The Buzz: September 2024 Edition!

Hi Community,

Welcome to September or as we are calling it... bbcon month!

bbcon is almost here and thousands of social impact professionals just like you are heading to Seattle on September 24–26 for three illuminating days of inspiration, innovation, and impact! Not yet registered but still thinking about it? Blackbaud Community All-Star Austen Brown thinks you should “Say YES to bbcon” and detailed the five reasons she comes back year after year in this blog post. Register by September 18 to lock in your spot.

Can’t make it to Seattle? No problem! Register for a virtual pass to stream the mainstage sessions live and view select breakout sessions on-demand starting October 15th.

We are also extending our bbcon Bingo game and badge opportunity until the first day of bbcon! Call your bingo and win this exclusive badge:

The bbcon community is also bustling with conversations ranging from things to do in Seattle to where everyone will be tuning in from. We are in the final weeks before this year’s conference and we hope to see everyone in person or virtually!
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Coming Soon! Ask an All-Star: Automations and APIs in Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT® and Blackbaud Financial Edge NXT®

Community All-Star and bbdevdays Community Award winner Alex Wong will be at the helm of our next Ask an All-Star session happening September 17th-19th. He’ll be answering all your questions about using SKY API, SKY Add-in, Microsoft Power Automate, and Microsoft Power BI in Raiser's Edge NXT and Financial Edge NXT. Be sure to keep an eye out in the Raiser’s Edge NXT and Financial Edge NXT discussion forums so you can ask your questions when it kicks off!



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Blackbaud Impact Awards:

We recently announced the finalists for the Blackbaud Impact Award finalists! Check them out here and leave a comment congratulating them on this incredible accomplishment! The winners will be revealed on the bbcon main stage on September 26th.
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September Monthly Challenge:

This month’s exclusive badge opportunity is all about continuing to build value across the community by ensuring everyone get responses to their questions. That's why we're this month's exclusive badge opportunity is focused on leveling up your Facilitator badge, which is earned by answering questions. The more you answer, the higher your badge level! If you move from one level to the next with your Facilitator badge this month, you’ll receive this exclusive September challenge badge:

You can see your current level and how many responses will get you to the next level by visiting your profile page.



We encourage everyone to look for unanswered questions to share your expertise! This will not only ensure members are getting the help they need, it will also help us build our wonderful library of knowledge for anyone who may have similar questions in the future.
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Community Tip of the Month:

Finding unanswered questions in the community is easy and a great way to have a big impact on your peers! You can find a list of all unanswered questions here or filter in your product community by unanswered questions under the search bar.



Need help crafting a great response to a question? Check out this help article. It has great tips on the best ways to share your expertise in our community.

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Community Kudos:

We’d like to start our monthly Community Kudos with a spotlight and gratitude toward All-Star Austen Brown. Austen hosted a very popular Ask An All-Star session in the Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT® community in August in addition to taking the most actions in community last month (4,462) including writing on 2,054 profile walls to welcome new members. Way to go, Austen!!

Community All-Star Alex Wong continues to hold onto his title of being the top responder in Community in August – responding 111 times!

Kudos to Gari Fowler for giving out 267 likes in the community! Way to show some love to your fellow community members!
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Just for Fun:

Our Just for Fun community forum is living up to its name. We’ve got great discussions going on including members showing off their precious pups for International Dog Day and sharing their favorite podcasts, both professional and what they listen to outside of work. Join in on the convo!
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Events:

• User Group (In Person): Raiser’s Edge® User Group Meeting, Columbia, SC at Cardinal Newman School (Tuesday, September 10th at 1pm EST)
• User Group: Microsoft Power BI User Group (Wednesday, September 11th at Noon EST)
• Product Tour: Introduction to Blackbaud Grantmaking™ (Thursday, September 12th at 11am EST)
• User Group: Microsoft Power Automate User Group (Tuesday, September 17th at Noon EST)
• Webinar: Making Changes to Your Membership Program in Blackbaud Altru® (Thursday, September 19th at 2pm EST)
• Conference: bbcon 2024 in Seattle, Washington (September 24th-26th)
• Webinar: 8 Ways to Use AI for Year End Fundraising (None of Them are Copywriting) (Tuesday, October 1st at Noon EST)

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Birthdays:

Happiest of birthdays to all of our September birthdays! We are celebrating the Virgos and Libras among us. If you are celebrating a birthday in September, drop a note in the comments and we’ll wish you another happy year around the sun.