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Raiser's Edge User? NetCommunity is a MUST!
October 22, 2013

Raiser's Edge User? NetCommunity is a MUST!

Robert Goodman | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User

Software Version

6.41

Modules Used

  • Pro

Overall Satisfaction

  • Data integration with The Raiser's Edge - data which is collected in Blackbaud NetCommunity directly integrates with The Raiser's Edge interface and can be seamlessly downloaded into the CRM.
  • Donation/Event/Membership registration - the product comes with out-of-the-box forms that can be used for these basic functions. They are flexible, but structured enough to integrate the data back to the CRM.
  • Email marketing - constituents can be emailed directly from the Blackbaud NetCommunity platform by querying the data available in the CRM. Targeted email communications can be setup as well as ongoing subscriptions/newsetters.
  • Content management - general tools to manage content are available. Business users can add/modify/delete this content without tremendous technical expertise. The content can also be shared across multiple websites - or A/B split tested to determine preference.
  • Friendly URLs - the product allows for friendly URLs that are also more searchable on the major search engines (i.e. Google, Bing, Yahoo, etc.).
  • For mass volumes of data, the Raiser's Edge plug-in can become tedious to manage.
  • Less staff cost on importing web data into The Raiser's Edge as it is now integrated from Blackbaud NetCommunity.
  • Email marketing efforts are more targeted and now have a higher response rate. This equates to increased fundraising dollars.
  • Our advancement and alumni communities are branded like our entire website. This provides a seamless user experience to our constituents and makes our internal departments appear much more integrated. This ultimately builds consumer confidence in our brand.
  • A/B split testing has allowed us to further tailor content that is preferred by our audience. This targeting allows us to be more successful in gaining conversions, event registrations, etc.
I have worked with NetCommunity for a number of years and feel that it is well designed. It has a good product team behind it - as well as a vibrant support community. If you are a Raiser's Edge user, NetCommunity is the way to go.

Product Usage

2000 - Marketing & Communications, Advancement
2 - Web manager, DBA
  • Donation and event management forms that integrate with The Raiser's Edge CRM.
  • Target various audiences by using data that is available about them in the CRM.
  • Perform A/B split testing to determine which content is most successful.
  • Manage multiple external facing websites with shared content in one tool.
  • Manage email subscriptions.

Evaluation and Selection

Custom in-house web site with little integration to our our donor database.
We evaluated a number of open source products (i.e. Drupal, WordPress) as well as a few commercial options (i.e. SiteCore). In the end, Blackbaud has built an integrated product in NetCommunity. We found that the features in the 'Pro' version were exactly what we are looking for in a Content Management System. It came with all of the benefits of a commercial CMS with the added value of integration to our CRM and the ability to provide email marketing capabilities.

Implementation

Implementation was handled professionally.
  • Vendor implemented

Training

  • In-person training
As expected. Courseware was a nice reference guide.

Configuration

To brand the website in our own style.

Support

Support has been fantastic. Blackbaud has multiple avenues (i.e. chat, knowledgebase, phone) in which to connect. The individuals have been generally knowledgeable and quick to resolve any issues that we've experienced.
Yes - Support/maintenance is a standard part of our agreement.

Usability

Product is logical. Nice interface and provides a good user experience.

Reliability

Product is stable is up 99.99% of the time. As a hosted customer, we do experience some minor downtime when routers or switches malfunction. We feel the downtime has been minimal and the communications around these outages has been good.
Blackbaud NetCommunity uses .NET technology. It can be sluggish at times if not optimized, but overall we have been pleased with the performance when handling large volumes of traffic.

Integration

  • The Raiser's Edge
Out-of-the-box integration. It has worked wonderfully for our team.

Vendor Relationship

The sales process happened quickly. To ensure your needs are met, draft an RFP and allow Blackbaud to respond. We have found this method favorable. Post-sale, the implementation team has been professional and responsible with our project.
Each customer will be able to negotiate terms with Blackbaud depending on their needs and when they can make a purchase. Typically, end of month or end of quarter cycles were favorable to us for pricing.