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Raiser's Edge

Raiser's Edge

Overview

Recent Reviews

Raisers Edge thoughts

9 out of 10
July 29, 2020
We use The Raisers Edge for our team. It is our primary database for maintaining all of our donors and their information. We use it to not …
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Pricing

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  • No setup fee

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  • Free Trial
  • Free/Freemium Version
  • Premium Consulting/Integration Services

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Product Demos

Salesforce for Nonprofits: Migrating From Raiser’s Edge to Salesforce

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How to install Raiser's Edge tools

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Product Details

What is Raiser's Edge?

Raiser's Edge Technical Details

Operating SystemsUnspecified
Mobile ApplicationNo
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Comparisons

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Reviews and Ratings

(213)

Attribute Ratings

Reviews

(1-4 of 4)
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Alicia Barevich, bCRE, bCEE | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Raiser's Edge is obviously primarily used by our Fundraising department, but we use it to pull lists and reports for the whole organization. It holds employee information that is more detailed than HR's database. The gifts are integrated with Financial Edge to facilitate reconciliation. It is the master database for constituent data for most of the school.
  • There are so many fields, almost all of which are options in query, export, and report.
  • The integration with Crystal Reports is critical. It is very convenient being able to run Crystal Reports directly from Raiser's Edge.
  • Th batch and mail functions also make gift entry and acknowledgement a breeze!
  • Query is missing a couple useful options. Most recently, I wished that it included being able to query on whether an address was shared or not.
  • Export is missing a couple useful options. We rely heavily on relationships, but you can't query or export at a very detailed degree on a relationship's record.
  • It would be really cool if Crystal Reports could be integrated into the dashboards.
If you want to have excellent segmentation in solicitations, or other communications, Raiser's Edge is probably more than capable of providing you with what you need. More often than not, any handicaps are probably from data integrity, rather than the software itself. It doesn't integrate well with solutions for other independent school needs, so that's where I'd hesitate giving a glowing endorsement.
  • I can't imagine a heavy fundraising effort without Raiser's Edge. It is able to manage so much different data, and the reporting capabilities are excellent.
  • Since Raiser's Edge is such a respected system, there are many other companies that offer integrated services, so no matter what you need, it will probably work with Blackbaud and/or their partners.
  • past perfect
Raiser's Edge is the Cadillac of fundraising software. I really don't believe it can be beat. It is a heavy database, but I think it is still fairly intuitive to navigate. There is a web view (NXT), which is an expensive add-on, but looks much nicer (though has limited functionality) for people who need to access, but not necessarily swim in the data.
Chat support is usually responsive for small issues. Sometimes you'll wait a while, but generally I haven't found it to be too bad. Sometimes though, they'll get you going on a rabbit hole of a solution that doesn't actually solve the problem.
15
Advancement, IT, Finance departments.

Our Advancement department relies heavily on Raiser's Edge for all of their data. All gifts are entered, prospect information analyzed, appeals created and documented, event participation tracked. We send emails through NetCommunity, which is driven by Raiser's Edge. It also fuels many of our non-Advancement functions through the IT department. Many of our parent lists and other analysis or mailing lists are pulled from Raiser's, since it's our master database.
3
Two of us sit in the IT department and support all RE users. We do advanced tasks, and give training. There is also an "RE Expert" in Advancement that supports that department specifically with things like mailing lists and more basic analysis.

