Q2 2024 Product Update Briefings: Leave Feedback & Earn a Badge!

@Crystal Bruce Can't seem to find the Cash disbursement Journal -Prepayment Report in FE NXT. We use it to run the list of check numbers we will need so that they can be signed off by the Dir Of Finance and our CEO. I can run in database view but when try to run something similar in FE NXT it says nothing exists. Help!

@Crystal Bruce Very happy to see Admin View coming to Expense Management! And Report Scheduler!

@Crystal Bruce I was very discouraged by the FENXT presentation. I found the lack of transparency troubling, but, sadly, not surprising based on what I have seen in previous webinars, townhalls, etc. on FENXT. The chat feature was turned off (or at least it was for me) and I could only see the Q&A questions that I posted. Both of these features worked openly for other PUBs that I attended. When I asked about it in the Q&A to see if there was a problem on my end, the question was never responded to. This made it strange when the speakers referred to the chat or Q&A since there was no way to see what they were talking about. Another point of deep concern is that they are planning on ending database view at the end of the year. End of year is a very busy time and to do something as major as completely turning off database view at that particular time gives the impression that Blackbaud does not care about the impact it has on users, especially since it sounds like they will be adding features right up until the end (meaning that those features will have to be vetted/learned/adopted by users in a very short time). What is also strange is that I believe it would be during the code freeze period at the end of the year (unless that is for RE only). Leaving it on longer would at least provide a fallback in case something were to go wrong while users are trying to complete year-end tasks.

My accounting users have been consistently stuck between the pressures/needs of their daily tasks (reporting, reconciliation, etc.) and needing to try to carve out time to learn about the new features in web view. They have little time to sit down to try to figure out what works or doesn't work for them in a given feature when it is released and making time isn't always an option depending on what comes up on a daily basis. It is not that they do not want to learn web view, it is that they haven't been able to make time to engage in the trial and error that goes along with adopting a new process because they need to complete many tasks accurately and consistently any given day. These realities faced by users are what seems to have been lost on Blackbaud in this entire process and made it an alienating and frustrating experience.

The impression I left the PUB with was a continuation of what I have gotten from all of the other FE presentations: being told what I feel about FENXT instead of being heard/listened to.

@Heather Johnson Thank you very much for reaching out! I would be grateful for the opportunity to talk further about this. I have some colleagues who I would like to include since they have been involved in different capacities than I have and could speak better to their experiences. Would that be ok and what would be the best way to connect? Thank you again!

@Noah Wilson Amen! I listened to the presentation too (as I always do when they give these updates) and continue to be frustrated by the hubris of Blackbaud telling us how lucky we are to have them looking out for our interests when they don't give me an easy way to tell them what my interests are (I have to call or chat with someone to start a support case - not customer-centric). I like the direction of getting away from database view (they've needed that ever since I started using FE in 2015) but I'm concerned since queries are still view/run-only (can't create or edit) in NXT.

@Heather Johnson @Crystal Bruce
Just following up again to see what the best way to coordinate would be for the meeting you suggested.