Pros and Cons of Raiser's Edge
We use Raiser's Edge to track donors, alumni, parents, and all constituents with a relationship to our school. It's used to record gifts, …
Overview
Recent Reviews
Awards
Products that are considered exceptional by their customers based on a variety of criteria win TrustRadius awards. Learn more about the types of TrustRadius awards to make the best purchase decision. More about TrustRadius Awards
Pricing
Entry-level set up fee?
- No setup fee
Offerings
- Free Trial
- Free/Freemium Version
- Premium Consulting/Integration Services
Would you like us to let the vendor know that you want pricing?
24 people also want pricing
Alternatives Pricing
What is DonorPerfect?
DonorPerfect is a fundraising software solution, used by fundraisers to manage gifts, donor relationships, communications, receipting, and other initiatives from a single system. DonorPerfect supports monthly giving success. Dashboard analytics and reporting provide insight into what drives…
What is Bloomerang?
Bloomerang is a cloud-based donor management platform that is designed to help nonprofit organizations to reach, engage and retain the advocates they depend on to achieve their vision for a better world. The vendor says their donor management application is rooted in principles of philanthropy;…
Product Demos
Salesforce for Nonprofits: Migrating From Raiser’s Edge to Salesforce
YouTube
How to install Raiser's Edge tools
YouTube
Product Details
- About
- Tech Details
What is Raiser's Edge?
Raiser's Edge Technical Details
| Operating Systems | Unspecified |
|---|---|
| Mobile Application | No |
Comparisons
Compare with
Reviews and Ratings
(213)Attribute Ratings
Reviews
(1-3 of 3)Companies can't remove reviews or game the system. Here's why
July 08, 2015
Raise the bar with The Raiser's Edge...
The Raiser's Edge is used as the primary fundraising management database in our organization. Primary users are development officers and advancement personnel, and the database serves as an important resource for our accounting department. We maintain up-to-date contact information (emails, mailing addresses, phones) on all our donors and potential donors; giving histories, capacities and propensities; as well as information on contacts with our supporters.
- As a relational database, the Raiser's Edge is able to store a wealth of data, as well as linking the data when appropriate.
- By providing centrally-located data storage for supporter information, the Raiser's Edge is essential in executing a successful fundraising program.
- By utilizing queries and exports, and maintaining table consistency, it's possible to monitor the health of the database, and take necessary steps to maintain and strengthen the data integrity.
- Customer Service is generally very knowledgeable and willing to work with you to find problem resolutions.
- Importing data into the Raiser's Edge can be daunting. With experience, it does get easier, and I understand that Blackbaud's partner, Import-O-Matic, can be quite useful in overcoming some of the challenges with the import process.
- While a great many of the field names and configuration can be customized by the end user, there is still work to be done to add or increase this functionality in other areas.
- Some functionality in the Raiser's Edge has not kept up with the world at large. For example, the configuration of address/email/phone linking needs to be revisited and updated.
- The Raiser's Edge facilitates consistent financial reporting and event management, saving countless hours in gained efficiencies.
- Development personnel are able to respond more effectively and quickly to donor and supporter inquiries.
- Since Blackbaud's Raiser's Edge is recognized as the industry standard, the design and functionality of the product are well known. This can be beneficial when your organization outsources activities, or uses third-party vendors to provide fundraising support.
1
- Don't know
February 04, 2015
Raiser's Edge- The Best Out There, But Not Getting Better
Our organization uses Raiser's Edge to track donor information and activity. This includes but is not limited to a donor's gifts or pledges, attendance at events, volunteer involvement, relationships, the appeals and communications they receive, and any special information that we should know (e.g. are they new parents this year, did they have a new sibling enter the school, etc.).
- The Raiser's Edge does a nice job of organizing a lot of information into a constituent's record in a way that is, for the most part, easy to find.
- The Raiser's Edge does a great job of allowing you to store a lot of detailed information.
- The Raiser's Edge does a nice job of creating dashboards and reports to allow you to look at information quickly and repeatedly.
- Raiser's Edge could use improvement in organizing where particular information is stored. Often times it is difficult to pull a specific piece of data or information in a query or export because it is impossible to find which category or field the information is located.
- Raiser's Edge could definitely use improvement in their reporting module. The reports are not easy to create or edit to your own specifications and make it difficult to use without taking a course on reporting.
- Raiser's Edge does not have an enough options to edit the basic record to our organization's needs. Every organization is looking to store different information, and instead of working to customize our records, we have to find ways to store this information in a generic system meant for everyone. It is definitely not easy or intuitive and does not make it easy for new users to find information once joining our organization as this information is hidden in wherever place the last person in this position could find to store it.
- Raiser's Edge definitely has had a positive impact on our organization's ROI. It allows us to gather the best information on donor prospects and maximize our fundraising efforts.
- However, because Raiser's Edge is not entirely user-friendly, it has also forced our organization to hire individuals specifically to manage and pull information from this software, which produces a negative cash flow.
- Raiser's Edge also increases employee efficiency by allowing us to track actions of employees and see their individual ROI.
I have used Andar, Education Edge, Patron's Edge, and Team Approach. Compared to each of these software, Raiser's Edge does the best job of collecting and storing a variety of information for fundraising. It is also is the easiest to use (compared to Andar and Team Approach) in terms of pulling information for analysis.
12
Development, Alumni Relations, and Communications.
December 20, 2014
RE Review
I have used The Raiser's Edge in support of Development Officers at The Rotary Foundation and Howard Brown Health Center. It essentially served as a client database. For persons with access to the software, it created a narrative of transaction history for donors. It also created customized reports for management and officers in the field.
- Customized Reports
- Donor History
- Stewardship letters
- Doesnt communicate with other systems
- Limited amount of users at same time
- System glitches
- Positive lead conversion
- Not sure how efficient it is. There were many steps in creating donor profiles.
- I heard management complain about the expense of using RE. Only a dozen staffers were allowed to be in the system at any given time.
- aptify,Sharepoint LMS
I have moved into another capacity, and no longer administer accounts in that manner. I have also switched over to the Programs side of the business. I do know that my current administrative team uses Sharepoint and Aptify for their duties. My former colleagues at Rotary were also moving away from Raiser's Edge. Not sure what they use now.