Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT Product Update Briefing: Leave Feedback and Earn a Badge!

Crystal Bruce · November 17

Blackbaud’s Product Update Briefings are coming up November 18-20. These sessions highlight the latest updates and give a sneak peek at what’s coming next, including features based on ideas from our awesome community! Sign up today, watch the briefings, and let us know what you think, what got you excited, or any other thoughts related to Raiser's Edge NXT.

Bonus – if you leave your feedback, you'll snag our exclusive special November challenge badge!

Crystal Bruce · November 17

Excited to read everyone's feedback!

Dan Snyder · November 18

Wow, there was a lot to like from the PUB just now. While I am excited about most of the topics covered, I think the recognition programs was something that is completely new functionality and am very curious to see how it develops.

JoAnn Strommen · November 18

Encouraged to see the work completed. Specifically the 'comment' / source fields are coming!

Josie Rodriguez · November 18

Looking forward to the rolling out of the grid view batch entry feature - this will enable our org to shift the bulk of our gift processing from DBV to Unified View. It is also encouraging to see all that is changing in response to customer feedback!

Marie Stark · November 18

Great to see the updates in gift processing. I think many of us have questions about how export/exporting queries will work.

Joemar Turingan · November 18

Just happy to see that some of the gift batching capabilities you can do in dbv are slowly finding their way into RE NXT.

Carrie Powell · November 18

Our organization is most looking forward to the grid view gift batch entry — as our data entry staff will not switch to the current gift entry available in webview.

I am looking forward to membership management in webview, rather than having to enter gifts and then go to DB view to link those gifts to their memberships manually.

And as @Dan Snyder mentioned, the recognition programs feature is something new that creates possibilities we haven't thought about.

Em Siemonek · November 19

I am particularly interested in the recognitions program. It was concerning to see in the chat that the solicit codes function is disappearing? Can I have a clear answer on that? We rely heavily on solicit codes and have thousands of donors who have several solicit codes attributed. The consent tile does not provide all of he functions we need. If this is going to be the case, there needs to be a way where existing codes determine consent records. If solicit codes can be added when a new consent record is added, surely it can work in reverse after some work has been done to set configuration rules?

Aldera Chisholm · November 19

I think a lot of the announced improvements will alleviate some of the concerns we've been hearing from users. I was a bit concerned with the Solicit Code changes, but they have always been problematic to manage… based on how often I go into a new system and see a constituent with a solicit code of "Mail once per year" (sure, when is that once supposed to be?), or my favourite "Opt in to Newsletter" and also having "Don't send newsletter." :)

Bobby Steurer · November 19

…I don't know, guys. I try to remain positive, but it's difficult for me to get excited about any of this. My takeaway from yesterday was - "Hey, we've decided to listen to feedback. We're pretty much just moving all the database view stuff into web view, with a couple extras sneezed on top." It's taken, like, ten years to pretty much arrive at that? Am I missing something? I appreciate the work of the teams there. I know Blackbaud employees must put up with a ton of stress from the top-down, as well as from customers. But slowly adding in tidbits of what we've already had access to for years with some AI stuff sprinkled in isn't really doing it for me. Not for my staff's needs, and definitely not for the price.

Joe Moretti · November 19

I am with Bobby Steurer, although I am not at that positive level that he is. I was glad to hear they are not taking Database away until everything is in RE NXT, although they never should have removed some of the items from Database in the first place. I hear nothing about Action Tracks or Action Reminders in Database going over to RE NXT, something our organization and I am sure others use. We use both all the time and Action Tracks are used for our Membership and it is crucial for that department. I could care less about AI. I heard nothing about updating systems so you do not have to purchase third party systems, like Power Automate, etc. For the price of Blackbaud software, one should not have to buy a third party product or even pay Blackbaud extra for something like Insight Pro or other items. The whole third party stuff to me is a scam to take more money away from organizations, when Blackbaud should have that type of programs to begin with to make work better.

