Blackbaud

Blackbaud and Constant Contact announced a strategic partnership agreement that will provide small and growing nonprofits with the tools and training they need to optimize their e-marketing programs. The companies will integrate key products and combine their expertise to develop nonprofit-specific seminars training, and best practices. Leveraging Blackbaud’s analytics expertise, the companies will also work together to help nonprofits enhance their programs with new analytic capabilities.

Blackbaud announced the opening of an office in Mexico City, a new local team, and a reseller agreement with EXITE.TI to support the growing Latin American philanthropic sector.

Blackbaud has been investing in the region since the introduction of eTapestry Español, its first Spanish-language software, in 2010. With this new partnership, EXITE.TI will handle the sales and support of Blackbaud products in Mexico, including eTapestry Español, a web-delivered Spanish-language fundraising and CRM solution designed for small to mid-sized nonprofits to help them fundraise and manage relationships with their constituents.

Blackbaud announced the release of a report focused on fundraising trends based on monthly findings from The Blackbaud Index, featuring commentary from Drakes Bay Fundraising and CARE USA. Additionally, Blackbaud announced the release of a new specialty index focused on international affairs organizations.

“For the 10th consecutive month, The Blackbaud Index of Charitable Giving has shown positive growth, and for the first time in a very long time, that growth exceeds 10 percent for the three months ending May 2011 over the prior year,” said Chuck Longfield, Blackbaud’s chief scientist and Blackbaud Index creator.

Despite launching Fundraise.com just five months ago, 19-year-old Nate Drouin says some 500 users have tapped it to solicit donations for causes that range from tsunami relief to anti-nuke protests. He expects more than $2 million in revenue by year’s end and more than twice that in 2012. Drouin, who postponed attending Rollins College to launch the site in Boston, using $250,000 from friends and relatives, wants to shape the seven-person site into a donations platform as ubiquitous as Facebook or Twitter.

Blackbaud announced that in the first quarter, Beloit College, the University of Connecticut Foundation, University of Richmond, and Wake Forest University each selected the company’s higher education solution to optimize advancement operations. Additionally, Blackbaud announced that it will serve as the platinum sponsor of the CASE Summit for Advancement Leaders, kicking off on Sunday.

Check out recent posts from Blackbaud's Prospect Research blog and Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog.

Blackbaud announced the availability of two new custom modeling solutions from Target Analytics. The first is a Mid-Level Giving Likelihood Model, a new service that analyzes the constituent databases of nonprofit organizations to identify promising, untapped mid-level giving prospects. The second is the Alumni Engagement Model which was specifically developed to help higher education institutions identify engaged alumni and cultivate them to become supporters.

Veritus Group co-owner Jeff Schreifels started the Passionate Giving blog last month, and he's already posted some pretty interesting stuff — like his "10 Reasons Why Most Major Gift Programs Suck!" Here are Nos. 6 and 7. Check out the final three next Tuesday.

Direct-mail giving still overwhelmingly brings in the majority of fundraising revenue, according to Blackbaud's 2011 donorCentrics Internet and Multichannel Giving Benchmarking Report.

Check out recent blog posts from Katya's Non-Profit Marketing Blog and Frogloop.