Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT Reviews

Pros

This is definitely a nice product that does everything that it promises, and helps us keep track of all of our donors.

Cons

The price point is high for what you are getting, and customer support for this product is extremely poor at best.

Pros

What I love about RE NXT is that it helps to visualize graphs, such as donor patterns and key financial data, automatically. You no longer have to have endless queries and exports and dashboards to access the data you want the most. This helps facilitate staff meeting discussions, and also keeps all team members informed on the fly. Secondly, the prospect profiles for managers. Gone are the days of exporting travel profiles in plain text. Now a PM can login from the road to see all the details they need in a useful manner -- and what's even better? They can change how the data is displayed so that it is personalized to them. It is clean, well constructed, and yet also flexible enough to be able to dig deeper with a couple of clicks. And if they need to find a new person to visit in their area, the map tools are perfect. Highly recommended for offices with lots of traveling teammates.

Cons

As with both versions of RE, you only get out what you put into it. You need to make sure you have the right policies and procedures in place, for example, to make sure that certain fields in actions are required. You'll also need to work with your team to make sure they understand the updated language from the database view to the NXT view. For example, proposals and opportunities are the same thing. This is a bit of a challenge in offices where the NXT vs. database team may not interact that much and will be speaking slightly different languages about this software. It is not a deal-breaker, just a trainable moment.

Pros

It's good Blackbaud realized that it needed to build in the classic version ("database view") of the old Raisers Edge into its NXT cloud version of the product. The old RE remains one of the best donor-, events-, membership-management software packages around. I've been using since 1997, and Raisers Edge integrates perfectly with Financial Edge.

Cons

As I mentioned, the cloud version of the software ("web view," or what you land on as soon as you click into Blackbaud.com and sign on) is weak. Adding to the frustration is that it looks completely different from the old version of the software. The worst thing about the cloud version is that a lot of the functionality in the old version has yet to show up in the web version, although Blackbaud keeps promising that future updates will contain familiar functions. In the middle of all this frustration is that Blackbaud's customer service, once the gold standard for what any customer service should be when paying this much for a product, has changed dramatically to customer service sometimes helping directly as they always did in the past, to customer service sending you Knowledgebase links for you, the customer, to figure out things yourself.

Pros

Integration with onsite systems made it easy to use.

Cons

Hard to train other users on how to use with our systems.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Choosing Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT

Reasons for Switching to Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT

Pros

The RE NXT product is easier to use than the database view. You can customize work tiles to easily access your work. Creating List is easier to do than queries. Just starting to create workflows. It looks like it has real potential to prompt actions.

Cons

Not all aspects are available in RE NXT. I still need to go to the database view to enter information. Customer service is extremely difficult to get in a timely manner. Chat agents can be abrasive at times. Would help if instructions contained some troubleshooting. Difficult to get real time examples outside of classes, which are not always scheduled when you need them.

Pros

It's easy to learn and intuitive, and has decent reporting functionality

Cons

Unfortunately it doesn't do the trick for larger nonprofits- it's limited in it's functioning capabilities, and the API's aren't up to industry standard.

Pros

I love web-based software that gives more freedom in filtering and report setup. I get to decide what columns I do and don't want to see. RE NXT makes searching so much easier than the desktop software, as there are fewer steps to take for searching. It's intuitive in the search box, and you don't have to enter in all information to get a list of possible answers.

Cons

The pages are aesthetically bland. I wish the categories inside a search result were differently colored to quickly navigate where one category ends and another begins.

Pros

Raiser's Edge NXT is fairly intuitive and does offer some good options for reporting.

Cons

Raiser's Edge NXT has a lot to offer but it is expensive and there are a few features that are not available, such as reports that can't be pulled. I think that they should offer more one-one-one or group training as a part of a contract, as their other training is quite expensive.

Pros

Data entry is easy and reports are dependable. Versatility in the type of information that can be stored in each constituent record.

Cons

the software programmers I know say the set up is very 'old school.' I use batches a lot in RE - and the setting up of each is not as intuitive as some software programs out there.

Pros

The history of the donors is what is most useful. Raiser's Edge has been around for so long and we have such a long history with it that the historical data is priceless.

Cons

Because we have such a long history and so much historical data with RE, we can not really shop around for new products without the risk of losing data or enduring a massive implementation process.

Pros

The interface is a lot friendlier to the average user than the database view, making it easier to use for our employees that don't like working in databases as much. It also introduced certain features that were missing from the main database, which added some new tools to manage data and keep our information clean. The analytics is my favorite addition; while some dashboard tools exist in Raiser's Edge, in NXT they are fully thought out and allow for excellent reporting and visual depictions of our progress.

