The Buzz: September 2023 Edition

Hello Community,

We have a lot to talk about in the Buzz this month, including a lot of great resources and discussions, but first we start with some exciting news....

bbcon 2023 Keynote Speaker Announced!

Have you heard today’s breaking news? Screen Actors Guild Award®, Emmy®, and Golden Globe® winner America Ferrera is coming to bbcon for a special keynote conversation on belonging, expectations, and going after big goals! Read the full announcement here.

New Exclusive Badge for September

The Community enjoyed our August challenge. Our Just for Fun chat came alive in August with 54 new badge winners leaving 246 responses! If you want to get to know your fellow community members on a personal level, check out their answers and chime in with your own!

This month, we are making things exciting with a triple-play challenge! To earn September’s limited-edition badge, take the following three actions in the Blackbaud Community.

• Comment on a blog post

• Reply to a forum post

• Update/add a profile photo

That’s it! Simply complete each action one time and you’ll earn the badge (but you must complete all three).

Here’s what this month’s badge looks like:

Good luck and remember you have through September 30 to complete the challenge.

Tip of the Month

This month’s community tip will help you with the challenge of responding to a forum post. Replying to a discussion is easy and we’ve outlined some ways for you to write a helpful tip in your response. And check out our Using the Blackbaud Community page for other helpful tips/tricks!

Join the Discussion

To get you started on earning the September badge, here are some topics we’re highlighting that are being talked about across the community:

• Our team has been hard at work compiling resources for teachers. It has everything you need in one handy place including: Gradebook, Assignments, Class Rosters, and more. If you’d like to see anything added – leave a comment on the blog.

• Over in Organizational Best Practices, check out this good discussion post that anyone can answer! Virtual or onsite volunteering – what are some volunteer events you’ve seen or done successfully with your team?

• Just for Fun: what’s your favorite board game? Monopoly? Catan? What game do you love to play?

• bbcon 2023: What sessions are you most excited about and why? Read which sessions others are excited to see and add yours!

Contribute to Blackbaud Institute Research

How is your organization stewarding Generation Z? The Blackbaud Institute is currently conducting research on cracking the code on Gen Z engagement and would love to hear from you! Read more about this opportunity to participate in important industry research here.

Let’s Talk Budget

Have you read the latest from the engage blog? This four-minute read, “Evaluating and Streamlining Your Annual Budgeting Process” explores the process of annual budgeting from juggling the budget with day-to-day duties, simplifying, and eliminating confusion, and streamlining and communicating effectively. It doesn’t have to be a chore!

Events:

Check out these upcoming events that will help you maximize your impact:

Mastering the Year-End Fundraising Frenzy: Your Playbook for Before, During, and After the Busiest Season of the Year (Thursday, September 14th at 1pm ET)

Maximizing Impact: Involving Your Nonprofit Board in End-of-Year Fundraising Campaigns (Thursday, September 21st at Noon ET)

Blackbaud Users Field of Dreams (Thursday, September 21st at 1pm ET) - This is a user group of our members that focus on Blackbaud databases and helping each other out. Anyone is welcome to attend!

Happy Birthday Virgos & Libras!

It’s time to celebrate our members with birthdays in September. If you are celebrating a birthday this month, leave a comment below and we’ll wish you a happy birthday!