Earlier this month, I wrote up a discussion post that highlighted a recent change to our hot fix and release letters. With a healthy community and an active discussion board, it’s understandable if you missed it. So, just in case it did happen to pass you by, I’m taking the opportunity to place the spotlight on it right here one last time. Many of you may ... more

On my morning commute, I heard some interesting news. Fundraising for higher education institutions in the United States increased by 7.2% in 2018! What’s interesting is that more than a quarter of these funds went to just 20 colleges and universities (and to less than 2% of American undergraduates). So why did so much of the funding go to so few ... more

Blackbaud University is excited to celebrate our Blackbaud Grantmaking users who became  Blackbaud Certified  in January! Be sure to review our listing and celebrate your colleagues by viewing their profiles, becoming Blackbaud  Community  friends, or just congratulating them on this significant achievement.   Tanya Aguilar Mehrnaz Ahmadi ... more

Back in 1986, Ferris Bueller wisely said, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it!” Th e same can be said today of the social good space. Our industry is an ever-changing place. Technology, society, and best practices continue to evolve. If you don’t take the time and mak e the effort to keep up with trends, ... more

When you think of Valentine’s Day, what images fill your mind? Probably red heart-shaped boxes, roses, and cards—thanks to the branding by the chocolate, flower, and greeting card companies. But what else goes into a brand ? What feelings and memories does Valentine’s Day stir up in your mind? The holidays can teach us a lot about branding and all that ... more

To ease analysis, Raiser's Edge NXT provides several totals, estimates, and data points as at-a-glance metrics throughout the web view. In the database view, you can also create robust reports to calculate totals based on your organization's criteria. As you look at this analysis, it's important to remember that not every total may add up quite the same between the two views, due to how those numbers are crunched in each. more

Anyone remember the crazy websites we used to make in the early days of the internet? My first websites were full of different blocks of colored text and as many animated images of kittens and unicorns as I could find. I may have thought it was pretty (it wasn't), but it certainly wasn't functional. There was no way anyone visiting my site could easily ... more

We 're excited to announce the FIMS 14.66 update! This patch release resolves issues and includes minor product enhancements. For release details, download the  FIMS 14.66 Release Notes  from the  FIMS How-To   page. Host*Net  clients will be updated to version 14.66 this Thursday, February 14th, 2019, during the scheduled maintenance ... more

This week, Raiser’s Edge NXT released a new setting for admins to choose whether to deduct pledge write-offs from committed revenue.  more

One of our goals here on the documentation team at Blackbaud is to always strive to make your experience as informative and helpful as possible. It’s part of the reason why we’ve continued to branched out from our traditional online help center to other places including here in the Community, to the in-product help panel, and even our ... more

Good to see you here at The Buzz, Community! This week we have all sorts of things going on in the Blackbaud Community that are just for you. So without further delay, let's dive right in to... Have you had a chance to stop in at THE TAP yet?  It's our Community area specifically for fun, non-work topics.  Drop in and say hello! Altru Have a question about the ... more

A few years ago, my love for animals motivated me to volunteer at a local animal shelter. I signed up, got my T-shirt, and attended orientation. I learned a lot about animal behavior, met some people, and signed up for shifts. A few days later, I was driving over in the mornings to walk and play with dogs, as well as clean their kennels. But just three weeks ... more

As one of our high touch modeling and wealth screening analytics consultants here at Target Analytics, I often hear from clients and their new staff members stating that they have inherited a Target Analytics project.  They do this because they saw my name on a PowerPoint that was delivered prior to them joining the organization.  If this sounds like ... more

I’ll admit I’m a hopeless romantic, so whenever I hear “engagement,” I immediately think of someone on one knee with balloons, flowers, and a small velvet box.   A membership program is like a romantic relationship. There’s no velvet box, but the basics are there.   I read about (or visit) your organization and decide I want more information—similar to ... more

Let’s face it—hierarchy and structure can be cringe-inducing terms. Perhaps they aren’t the fun, meaty, or inspirational parts of running a nonprofit organizational body. However, just like a human body, the skeletal structure must be intact before anything works. Period. In this newly revamped eLearning course, Organizational Best Practices: ... more