5 bbdevdays Sessions to Help You Get More from Blackbaud Enterprise Fundraising CRM™

Erik Leaver

Blackbaud CRM teams are being asked to find new efficiencies in how advancement work gets done and some of the most compelling content at bbdevdays 2026 focused on extending Blackbaud CRM through automation, integrations, analytics, and artificial intelligence.  

Whether you're a CRM administrator, database manager, fundraiser, developer, or advancement operations leader, these five sessions offer practical ideas you can bring back to your organization today. 

1. Using Power Automate with Blackbaud CRM 

For teams looking to reduce repetitive work, this session is a practical starting point. Blackbaud’s Ashley Moose explains how Power Automate can connect Blackbaud CRM with other systems, automate manual and recurring tasks, and support lightweight integration scenarios without always requiring pro-code SDK customization.  

Who should watch: CRM administrators, advancement operations teams, and technical staff looking to automate manual processes using the Microsoft Power Platform. 

2. Automating Gift Entry: A GiveCampus Giving Integration Using SKY API and Power Automate 

Few challenges are more universal than reducing manual gift processing. 

This customer-led session from the Georgia Tech Foundation showcases how GiveCampus transactions can flow into Blackbaud CRM using SKY API and Power Automate. The session reviews how the team handles deposits, department-specific requirements, batch creation, documentation, and delayed PayPal and Venmo gifts. 

Who should watch: Organizations using GiveCampus, advancement operations teams, gift administration staff, and CRM administrators looking to streamline gift processing workflows. 

3. PIM Copilot: Scaling Prospect Intelligence with Generative AI 

Prospect researchers and advancement teams are increasingly exploring how generative AI can augment their work. 

This session shares how the University of Nebraska Foundation and Esgenio built a generative AI copilot to review contact reports, identify categories, suggest next steps, and surface data hygiene recommendations for prospect information managers. Importantly, the session reinforces that AI works best as an accelerator—not a replacement—with workflow, governance, and human review at the center. 

Who should watch: Prospect researchers, prospect development teams, advancement services leaders, and fundraising operations teams exploring AI-assisted workflows. 

4. Building Native AI Experiences with Azure API Foundry 

AI conversations are rapidly moving beyond experimentation and into production. 

This session from the Georgia Tech Foundation demonstrates how AI can be embedded directly into Blackbaud CRM. Examples include AI-generated interaction summaries, conversational access to CRM data, and tools that help gift officers prepare for donor engagement. The session also emphasizes why storing prompts, models, and usage tracking in CRM can support adoption and governance. 

Who should watch: CRM developers, solution architects, and innovation leaders exploring practical AI applications within Blackbaud CRM. 

5. Using Claude to Explore API Integration Development: A GiveCampus to Blackbaud CRM Example 

Modernizing CRM operations also means modernizing how teams build and maintain integrations. If Session #2 showed how a GiveCampus integration can transform gift processing, this session explores how AI can help teams build those integrations faster. 

Using a GiveCampus-to-Blackbaud CRM integration as the primary example, BrightVine demonstrates how Claude can assist developers with API integration development, debugging, code reviews, documentation, GitHub workflows, and testing. Rather than replacing developers, the session shows how AI can reduce the time spent on repetitive tasks and accelerate implementation efforts, allowing teams to focus more on architecture, business requirements, and problem-solving.  

Who should watch: CRM developers, integration specialists, solution architects, and technical teams building or maintaining custom integrations.The Bigger Picture 

Across these sessions, the pattern is clear: Blackbaud CRM teams are not just maintaining systems—they are rethinking how work flows across advancement operations. Automation can reduce manual effort. APIs can connect systems more reliably. AI can summarize, recommend, and accelerate analysis. And thoughtful governance can help teams experiment responsibly while keeping people in control. 

Together, these five bbdevdays sessions offer practical insights for CRM teams ready to modernize—not through abstract trends, but through real examples from organizations building today. 

Want more Blackbaud CRM content from bbdevdays? Visit the SKY Developer YouTube channel for these sessions and many more covering Blackbaud CRM, Power Platform, APIs, data, and developing with AI.