Blackbaud University: The Benefits of a Well-Trained Team

Mary Jones

It all starts with teamwork… many bird species, such as geese, fly in V-shaped formations to reduce air resistance and conserve energy, allowing the flock to travel long distances more efficiently. Similarly, when your staff is well-trained through Blackbaud University courses, they build strong foundational knowledge that can lead to improved workflows and long-term mission efficiency. Let's discuss how these courses can benefit your organization!

Blackbaud University courses are designed to help organizations like yours save time and increase efficiencies by building on foundational expertise and best practices. Here are some ways our courses can benefit your organization:

• Time-Saving Tips and Tricks: Our expert instructors teach practical, time-saving techniques for using Blackbaud products effectively. This can help your staff complete tasks more quickly and accurately, freeing up time for other important activities. Our new Trending Topics section offers bite size, short classes that anyone can fit into their daily schedule.

• Comprehensive Full-Solution Training: Our courses cover a wide variety of topics in both on-demand and instructor-led formats to meet any learner's needs. This ensures that all staff members, regardless of their experience level, can gain the knowledge they need to perform their roles efficiently.

• Organizational Best Practices: We also offer Organizational Best Practices, product-agnostic courses that provide insights and facilitate conversations with your peers around topics. These courses cover areas such as fundraising, marketing, and overall organizational efficiency, helping your team apply industry best practices to your operations.

• Increased Productivity: By equipping your staff with the skills and knowledge to use their Blackbaud products effectively, you can streamline processes and increase overall productivity. This leads to more efficient operations, less errors, and better outcomes for your organization.

• Professional Development and Certification: Blackbaud University offers certification programs that validate your staff's expertise and commitment to excellence. Achieving certification can boost your team's confidence and credibility, further enhancing their performance and your organization's reputation.

• Fundraising Benefits: Our training can significantly boost fundraising efforts, with some organizations reporting up to a 15% increase in funds raised and improved donor retention of up to 7%.

Training your staff through Blackbaud University can also significantly reduce the number of support tickets they open. Here are a few reasons why:

• Increased Proficiency: Trained staff are more proficient in using the software, which means they can solve problems on their own without needing to contact support.

• Better Understanding of Features: With a thorough understanding of product features, your team can navigate the system more effectively and avoid common issues. One example of this is data hygiene. Our instructors teach strong data hygiene principles so your users will learn how to best handle your data, in a uniform way, leading to improved data quality overall, and less reliance on Support.

• Confidence in Troubleshooting: Our training will equip your staff with crucial troubleshooting skills, enabling them to resolve minor issues independently and assist their colleagues and team.

• Access to Resources: Trained staff are more likely to know where to find help within the product's documentation or community forums, further reducing the need to open support tickets.

Don’t have a Learn subscription but want to get a jump start on training? Head to the Product Catalog page in BlackbaudU Campus, choose your product, and click the Trending Topics tile in the top right corner (available for most products). These bite-sized on-demand courses are available to anyone with a BBID and updated frequently to ensure you stay lockstep with new features and product functionality.

If you’ve already invested in a Learn subscription, you’ll also have unlimited access to our full catalog for all the users at your organization. Including:

• Virtual Instructor-Led Training: Live, interactive sessions led by expert instructors with practice databases and real-life scenarios.

• Premium On-Demand Training: Flexible, self-paced courses that you can take anytime.

• Certification Exams: Allow your users to validate their product knowledge through our certification exams.

• Organizational Best Practices: Training on industry best practices to optimize your operations

• Microsoft Product Support: Training for Microsoft products to support your social good efforts.

Whether you have a Learn subscription or are just utilizing Trending Topics, Blackbaud University can greatly improve your users’ efficiency and effectiveness in your Blackbaud solutions. Taking the time to invest in these courses now will help build a knowledgeable, efficient and cohesive team, empowered to grow in knowledge together. Get started by visiting BlackbaudU Campus!



If you’d like more information on Blackbaud University courses and subscriptions be sure to join us for a very special Ask an All-Star session with All-Star Elizabeth Johnson. She took 42 courses in 2024! She's ready to answer your questions about courses, certifications, and the importance of staying up to date with your product! Elizabeth's Ask an All-Star will be March 18th-20th in the Blackbaud Community.