Still disappointing with only a small amount of functionality that exists in RE database view!
December 31, 2022

Still disappointing with only a small amount of functionality that exists in RE database view!

Anonymous | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 6 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User

Overall Satisfaction with Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT

Our organization migrated from the older version of Raiser's Edge to NXT about three years ago and has slowly increased its use. I would say about half of our team uses NXT and the other half prefers to work in the older (database) version. It has a few handy reporting features and is easier to navigate for some of our team as they work with donors to the organization.
  • Quicker to look up donor information.
  • Linkable information for easy moving from one constituent to another.
  • I can create quick reports for the team to view with a click.
  • It's missing 85% of the functionality of the database view, which is why I can't really use it as the DBA.
  • There are not enough fields built into Lists or Reporting to make them adequately functional.
  • NXT does not have the Volunteer module.
  • NXT is missing a connector with Luminate, which is Blackbaud's more robust online platform.
  • Cloud based.
  • Easier to navigate.
  • It has cost us time and expense to have to manage two dual systems (NXT and database view).
  • Our executives are more likely to interact with NXT, improving our data quality and input of data.
We appreciate having analytics integrated into our NXT contract, so we get an annual refresh on wealth ratings. Our organization doesn't rely heavily on it, but it is an additional tool for us.
We have to pay for our training, but there are a lot of courses offered. The reporting classes can be confusing because they demonstrate examples that only work if you pay for the higher-level Report Builder.

Do you think Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT delivers good value for the price?

No

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

No

Did Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT live up to sales and marketing promises?

No

Did implementation of Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT again?

Yes

I think it is well suited to smaller organizations that don't need complex reporting or querying functions or where users are not used to sophisticated fundraising CRMs. It has features that are easier to navigate for executives that don't spend much time in the software and only need to look up information on constituents. When those executives need reports or segmented lists, etc., I turn to the database view to generate those things and share it with them. As our organization's database administrator, it is time-consuming and frustrating to work in dual systems that don't always share the same functionality and have different terminology; any training documentation has to exist for two systems despite it being a single CRM.

Using Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT

16 - Development, Executive leadership, Volunteer Resources.
1 - It needs at least a part-time dedicated administrator to manage data, clean data, train users, etc. I would not recommend organizations purchase this without having internal support or someone relatively savvy in databases which will have time to manage it.
  • Fundraising (soliciting and stewarding donors).
  • Reporting on fundraising activity.
  • We also use it for event attendance and volunteer time contributions (not for volunteers to sign up for shifts or other more sophisticated volunteer needs).
  • None until they roll out more functionality.
We've invested a lot of time and resources into it but we are very open to alternatives if they meet our needs better.

Evaluating Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT and Competitors

  • Price
  • Product Features
We need a robust CRM with great reporting, segmenting, and donor tracking capabilities.
We are considering alternatives in the future and will be weighing cost and features especially. We would like to solve some of the current headaches we have from confusing pricing structures and products that don't integrate well with each other or are cumbersome (for example, using Luminate as our online platform).