It seems that RE NXT was NOT built for Database people, the people who actually run the database and provide all the work for fundraiser's etc. It seems Blackbaud built this for fundraisers and those with little database experience.

Aldera Chisholm · November 19

https://community.blackbaud.com/discussion/comment/308778#Comment_308778

I don't personally use Action Tracks, but, I absolutely agree they are vital to many organizations. Workflows just don't cut it there. I do feel that there is a huge reliance on Power Automate, and we are all being pushed to use it to fill in all the gaps, but, PA doesn't have end-points for every piece we need. And, as much as folks say it's easy - it's easy only if you have the time and capacity to dedicate to learning it, which lots of over-burdened operations folks do not have. I'm working hard to cultivate positivity about the whole thing, but that's not always easy to do. I realized yesterday that I can no longer output a full list of all tables, since it was pulled from DBV, and I absolutely rely on that piece for my work in system audits. I don't care about the AI pieces - the only one I would use would be the common language model for being able to ask it to help find the best report etc. But that's a pretty small piece overall.

Suzie Capps · November 19

https://community.blackbaud.com/discussion/comment/308779#Comment_308779

I am in agreement - I'm disappointed to hear that Blackbaud are focussing more on pushing us to purchasing other tools / platforms (e.g., Power Automate and Constant Contact) than on developing their own systems. The fact that there is still no plan to bring the ability to generate and merge letters within NXT NOW is a constant source of disappointment for me and my team.

Also, the development of an AI tool that costs upwards of $40k?! Blackbaud is showing that it no longer works for anything smaller than large US charities. I used to be a huge advocate of RE, but have been feeling less hopeful each update.

Madeleine Holdsworth · November 19

The best new functionalities that I am looking forward to are Grid View Gift Batch, true Gift Batch Templates and Single Row Query (aka database export function)… Finally! That one gets a special applause! I am not excited about AI. I would disable it everywhere I can if I had the choice.

Carlene Johnson · November 19

I always love the PUBs! That said, I really wish the RE one had been 90 minutes instead of 60—there’s just so much to cover. The other PUBs I attended were also 60 minutes, but felt more manageable. I’d rather spend 90 minutes at a steady pace where I can absorb the details, instead of a 60-minute firehose followed by another hour trying to track down answers in the FB group, here in Community, or via email.

Also: if something’s being shared via QR code, please include a direct link in the Resources. I’m watching on my laptop—why would I want to open a form on my phone?

As always, BB could use about 45 more people behind the scenes to field questions, but I thought the team did a great job overall. I’d love to see a Community blog post that recaps the most common questions—it would be a great companion for folks watching the PUB recording without access to the chat.

Bonus shoutouts:
✨ David Springer looked like an angel singing in a choir
✨ @Anthony Gallo had a fantastic background
✨ Thanks to @Sunshine Reinken Watson for coordinating all the PUB Watch Party events over in Facebook —so wonderful to chat and react in real-time with other users!

Melanie Schoeneck · November 19

The PUB was very informative but with a LOT of info in a short amount of time. I'm looking forward to watching the recording to continue to digest the info. That said, I am especially looking forward to grid batch view and the tabs on the constituent profiles which I think will make the info much easier to view.

I think AI can be helpful in analyzing data and suggesting where improvements can be made, but using the AI "agent" to communicate with donors instead of a human fundraiser devalues the authenticity that donors want. It lacks the personal touch which helps our donors feel valued. In many ways, it feels like BB is trying to force us to want AI. Please prioritize the issues we users are actually asking for instead of the "cool stuff."

Suzan Swartzentrover · November 20

There was a lot of information to absorb, so I'm glad these are recorded. I'm curious about the Recognition Programs mentioned - it could be very helpful.

Julie Salzman · November 20

Updates on Online Giving Forms, New Payment Methods you can pay with.

Amy Dana · November 20

I'm really REALLY thankful they're going to be adding monthly updates because these PUBs are So. Much. Info. all at once.

Amber Salvage · November 20

There was so much information from the update, I may have missed this but when will choosing constituent codes be available in gift entry? Also - VERY much looking forward to the redesign of batch, it looks much more data entry friendly. When will the new batch design be available?