A strong data mindset is required to supporting RE, since many people struggle with the interface and intuitiveness.
  • Gift entry and documentation
  • Appeal segmentation/mailing list generation
  • Creative donor reports
  • Detailed gift analysis
  • Gift analysis
  • Online event registration
RE requires Windows, and in some cases, can be slow. The browser-based version (NXT) is expensive and still limited in functionality. RE is a powerful fundraising database, but doesn't integrate well with other independent school solutions. I would highly recommend RE for any organization who needs a powerful fundraising database, but doesn't have any other major database needs that aren't fulfilled by RE.
Yes
Century, I think? I wasn't involved. Whatever it was was a very antiquated system.
  • Product Features
  • Product Reputation
  • Vendor Reputation
I wasn't involved, but as the leading fundraising database, it's not hard to understand why they chose RE.
Now, we have been emphasizing the importance of data integration across all school systems. This is something that RE lacks. While RE had good integration with their former independent school software, they don't offer good integration with their new school software.
  • Don't know
  • I wasn't there.
I wasn't there. It was in 2001
Yes
No, bugs are rarely seen as bugs worth fixing. They release updates, but I don't know that I've seen anything I've reported actually get fixed.
Probably not. Their support is usually sufficient, but definitely mediocre.
  • Opening a Constituent record and adding data.
  • Running reports that are already set up.
  • Setting up queries, exports, and reports can be difficult for the novice user, but I think they are still reasonably intuitive.
Yes, but I don't use it
I have very rarely not been fully satisfied with Raiser's Edge's functionality.
Lena Trubnikova | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
RE is being used by the Fundraising department to keep records of all constituents, gifts and events, track relationships, volunteers. The fundraisers use the proposals to track major gift prospects. We record all donations in it, import donations from Luminate Online and other online platforms into Raisers Edge using either RE import tool, RELO plugin or other plugins. The programming department uses it to record constituents. Marketing uses it to pull queries to communicate with constituents.
  • Records various aspects of constituent involvement with the organization.
  • Keeps record of all gifts.
  • Data posting to Financial Edge (FE) is limited and complicated to understand (took us time to adjust). The posting report does not have enough info: Appeal, campaign and who posted to FE. In genereral, RE/FE integration is not explained by Blackbaud properly, we had to figure out everything on the go.
  • Volunteer module is a bit cumbersome; some fields have duplicate fields in the event module; the identical information ends up being recorded in two different places.
I would recommend that people use The Raisers Edge (RE) as the main depository of information about the organization's constituent base, gifts, pulling queries. I find that the interface is becoming really dated and some features are not user-friendly for fundraisers, but I guess NXT is solving this issue.
  • Our constituents are better organized.
  • The fundraising structure is more streamlined and logical.
We made a transition to Raisers Edge from Donor drive 6 years ago and considered a Salesforce solution at the time. We found RE to be the most suitable for our overall needs.
I find that support is readily available and overall knowledgeable. Because we deal with a lot of integrations, with LO, Net Community, and RE, I find that there are not a lot of support staff who know enough about the integration of products.
Fundraising team, event organizers
gift processing, data analysis, finance and accounting
marketing
2
one person is processing gifts
one person is responsible for the overall database management
sometimes we get volunteers for simple data entry
  • constituent management
  • gift processing and prospecting
  • our integration with Financial Edge is specific to our organization use
  • not sure, we are using almost all the segments
  • possibly utilize actions more
We consider RE to be the best in class for constituent management and gift processing. Integration with FInancial Edge and other platforms also plays a huge role.
Yes
Donor Drive
  • Product Features
  • Product Usability
we needed a better way to segment our database and allow recording a more intricate fundraising structure. RE allowed us to do that as opposed to just event management in Donor Drive
we are constantly re-evaluating our options and still believe that RE is the best CRM for our needs.
  • Implemented in-house
Yes
it was more than 6 years ago but i think it was creating the structure, data conversion, training, going live.
Change management was a major issue with the implementation
we ended up with a better fundraising structure, overall constituent management and better understanding of our base.
  • data conversion
  • integration of RE with FE - the biggest challenge
Training is key. Blackbaud offered the training package prior to implementation and it helped us understand how to build it so that the future use would be appropriate to the operation of the organization. Data conversion stage was also very important. A lot of work must be done before making the final decisions about the data conversion - what data to convert and what to leave out, where certain information was supposed to be placed within RE.
No
Yes
sometimes the integration with LO and FE causes issues. Usually we get them resolved to our satisfaction
we recently had an issue with BBMS/LO. A donor approached us with request to refund 2 out of 3 credit card charges. we discovered that 2 of these donations had been entered in LO as offline unconfirmed gifts and then confirmed by using the same credit cart. It took a while to figure out how it happened. Blackbaud customer service found the reasons and explained everything to us within a week.
  • gift processing
  • queries
  • Events Module and Volunteer module overlap and I was not sure which of them to use for recording volunteer participation
  • volunteer module is pretty cumbersome (while you can record a lot of information, it requires a lot of time and effort)
Yes, but I don't use it
i think that this is the best CRM with the most functionality - it can capture a lot of info about the constituents, their donations and other ways they are connected to the organization.
Elaine Tucker | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We use RE for all departments. It is very functional for events, donations, grants, membership and volunteers. We use it to manage our annual Gala donations, as well as prospects and moves management for our Development Office. It allows accurate data information to
be stored for all our departments, so when it comes time to report on Grants we have the information needed at our fingertips.

