Item: Raiser's Edge
Rating: 5
Author: Verified User

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

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.

Pros and Cons

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.

Return on Investment

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.

Alternatives Considered

My experience has been limited to Raiser's Edge so I cannot make a comparison.

Likelihood to Renew

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.

Likelihood to Recommend

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.

Users and Roles

Fundraising, Gift Processing, Stewardship, Administrative

Support Headcount Required

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.

Business Processes Supported

Gift processing
Donor data management
CRM

Innovative Uses

Future Planned Uses

Planned Giving
Social Media/Online Giving
Cause-Marketing & Sponsorship

Products Replaced

Key Differentiators

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.

Evaluation Lessons Learned

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.

Implementation Rating

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.

Implementation Details / Implementation Partner

Vendor implemented

Change Management Lessons

Not sure - I was not here.

Implementation Issues

Address errors
Duplication of data and information in Actions, Addresses, and other fields

Support Rating

There are frequently inexplicably long hold periods and I am often asked to repeat my problems multiple times.

Raiser's Edge Customer Support Pros and Cons

Pros	Cons
Kept well informed No escalation required Quick Initial Response	Slow Resolution Poor followup Less knowledgeable Problems left unsolved Difficult to get immediate help Need to explain problems multiple times

Pros	Cons
Like to use Relatively simple Easy to use Consistent Feel confident using	Requires technical support Slow to learn Cumbersome Lots to learn

Easy Tasks

Reports
Queries & Exports

Difficult Tasks

Crystal Reports

Raiser's Edge in the World of Institutional (only) Fundraising

Software Version

Overall Satisfaction with The Raiser's Edge