Cons

It's still an in-development product, so while this could be great for some organizations it's not at the point where it's great for all organizations. Despite the fact that it's user-friendly and many of our staff members prefer to use it, the lack of certain features from the main database make it hard for them to convert completely, and they feel that switching between the two views of the same system is a hassle. While it's understandable that the extra add-ons would take a back seat to the development of the main features, with our membership module missing it does make it hard for our organization to shift most of our staff over to it from the main database view. There are also some things that don't synchronize properly between the two systems yet, which sometimes makes database maintenance feel like we're checking in two different databases for information.

Pros

I believe Raiser's Edge allows you to track a lot of informaiton in its constituent-relationship database and I like that it has products which it speaks to easily, i.e. a financial product (Financial Edge) and an Internet option (NetCommunity.) I enjoy having the subscription that we have which allows us access to unlimited online and phone questions/issues and also unlimited online training. Very pricey, but worth it, because of the complexity of the system. Blackbaud makes a habit of buying out a lot of their competitors which makes them "the only game in town" in some aspects, but also allows them to take the best of their competitors products and incorporate them into Raiser's Edge, etc. I am most excited about their new product launching July 1, 2015 called RE NXT. This is a cloud based application which will be a great asset to any non-profit focused on major and principal gifts. The only caveat at this point is that non-profit has to have its RE environment hosted by Blackbaud in order to purchase this product.

Cons

The customer service leaves a lot to be desired. They often do not get back to us when we have issues with RE; they seem to focus most of their customer service toward "hosted" clients (and we are not hosted at the present time); we still have cases open with them and unresolved since November 2014 (and this is now April 2015); they do not exude the "customer is always right" attitude and they are a very expensive product. Also be careful with their pricing, different customers pay different costs for the same service/products. There also seems to be a lot of hidden costs when purchasing new products or modules from Blackbaud for the RE so make sure that you delve into that with your customer representative if you are looking to purchase anything from them.

Pros

The Raiser's Edge database was very outdated however with the addition of NXT it's now very visually appealing and user-friendly. They took the old database look and revamped it to include charts, recommendations for donor cultivation and alerts daily referencing which donors to reach out to. It's very mobile friendly and great for major giving officers so they could make notes and assign tasks to their team while on the road. You could easily look up donor records and it's all accessible from Blackbaud.com so you don't need to download an app. It's good to have when on meetings and if you have to be an exhibitor for your Foundation and quickly look up donor records.

Cons

NXT shows consecutive donor years at the top of each profile however the years are not always accurate with the years in Raiser's database. Sometimes the years are way off. Also, they should make it easier to view outstanding pledges in NXT. NXT is a bit pricey however worth the cost and your return on investment is improved as it notifies you when you have major giving prospects to reach out to.

Pros

The ease of use which makes training co-workers much quicker and more easily understandable. The various modules make database management more effective (specifically EVENTS).

Cons

My biggest complaint with Blackbaud is customer service. Prior to the new procedures, I was able to call and speak to a human being and explain my issue. Currently, I can only get a CSR via CHAT, and that is only if someone is available at that time. Even during times where someone is supposed to be available, I frequently receive a message to try again later. When I CAN get a chat session, I find the CSRs are not as knowledgeable as they should be. I also find the CSRs have a hard time comprehending exactly what I'm asking and usually give up and find another way to get the information. In addition, while the standard reports typically give me the information I need, there are some that are sorely lacking and we are presently not in a position to create new ones (time and resources limitations) so we will piece together numerous reports.

Pros

My biggest likes for the Raiser's Edge are the various modules: Events, Membership and Online Express. I can organize the information and pull it back out in queries so easily. The canned reporting is not bad either. They pretty much have every kind of basic report you could need. You can pull some pretty decent reports that track actions, solicitors, giving and profiles. The key is making sure your data is clean and organized.

Speaking of which, Raiser's Edge has done a great job of improving it's data clean up functions. They have improved duplicate removals. They have added e-mail and phone clean ups. And they are always on top of making sure their clients are heard (even if it takes them a little while to deliver).

Cons

The reports have aged out at this point in the desktop version (non-cloud). Development departments are looking for different ways to report their money and we are now depending on Crystal Reports to constantly fill that void. I wished the reports were more malleable and you could really build out the layouts to accommodate what staff wants to see. The biggest thing I hear in terms of complaints from my staff are the number of clicks to get a process done, whether entering an event on a record to recording a membership. Sure we can set up default settings for many of the procedures, but there is still that need sometimes to have to go through and enter manually.

Pros

Visuals is based on permission and search button on the top of the browser is useful. Tiles are collapsible and dashboard is easy to view. Comparing to the database view, opening a new browser tab is useful when doing some comparisons between screens. Data Health (Deceased/Email/Duplicate Finder) is a great feature in web view. We use it all the time. The availability of ResearchPoint on dashboard is great feature for prospect management team.

Cons

RE NXT is a web view that is not as fully integrated as the database view. List, import and reporting are not adequate as the database view. Although SKI API is available, not all of the data point in database is available.