It solves the problem of who-what-when-where-why. RE is GREAT at allowing the database to be rigid enough for database quality/integrity but fluid and flexible enough to allow all our different department to use it as the CENTRAL (and only) location for all our information needed to not only do our daily jobs, but to leave a good legacy for those who come after us to continue our mission.
  • RE is a wonderful donation/fundraising software. You can handle many different types of fund raising with ease. Cash gifts, Deferred Gifts, Recurring gifts, pledges, proposals and legacy gifts are all easily managed within RE.
  • RE is flexible with customization fields with attributes for almost every kind of record, constituent, gift, action, event, participant etc. These attributes allow you to add fields and information specific to your department or organization. We currently have attributes for schools, events and volunteers just to name a FEW.
  • RE is a relational database, so everything is based on relationships - which is the heart and soul of friend raising. I just love that "it's all connected"
  • The membership module works ok, but there is some missed functionality - especially in regards to shared memberships and organizational memberships. Currently if someone is on a shared membership they are there for the ENTIRE membership term. There are no "to and from" dates for secondary members on a membership. While this is not a deal breaker for us, it would be helpful if this additional piece of information was available. Also the database structure forces you to code upgrade or downgrade anytime the program changes. Our upgrades and downgrades are within the category level, not necessarily the program level so some of the upgrade/downgrade codes can be mis leading
  • You can search relationships for non-constituents, but event attendees are NOT included in the search, just other relationship records.
  • We need increased functionality between RE and NEtcommunity - some of the fields in RE are not available as merge fields in NetCommunity. This limits us on some of the functionality and targeted marketing/outreach that we would like to do
Raiser's Edge is great for almost ANY type of organization or non-profit. The sotfware is flexible to be tailored to each organizations needs. While the expense for smaller non-profits may seem daunting, a look at the ROI may help sway the decision making process. It has GREAT functionality with in all areas and the more you use it the more you get out of it.
  • We have increased our staff productivity because RE "does some of the work for us"
  • Our objective to grow membership has panned out because we use Raiser's Edge prospect module to move and track our prospects and potential donors/members. Since moving to Raiser's Edge 10 years ago we have grown our membership by over 3,000 members
In a previous position, I have used an in house database written for a higher education environment. Raiser's Edge WAY out performed that system. We selected RE for the increased relationship management, gift management, and historical accuracy and ease of reporting. The old system was easy go get information in but not out.
Development, Membership, Events, Volunteers, Education, Interns, Marketing & Communications, Protocol
1
We have a database manager who is the full time support person. They manage RE and the integration between RE, FE and
Netcommunity. Our member relations person assists with coding and gift entry.
  • Fundraising - this is a robust product that allows not only for bookkeeping on the donation and gift side of the house, it also works great for the Relationship management and stewardship portions of the fundraising arm.
  • Our programs department puts on over 85 events per year. The amount of information we keep about our events and the registrants is sometimes staggering. That said it is EASY to maintain all the data because of the relationships between events, gifts/fees and participant records.
  • Our education department can manage the interns that come in every semester, as well as track the impact we are having on local schools. Our grants require that we report by Title 1, by County and by age. Raiser's Edge allows us to track ALL of this.
  • Our volunteers are able to sign up for opportunities to assist where needed
  • Grant management for our speakers to schools program
  • We have used the attributes in RE to really tailor the information needs of each department.
  • Using the Volunteer module we are able to see how much of an impact our interns are having each semester
  • We currently use most of the modules associated with Raiser's Edge
It does everything that we need; we have invested alot of resources and staff training to use the software, we want to continue the relationship with Blackbaud
Not Sure
  • Product Features
  • Product Usability
  • Product Reputation
  • Prior Experience with the Product
  • Vendor Reputation
Our CEO had previous experience with the software, so when he came he knew what could do and how the increased functionality would help us grow.
We may look at other membership modules and event vendors, but the fact that RE does both for us is almost a no brainer
  • Don't know
Change management was a major issue with the implementation
The implementation took place before I was here so in this regard I am not sure.
  • I was not here for this
I was not here so could not rate
Yes
Increased phone support and additional support for Custom Report writing needs.
The analysts are very in the know about the product; and while they go the extra steps to make sure your issue is resolved.
No
