Blackbaud Fundraiser Performance Management vs. Bonterra Network for Good

I think there are better charitable relationship management platforms out there. BFPM serves a purpose, but it is an incomplete product for the hefty price tag it comes with. Certain aspects are billed as proprietary, like the MG EVI ratings, but they are inconsistent and often incorrect. BFPM has barely been updated in the decade I have been a user, which leads me to believe that the Blackbaud team is not innovating or devoting resources to enhancing/improving this product. It could stand a refresh to bring the entire product into the year 2022.

Incentivized

We have a small team leading our international nonprofit. Bonterra Network for Good allows us to keep track of our donations quickly and easily, including private donors, larger donor-advised funds, foundations and grants, and easily designate the donation to different campaigns or sub-categories within our organization. The platform syncs well with Quickbooks and we rarely have issues. The issues we do have are always around pulling reports. The platform does not make it easy to pull a quick report, even with suggested filters provided.

Incentivized

• User-friendly interface
• Accessible from anywhere
• Multi-level search and query functions
• Streamlined prospect data pages

Incentivized

• The donation software is very user friendly to add donations to.
• The report section is very easy to use and to run what you need.
• The contact portion is extremely user friendly and is easy to keep track of donors, what they've paid and communication to them.

Incentivized

• "MG EVI" scores are a sham
• Doesn't seamlessly translate over to Banner in certain areas
• Clunky 'new tab' functionality quickly floods entire browser window.

Incentivized

• In exporting reports, it would be helpful to have a "select all" option so you can easily select everything without having to manually click each one.
• In exporting reports, it may be helpful to have the option of saving various options for different needs so you don't have to manually click or unclick each choice every time, as you can currently only save one type.
• It would be helpful to be able to change an event/ticket information after it has already gone live for sales as we recently had an issue with this.

Incentivized

We are still learning and rebuilding our nonprofit using this platform, so this year is a trial run to see how we can increase our network and our donations. So long as we are able to see a significant return on investment in terms of donations received through the platform, we will renew for next year.

Incentivized

There is no perfect all-in-one product that works for every organization. We enjoyed using Network for Good. I am giving it a 9 because the cost was out of our range, and the peer-to-peer options (at the time) were limited. We were not able to make it work for our peer-to-peer event. We also weren't thrilled with the online forms. However, the donation pages, donor profiles, and communication tools were excellent.

Incentivized

In 5+ years we have never had an issue with it not working when we needed it to. It is very reliable and doesn't seem to have a lot of bugs or interruptions in service.

Incentivized

It is always fast for us and reports have a very quick upload time. We don't integrate it into other programs so I'm not 100% sure about that, but it always works when we use it and is very reliable. Even when we run Excel files for complete information on donors, it always works very fast.

Incentivized

Most of the time they are quick and friendly and help me resolve any issues. There have only been a couple of times that we couldn't find a resolution and I was just told that NFG didn't have that capability.

Incentivized

We only had one hiccup with the domain that was an issue on our end but NFG struggled to help us. It was finally resolved and we've been good ever since

Incentivized

BFPM has the advantage because it is designed to be user-facing and user-friendly. It is a simple website to learn to use and navigate, but that does not mean it is flawless. It helps me and my colleagues engage with the database in a more straightforward manner, without having to learn and remember various codes and queries.

Incentivized

We used Little Green Light for several years at a previous employer. LGL did not have the extensive integration capabilities or the level of sophistication that BGF has in terms of email, video, donor campaign pages, and exceptional customer support. For these reasons, we chose to go with BGF instead of LGL.

Incentivized

We are happy with all of the options

Incentivized

It works for the departments we need it in, finance, administration and fundraising and marketing. It does everything we need.

Incentivized

• MG EVI is not the end-all-be-all it was sold as
• Still requires use of Banner for certain info
• Helps streamline data entry by allowing gift officers to enter their own contacts.

Incentivized

• Minimized the resources necessary to run an online presence. For instance, one moderately tech-savvy person can handle it.
• Provides a pathway to increase the number of events the organization can manage.
• By being part of a larger group of non-profits that utilize Network For The Good, we receive additional assistance and ideas from related organizations.

Incentivized