Development Agent Now Available for Raiser’s Edge NXT® Customers in the U.S.

Amelia Helm

Many of you have heard about Agents for Good™. We’re happy to announce that customers across the United States now have the option to add a Development Agent to their team—an AI colleague that works right alongside you within Raiser’s Edge NXT.

What is a Development Agent? 

A Development Agent is a new, digital member of your fundraising team working right inside Raiser’s Edge NXT. It’s designed to augment your team, supporting one-to-one engagement with donors that warrant more than an automated campaign. Think of it as an AI-powered colleague who shows up every day (and night) to work on the goals you set for them.

Why an Agent?

For many organizations, only your top 1-3% of donors receive truly personalized outreach from an assigned gift officer because your team is already navigating critical fundraising priorities. Adding dozens more gift officers to assign even your top 10% of donors, who can often give over $1,000 in a year, just isn’t financially or logistically feasible.

Using agentic AI, a Development Agent can add capacity to personally and specifically reach that next tier of supporters—your future major and principal donors—to expand your organization’s connection and engagement with these important donors. This agent can learn the donors assigned to them as well as your organization and brand style and then reach out across email and text messages to have responsive exchanges. These are real back-and-forth conversations, rather than just deeply segmented, scheduled email campaigns. Even if you have thousands of prospects and donors, with a Development Agent added to your existing team of fundraisers, you can scale your individualized outreach.    

Like all AI capabilities in Raiser’s Edge NXT, Development Agent is designed to be convenient, powerful, and responsible. You are the fundraising expert and manager of the agent, and you’re always in the loop and in control by design. 

Learning Together: AI, Agents, and Responsible Use 

As AI becomes more common across the sector, many organizations are thinking through similar questions: 

• Where does AI meaningfully help fundraising teams today? 
• How do you apply AI responsibly while maintaining donor trust? 
• What does “agentic” AI actually look like in practice? 

To support these conversations, Blackbaud is hosting the Agents for Good: AI for Impact Webinar Series. This series is designed to be both educational and practical, with space to explore real scenarios, ethical considerations, and lessons learned—without assuming a one-size-fits-all approach. 

Topics across the series include: 

• Practical applications of agentic AI in fundraising 
• Change management for organizations in the AI era 
• How agent-based experiences can support, not replace, human judgment 

If you’re considering bringing on a Development Agent or simply curious about where AI is headed in the social impact sector, these sessions are a helpful way to learn alongside peers. 

You can view the webinar series and upcoming sessions here: AI for Impact Webinar Series.

What to Do Next 

There’s no required next step—just options, depending on where you are: 

• Join a webinar session that aligns with your interests   
• Explore Development Agent resources on Blackbaud.com or attend our next Development Agent product walkthrough  
• Share questions or experiences here in the Raiser’s Edge NXT community 

As more organizations choose to expand their teams with a Development Agent—and as availability expands internationally—we’ll continue to learn from your feedback and experiences. 

Thanks for being part of the Raiser’s Edge NXT community and for engaging thoughtfully as AI continues to evolve in fundraising.