We were having issue with query, and when I spoke to the analyst, she not only took the call, we did a screen share. When that did not resolve the case she took our data and did extensive testing of the issue to resolve the problem. I'm a 20 year user of the software, so when I found this, I appreciated her taking the extra time and effort to troubleshoot.
  • Relationship management
  • Donations and gift processing
  • event management
  • Details within the membership module
  • guest records in events can sometimes be cumbersome if you have lots of "name unknown" guests attending
  • The volunteer module is pretty rigid in the set up - and is written to be used for ANNUAL events like walk-a-thons etc. We have volunteer needs every month so we had to work around these limitations to get it to work.
Yes, but I don't use it
it does lots of things well (prospect tracking and event management), some things FANTASTIC (gift records and donations and relationships). It is rigid enough for the database administrator to maintain good clean data, but flexible enought for customization across organizations so specific data can be kept as needed for YOUR specific organization needs.
Score 5 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Raiser's Edge is used by two independent departments within our organization. Each department uses RE to process, record, track and report on fundraising; although, the processes and systems used by each department are inconsistent. The primary fundraising department solicits institutions only and uses Raiser's Edge as a CRM, as well as to track Prospect Research, Proposals and Actions. The secondary fundraising department solicits primarly individuals and uses RE as a rolodex to support direct mail, but does not use it for donor segmentation and targeted analytics, Prospect Research, Proposals or Actions. We leverage RE to maintain consistent and targeted communication with donors/prospects and to avoid duplication of communicaton to donors/prospects by various individuals/departments.
  • Linking with Financial Edge is a strength because our Fundraising and Finance departments work closely to monitor and steward grants and donor intent.
  • The Prospect/Proposals tab, in conjunction with Actions, are very useful in tracking Moves Management and progress toward closing a gift.
  • The Customer Service is insufficient, both in timeliness and expertise.
  • The Sales and Contract team are inflexible when it comes to outlining a contract in detail. The Sales team will make commitments via email but the Contract team will not update their template contract to include that language, leaving the Sales team to suggest a "handshake" deal is sufficient. My organization's financial resources are limited and precious, and we have strict requirements about contract language to limit risk.
  • Unfortunately my organization has not upgraded in a bit, so perhaps this is actually present in newer versions, but additional functionality and fields to record and link to social media would be helpful.
Raiser's Edge is best suited for organizations who solicit individuals in addition to institutions. In this scenario the user can take full advantage of RE's/Blackbauds services related to wealth screenings, prospect research, event planning, etc.
  • The Proposals/Prospect tab, in conjunction with Actions, has led to improved customer service, as it allows access to and knowledge of "Moves" to date and positions our team to advance conversations in spite of staff changes.
My experience has been limited to Raiser's Edge so I cannot make a comparison.
Our use of Raiser's Edge is fairly limited and the ROI of a new product would likely not outweigh the challenges of a conversion.
Fundraising, Gift Processing, Stewardship, Administrative
3
Analytical problem-solvers with good listening skills. Support individuals should have a foundational understanding of intended outcomes to ensure they can work backward to solve the issue, especially to do so without unintended consequences. IT and/or database management knowledg is not sufficient; one must understand the larger need for coding, reporting, etc. and how those functions and fields will be used.
  • Gift processing
  • Donor data management
  • CRM
  • N/A
  • Planned Giving
  • Social Media/Online Giving
  • Cause-Marketing & Sponsorship
No
  • Price
  • Product Features
  • Product Usability
  • Product Reputation
I was not here during that time, but the above checked boxes are what was briefly shared with me.
I would speak one-on-one with more organizations who are similar to our organization. I would also evaluate RE based on where we wanted to go as an organization, rather than where we were. I would work more closely with my IT department to ensure that they were equipped to and comfortable with providing support for RE, and I would work with the secondary fundraising department to better integrate and align our processes and systems.
  • Vendor implemented
  • Address errors
  • Duplication of data and information in Actions, Addresses, and other fields
It's critically important to consider where you are taking your fundraising efforts and strategy, and to collaborate closely with other departments who will also use RE. I would strongly recommend that you investigate best practices -both from Blackbaud (theory) and with other organizations (practice) - to create a user manual and guide for RE within your organization.
No
There are frequently inexplicably long hold periods and I am often asked to repeat my problems multiple times.
No.
  • Reports
  • Queries & Exports
  • Crystal Reports
There are some areas where usability is quite high and other areas where it is quite low. I would not encourage or discourage someone to purchase the product based on "usability" alone.
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