have to train anyone who has access to dashboards that they will need to exclude those transactions by using the filters on the dashboards otherwise folks will be pulling inaccurate acquisition, retention, recaptured information.
Project-based Database Consultant Needed
Client:
International School of Los Angeles
Four campuses, PS-12
One thousand students, four annual campaigns
Title:
Super proficient and fast freelance Raiser’s Edge NXT + DonorSearch Expert to Build Campaign Prospect Lists in Excel
Project Scope:
We’re seeking an experienced freelance database consultant to support a multi-campus independent school’s fundraising team by developing segmented prospect lists for an upcoming campaign. You will extract data from Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT and DonorSearch, and organize it into a clean, easy-to-navigate Excel workbook that will help guide leadership recruitment and donor segmentation across four campuses.
Project Objectives:
Upload and integrate the most recent data from Raiser’s Edge NXT, including:
o Parent and donor names
o DonorSearch wealth screening results
o Student campus and grade
o Number of years at the school
o Previous gift officer or staff assignment
Segment and format data into an Excel spreadsheet with the following tabs:
o LYBUNTs (Did not give last year)
o Campus-Specific Prospects (segmented by 4 campuses)
o Assigned Last Year to Advancement Staff
Ensure the Excel file is formatted for ease of use—sortable, filterable, and reviewable by non-technical users
Handle migration of new families from SIS (Powerschool) to RE, including homerooms, contact info, etc.
Deliverables:
Final Excel workbook with all segmented tabs
All underlying data imported from RE NXT and DonorSearch
Clear documentation or brief walkthrough on how to use and update the spreadsheet
Must-Have Skills:
Proficiency with Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT (queries, exports, list-building)
Experience using DonorSearch
Advanced Excel skills (filters, formatting, formulas, deduplication)
Excellent attention to detail and discretion with donor data
Ability to work independently and meet deadlines
Bonus Points:
Experience working with independent schools or nonprofit fundraising teams
Comfort summarizing findings or recommending how lists could be used strategically
Timeline:
Kick off immediately and complete the project ASAP.
If this sounds like you, we look forward to discussing the opportunity with you. We look forward to hearing from you! Please recah out to giving@lilaschool.com if you are interested.
Re: August 2025 Monthly Challenge
A second comment :)
I wish the email header was smaller so that it was easier to see the post. We know it's from BB community. The topic and the actual question/response posted are the most significant elements to me.
Bring back printing directly from AR Invoice screen
Customer service just informed me I can no longer print an AR invoice directly from the invoice screen. I have to now look up my invoices in one screen then go to the communication screen to run a report. That's creating a whole set of extra steps for something that was just 1 click in database view. For now I am continuing to use the database view for everything I can, please bring back easy printing before database view is taken away
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Re: Selling Merchandise through RE NXT
Event forms is the way to go with this. There are few caveats to be aware of -
- The interface for front-end users can sometimes be confusing. Do your best to rename headers/fields in a way that makes the most sense to this process. If an alumni is choosing multiple frame options specifically, this will be confusing. If you can infer where to send the frames based on the person whose paying's address - do that. The more participant option questions you put in the longer the form gets.
- You cannot rename everything - for instances the transaction details included in the eConfirmation will read like they've registered for an event… can't do anything about that.
- How the data comes into the system will create more work for you DBA/data team. The data does NOT currently run through the Online Data Review tool, meaning duplicates will be created within your system. You will need to review incoming 'registrations' on a daily/weekly basis.
- If an alumni processes more than one transaction through the form, that can be tricky to resolve on the back end and may require manual entry on the part of your data team to 'move'/'combine' event participant records prior to a constituent merge.
It's possible, but clearly behaves like a band-aid. Good luck!
What's New In Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT® — August 19, 2025
Here is the latest change in Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT for August 19, 2025.
- Simplify gift posting and exporting to external platforms (for some of you)
Simplify gift posting and exporting to external platforms
To track accountability of gifts, now you can mark gifts as posted and export an Excel/CSV file of gift batches to submit to your financial ledger. For more information, see Gift Posting.
Want to streamline your workflow? With Financial Edge NXT, you can directly post gift batches instead of exporting.
Re: BlackbaudU - Recommend a replacement learning path for Basics of RE?
I'm not familiar with a Basics class. I've always directed people to the Fundamentals courses. I think they are the best, and lead directly into the certifications.
