Chat for Blackbaud AI Is Now Available to All in Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT®

Kathryn Hall

We’re happy to share that Chat for Blackbaud AI is now generally available to all Raiser’s Edge NXT customers.  

Thoughtful research and hundreds of conversations with Raiser’s Edge NXT users at all levels informed this approach to incorporating AI into the product. Initial capabilities are designed to serve fundraisers—making it easier to interact with the database and learn more about prospects, draft communications based on donor histories, and save time on everyday tasks. 

We know not everyone wants to use AI, we also know we owe it to you to explore the possibilities inherent in this powerful new technology and begin to incorporate it into the product in ways that accelerate results for you. With this initial release, Chat for Blackbaud AI brings conversational AI assistance directly into your fundraising workflows, introducing new ways of working with your database.  

Chat for Blackbaud AI can help you with basic tasks—at this time, you can: 

• Ask questions in plain language to quickly surface details about constituents, gifts, and fundraising activity. 
• Draft and refine donor communications without leaving the record you’re working in. 
• Save time on everyday tasks, freeing you to focus on relationship building and mission-focused work. 

As we evolve this feature, for some it will help optimize fundraising strategies based on performance analysis, quickly perform repetitive tasks like building a cultivation plan for a major gift prospect, and more. 

How do I get started?  

Learn more about Chat capabilities, how to access it, and get prompting tips in the Chat for Blackbaud AI Quick Start Guide. 

What is the roadmap for Chat?  

Attend the InsideTrack: Chat for Blackbaud AI session to learn more about how we conceived and developed Chat and hear our roadmap for further development.  

Enabling Chat for Blackbaud AI for your organization 

If your organization is new to using a generative AI feature like Chat within your Raiser’s Edge NXT, an org admin will need to enable Blackbaud AI features in the global admin panel. You may need to take additional steps within your solutions regarding AI roles and settings as well as specific feature usage. Use this help documentation to learn more.   

If your organization was using a gen AI capability within Raiser’s Edge NXT (like AI Acknowledgments) prior to Jan. 7, 2026, then Blackbaud AI features will already be enabled for your organization to ensure there is no disruption of your continued use.    

A note on data privacy and security 

Chat for Blackbaud AI works within your existing permissions and does not use your organization’s data to train the underlying model. It retrieves information from your Raiser’s Edge NXT environment based on your security settings, keeping your data safe and private.  

We want to hear from you! 

As you begin using Chat for Blackbaud AI, use the “thumbs up” and “thumbs down” buttons within the Chat window to send feedback directly to the development team. Your feedback helps us refine and expand its capabilities as we optimize the use of this new technology for your needs. 

Welcome to a new way of interacting with Raiser’s Edge NXT—thanks for joining us on this journey.