🐝 The Buzz: September 2026 Edition!

Crystal Bruce

Welcome to the September edition of The Buzz — your quick roundup of the latest product news, ways to engage, and helpful resources to explore this month. 

Let's go!

🥳 It's bbcon Month — Let's Celebrate! 

This is it — the moment we've all been waiting for!  bbcon 2026 kicks off September 29 in Columbus, OH, bringing together the social impact community to learn, connect, and explore the latest in innovation.​  

📢 JUST IN – bbcon virtual registration is NOW LIVE. If you can’t join us in person – join us online! 

🎤: New in the bbcon community – if you had a chance to ask Leslie Odom, Jr. a question what would you ask him? Your question might end up being asked to him at bbcon on the Mainstage! 

 

Here's your September Monthly Challenge: 

Play bbcon Bingo!  Complete the tasks, fill out the squares, and earn September's badge!  

🌏 Also coming up globally: 

• bbcon Sydney — October 19–20 at Sydney's International Convention Centre (ICC)​  
• bbcon London — Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Early Bird tickets are available through September 9 

 

New Community Look and New Functionality! 

You may have noticed that the Blackbaud Community has a new visual look and some new functionality. 

Comments are now nested and you can change the sort order for replies. Read all about it here. 

We have more new exciting community features coming your way – be sure to follow the Community News blog if you aren’t already! 

 

❓ Can You Help? 

• Have you integrated Almabase with Raiser’s Edge NXT? A member is asking about your experience. Share it here. 
• If you have AcademicWorks and Workday integrations in your K-12 solutions – this member needs your help! 
• This member needs help customizing their push page template. Can you assist? 

 

Social Good Startup Program 2026 Showcase: 

Missed the Social Good Startup Program 2026 Showcase?  

You can now watch it on demand to discover innovative, AI-powered solutions. Explore practical ways to extend your Blackbaud solutions and support the work your team is already doing. 

ICYMI: What's New  

Don't miss the latest product updates this month!   

Raiser’s Edge NXT:   

• What's New in Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT® — September 8, 2026  

Blackbaud Grantmaking™ 

• The Grantmaking Post 

Blackbaud’s Education Management Solutions:   

• Blackbaud's Education Management Solutions for K-12 Schools: What’s New for September 9, 2026 
• Blackbaud's Education Management Solutions for Higher Education: What’s New for September 9, 2026  

Blackbaud Financial Edge NXT:  

• The Financial Post  

Blackbaud CRM:  

• Manage Customizations Easier Using Blackbaud Cloud Portal 

Blackbaud Luminate Online and Blackbaud TeamRaiser:  

• Run Better TeamRaiser Events 

 

Featured Content:  

Don't miss out on these great resources!   

Raiser’s Edge NXT:  

• The Transition to a Single Web View Experience  
• Introducing Tabs (Join the EAP) 
• Roadmap to Readiness Town Halls 

Blackbaud Altru:  

• Best Practices for Auto-Renewals in Blackbaud Altru® 

ENGAGE:  

• Straight from the Source: How You’re Bridging the AI Effectiveness Gap  
• How to Double Your Net-New Major Gift Pipeline in a Month  
• Online Donation Form Best Practices for Nonprofits 

ResearchPoint: 

• Setting Up a Template Query in Raiser’s Edge NXT for ResearchPoint 

SKY Developer: 

• The Future Is Being Built Now: Key Trends from bbdevdays 2026 - Blackbaud Community 

📅 Events:  

Don’t miss these opportunities to connect and learn!     

SKY Developer:  

• Microsoft Power Automate User Group (September 15)  

Blackbaud Grantmaking:  

• From Intake to Impact: A Product Walkthrough of Blackbaud Grantmaking (September 23)  

ResearchPoint: 

• ResearchPoint Product Tour: Unified Approach to Donor Qualification (September 17) 

Blackbaud Luminate Online and TeamRaiser:   

• Run Better TeamRaiser Events: Proven Ways to Streamline Event-Day Operations (September 15)  

Blackbaud Altru:   

• Maximizing Membership Revenue: Best Practices for Auto Renewals (September 23) 

Blackbaud Agents for Good:   

• AI in Philanthropy: Separating Myth from Reality (September 24) 

 

🏅 Community Kudos 

Let's celebrate the amazing community members sharing knowledge and keeping the conversations going! 🎉 

KUDOS to All-Star Audrey Kidwell for her Engage blog: How Fiscal Sponsorship Helps Disaster Recovery. 

A huge shoutout to top contributors in August – Alex Wong for the most posts (replies & discussions started) and Elizabeth Johnson for the most reactions given with 132 and Miki Martin with 73.  

Thank you to everyone who answers questions, posts discussions, and reacts to comments – it all helps keep our community thriving and lively! 💙 

 

🎂 Birthdays 

September is Virgo season wrapping up and Libra season kicking off — if you're celebrating a birthday this month, drop it in the comments below so we can shower you with birthday love! 🎂🎉