Item: Blackbaud Financial Edge NXT
Rating: 5
Author: Mike Reckers

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We use Financial Edge NXT (FE-NXT) as our financial software for our not-for-profit ministry. We use FE-NXT along with Blackbaud database view software. Some things are better done in NXT and some in the database software. Both update the same database. We use Blackbaud for General Ledger, Financial Reporting, Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable, and Fixed Assets.

Pros and Cons

Financial Report Writer is Good, but could be improved.
Add in for Excel to allow JE's to be posted directly from Excel is very useful

Financial Reports need to have a runtime fiscal period. When trying to run past reports, the system requires that the report writer specs be modified
There are times when the system back-posts entries from AR or AP. Finding the culprit is a challenge.
Interface from Raisers Edge to Financial Edge created journal entries that make reconciling the bank account a nightmare. For this reason, we do not allow RE to post to FE.
Adding a fixed asset to the system is overly complicated. One must add the asset and then add a second transaction record.
Adding new accounts is also a two step process. One must add the account in the configuration and then again in the records. Documentation was very poor. I figured it out by happenstance.
Documentation of the system is poor. The user guides are voluminous to the point of having to search for needles in the haystack.
It has been easier for me to export the cash account detail from both blackbaud and my bank and perform bank recs in excel vs. trying to use blackbaud reconciliation. The reconciliation in Blackbaud gives a different answer in NXT vs the Database view.

Return on Investment

GL Financial Report Writer is good overall.

Financial Edge NXT Trust & Compliance

Blackbaud has not significantly helped with regulatory compliance or donor trust.

Alternatives Considered

Oracle JD Edwards World and QuickBooks Desktop Premier

I have used JD Edwards in a large multi-location enterprise and Quickbooks for a small single owner business.

JD Edwards was far superior to Blackbaud although the cost was much higher. JD Edwards was powerful but complex to learn.
Blackbaud has Financial Report Writer features much stronger than Quickbooks. Quickbooks is far more intuitive to operate.

I did not make the choice to purchase Blackbaud. My predecessor did. The primary reason for selecting Blackbaud was because it was known to them at the time to be the "standard" software for nonprofit organizations. I don't think that is the case today.

Key Insights

Do you think Blackbaud Financial Edge NXT delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with Blackbaud Financial Edge NXT's feature set?

Did Blackbaud Financial Edge NXT live up to sales and marketing promises?

I wasn't involved with the selection/purchase process

Did implementation of Blackbaud Financial Edge NXT go as expected?

I wasn't involved with the implementation phase

Would you buy Blackbaud Financial Edge NXT again?

Other Software Used

WooCommerce, WordPress, Microsoft 365, Microsoft Excel

Likelihood to Recommend

Blackbaud has a steep learning curve. Once it is figured out, it functions, but the software is extremely complicated and not user friendly at all.

Users and Roles

2 - GL, Financial Reporting, Budgeting, AP, AR, Fixed Assets

Business Processes Supported

Accounting
Financial Reporting

Innovative Uses

Add on in Excel to upload JE's

Likelihood to Renew

Usability

Blackbaud is overly complicated with a steep learning curve. Examples are the many steps required to enter a fixed asset transaction, Difficulty in running past financial statements. (There should be a run-time fiscal period entered in which the column specs refer to)

Pluses are a fairly powerful financial statement report writer.

Usability Pros and Cons

Pros	Cons
None	Unnecessarily complex Difficult to use Slow to learn Cumbersome Lots to learn

Blackbaud FE NXT

Overall Satisfaction with Blackbaud Financial Edge NXT