While web view visually looks great it is NOT data friendly. Blackbaud needs to keep us database managers in mind with design for easy viewing, entry, and cleanups. There is just too many clicks I need to do to see all the information in certain areas of a record. For example in the Relationships and the Custom Fields sections I cannot see all the information on one page and have to click multiple times to see the information if a constituent has a long list. Plus not being able to view it all together is cumbersome and wastes my time. I still prefer using database view because I can see all the information I need at one time, on one page.

Also in database view I can right click in the relationships, gift, actions, etc part of a constituent record and export a list of that data. I really, really, really need this functionality in web view because I pull relationship information very often for our Comms team and other than having to build queries or take a screen shot, I'm not sure how to do it in web view.

Jack Briggs · November 20

I'm interested in utilising the new export-adjacent functionality of queries, which will help our Comms team. I'm also happy to see online data review for events in the 'coming soon'. However, the chasing of AI agents leaves me cold, as it appears RE is trying to do 'everything everywhere' (understandably so for a business!) while not finishing 'this thing, right here' first. Still, generally positive!

Rhiannon Ashmore · November 20

The PUB announcements left me cautiously optimistic. There are some new features I know will be great assets to my organization, but there are others that could cause pain points for us. Thinking specifically of the gift processors on my team, I believe the addition of grid view batch in web view will be of great help to them, as well as the planned enhancements to gift batching in general. I know they'll also be glad that custom fields will return. For someone like me who spends lots of time in queries, I'm curious to see how the new single row layout in web view affects my workflow and processes. I look forward to using this tool when it launches.

The addition of AI features raises my concerns. Some colleagues in my organization eagerly embrace AI, while others are less enthusiastic. I predict that once Blackbaud releases the AI options, there could be contention as to whether we'd like to opt-in.

On a personal note, I agree with some other users who've commented about the inclusion of AI. I'm wondering if user efficiency is truly the philosophy behind its inclusion. Are AI agents and bots the greatest needs that we as users have right now? I lean towards "no."

Otherwise, I'm interested to see how we can best use web view (and later, unified view) as an organization. As someone primarily responsible for training staff, I'll have my finger on the pulse of new releases and updates so I can help prepare my colleagues accordingly. Generally, I'm hoping for positive changes and outcomes as we forge ahead towards unified view.

Wendy Bondeson · November 21

pay later for pledge, game changer.

Rachel Cavalier · November 21

I am EXTREMELY jazzed about the prospect of Direct Debits coming to webview!!!

Darlene LeVielle · November 21

The Product Update Briefing was helpful. I’m particularly interested in: how does the new Single Row Query (i.e. the database-export style) behave when the Head of Household option is selected? Is it the same behavior? Specifically:

Does it treat the head of household as its own distinct entity in the export row, or does it cascade data into dependent household members?
How are Household-level fields surfaced in that export when “Head of Household” is toggled?
Are there any limitations or caveats around composite or calculated fields when exporting at the household level via this query?

Vincent Catapano · November 21

The Blackbaud AI was something that really has me excited and interested to try. I think it can be a great addition to how we use the program and also a great way to introduce junior staffers and new hires to the NXT experience. Excited to try it out over the coming months and see how it bests suits us as a school and our needs. Obviously as a small school with limited resources I am interested to see how this will be accessible to me and the cost benefits of such a program.

David Springer · November 21

https://community.blackbaud.com/discussion/comment/308897#Comment_308897

Hi Darlene! Our initial approach to Head of Household will be to mimic database view.

I'm cautious about making changes to how fields calculate, because as much as possible I want to make sure people can migrate or rebuild an export in single row query and get the same results.

If we get feedback that Head of Household would be significantly better if we tweaked something, I'm open to doing so, but the default design would be to make it identical.

As far as limitations or caveats, I'd say there are only the same that are in database view. If there ARE limitations/caveats in database view you'd recommend we change or document better, I'm all ears!