Sharpen Your Tools

Becca Rosin

A group of kindergartners were asked to think of all the possible uses of a paperclip. A group of adults were asked the same question. Combined, the kindergartners came up with 250 different uses for a paperclip. The adults collectively only came up with five. The adults were so used to using a paperclip for specific purposes that they overlooked the possibilities and potential of a simple piece of curved wire.

It’s easy to underestimate tools that we use every day, from something as ordinary as a paperclip to something as complex as software. However, underusing a tool limits possibility and can hamper efficiency and success.
That’s why our newest Raiser’s Edge NXT course, Selecting the Right Tool for the Right Job is especially vital. Raiser’s Edge NXT has excellent grouping, communication, and reporting tools, and each tool has its own specific function. However, the possibilities of what these tools can do together are tenfold.

The Query tool in database view is a perfect example of versatility. Its main purpose is to group records, but did you know that Query also helps specify reports, create personalized dashboards, and send out targeted mail? Query is also a huge timesaver—saving queries can shave minutes or even hours off tasks like issuing event reminders or preparing for an organization-wide audit.  

Maybe you’re wondering, “what else can Raiser’s Edge NXT tools help me do?”

Selecting the Right Tool for the Right Job will answer that question and more. This course refamiliarizes you with the basic premises of the tools within Raiser’s Edge NXT and also takes you through unique, real-world simulations where you can discover how these tools complement one another to help expedite certain functions. It’s a great class for those who have some background knowledge, as well as for those with advanced understanding of the software. You may be reminded of something the software tools can do, learn something totally new, or both. Either way, after completing this course, you’ll see these tools with the pure, unadulterated vision of a kindergartner: full of limitless potential. 

This course is included with your Blackbaud University Learn More subscription. Not a subscriber? Chat with us now!