Pros

Logging in is simple - you can do it from a browser. With NXT, there are unlimited licenses so you can have virtually "unlimited" logins. The OLX emails are more reliable than the old NetCommunity. Has decent analytics and reporting (for donations only).

Cons

The NXT web view has a nice layout but is completely useless for membership. In order to do data entry, you still need to use database view. NXT is very expensive and not worth it just for a fancy view. There were lots of features that we had been promised and we were also told that things were being updated constantly and that we should see more functionality coming very quickly. This has not been the case. Training is expensive and knowledgebase articles can be outdated. Anyone seeking a membership management software or association management should research all options before moving to RE.

Pros

The software is great for constituent management and tracking donors and gifts for non profits.

Cons

The vendor fees are extremely high. Once you commit to their software, they have you. It is near impossible to leave. They used to have great customer support. Their staff was always knowledgeable and willing to go the extra mile to help you with their product. Now you never hear from your account executive unless you contact them and then they pass you off to one of their assistants. Their assistants push you into buying products you do not need and then when you do purchase a product from them and sign the agreement to purchase, you cannot get answers. We purchased an add on module, we contacted them and we were passed to the assistant to our account executive. The assistant got the paperwork signed and it has been over a month and the add on product has still not been activated in our database. I have emailed and called the account executive assistant because we cannot talk to the account executive, i have talked to customer support and have been passed around. This is not the first time I have had this SAME experience from the new Blackbaud. New leadership appears to be clueless to the horrible experiences from their staff.

Pros

The data is well organized, easy to pull, and easy to export. Although this is the only major database software I have used personally, I have heard multiple comments from others that Raiser's Edge is so much easier and more efficient than other software types on the market. Our organization has been using Raiser's Edge for over 15 years, and we are well pleased with its capabilities and performance.

This software manages everything fundraising related - donor profiles, biological data, giving history, mailing histories, event attendance and seating, EFT and automated credit card transactions, memberships, to-do tasks, alumni information, online giving forms and email blasts (with the optional Online Express module), etc. BlackBaud has an easy-to-access support system if you need help, as well as training, blogs, free webinars and videos so that beginners can easily learn the system.

Cons

BlackBaud is a little over-priced on some of its data cleansing services, like EmailFinder and Deceased People Finder. We often get the same service for much cheaper through our mailing house vendors.

Pros

Ease of use, layout, look...Blackbaud did a great job thinking of the front line fundraisers' busy schedule. It is great to use on the go or in the office.

Cons

Not all functionality in the database view hasn't been implemented yet it in the webview. For my position, the webview isn't quite ready. However, due to the limitations, pulling certain lists and other functionalities within actions - it can be hard to train users (you think the functionality is there, but it hasn't been implemented yet).

Pros

The modern interface is intuitive, robust and incredibly mobile-responsive. The reporting options are great for CEOs, board members, and Development departments. The 360-degree view of each constituent is insightful and helpful. Love the ability to log in from anywhere with no additional downloads needed. Real-time constituent updates keep everyone in the loop. Blackbaud is continuing to develop and push out additional features that will make this more and more useful and relevant.

Cons

Honestly, for what I use it for, it's hard to find anything missing that Blackbaud isn't addressing and planning for future releases.

Pros

- So many features, reports, queries, and fields.
- Highly customizable.
- Basic functions are fairly intuitive and easy-to-use.
- Scalable, with lots of optional add-on features.

Cons

- Complex. If you want to "go deep" with this software, be prepared to invest a lot of time into the process.
- Very expensive, and pricing is not dependent upon things like constituent counts (like marketing automation software is doing).

Pros

For years our front line fundraisers were complaining about not having easy access to information on the road, but with NXT they are now able to login with their existing Google credentials and are off. As the database manager, there is no more looking up a prospect's address or phone number or resetting forgotten passwords. The work center also puts answers about a gift officer's portfolio right in front of them.

Cons

Not all of the information from classic RE has been transferred over to NXT yet and some of the cool features (time in stage, consecutive years given) are not exportable. Additionally, there is not the level of customization many organizations need to report on areas like giving.

Pros

Really powerful donor management software for large organizations or organizations that want lots of customization and add-ons such as wealth screening.

Cons

For a small non-profit, it is overkill. It's expensive and we didn't need much of what it offered. When we did need something that was different than their base offering, it would have been cost prohibitive for them to implement it for us. Their support isn't great, long waits and not super nice staff.

Pros

It provides a comprehensive, detailed account of all interactions, donations, and potential contacts among our donor base. Whenever I've had to call customer support, they have been incredibly knowledgeable and friendly, and typically have gotten to the bottom of whatever issue I'm having.

Cons

There are SO many functions and features that it is hard to utilize them successfully at any given time. Reports can be complicated to produce, and creating queries to generate the specific sets of donor groups you are looking for is difficult at best.