Blackbaud

Check out any nonprofit Web site these days, and in addition to an About Us page, you're likely to see icons for Facebook, Twitter and MySpace. These social-media widgets have fast become wallpaper on almost all charitable sites. But does social media really work for fundraising?

April 30, 2010, Press Release — Blackbaud continues its efforts to raise awareness in the local community as part of its ongoing philanthropy partnership with the Charleston Battery. This partnership incorporates a unique philanthropic theme to all home matches with a “nonprofit-of-the-match.” At soccer matches, the organization will be highlighted at halftime and will share its mission, raise awareness, and get the community involved.

On May 1, the Charleston Animal Society will be featured as the nonprofit-of-the-match. The Charleston Animal Society has sheltered over 150,000 animals over the last 100 years; they also perform surgeries, life saving procedures, and connect animals with new families seven days a week.  As nonprofit-of-the-match, the Charleston Animal Society will be on hand to help families “find their soul pet,” registering volunteers, and raising awareness. The organization will also have a “pet drive” where it will be accepting donations including new pet toys, pet food, and cleaning supplies.

April 5, 2010, Press Release — Blackbaud, Inc. (Nasdaq: BLKB) today announced that it is powering the online initiative encouraging viewers to fundraise in advance of “Idol Gives Back”, airing Wednesday, April 21 (8:00-10:00 PM ET live/PT tape-delayed) on FOX.

“Idol Gives Back” will use Blackbaud Sphere Friends Asking Friends to help viewers and fans give back by creating and joining fundraising teams on the “Help Me Give Back” website, which tracks fundraising goals and progress of individual members. Additionally, participants can create individual “Help Me Give Back” pages, set fundraising goals and get the word out to friends, family and co-workers through feeds and widgets as well as via social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter and MySpace.

Charleston, S.C., March 23, 2010, Business Wire — Blackbaud, Inc. today announced the availability of Blackbaud NetCommunity Spark(TM), a solution designed to help nonprofits complement and expand their existing online presence. Organizations including American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, Detroit Zoological Society, and Hui No'Eau Visual Arts Center have recently selected and will use the solution to improve their supporters' online experience and activate two-way communications.

Feb. 16, 2010, The Post and Courier — After a decade of staging its biggest meeting of the year in its hometown, Charleston-based software maker Blackbaud Inc. is moving the annual gathering to the nation's capital.

Lynn Edmonds, president, L.W. Robbins Associates
Loyal donors are being conservative but holding on. Since the spring, we have seen a slight increase in giving in some audiences but not all. And in certain cases, we have been able to reactivate lapsed donors by decreasing the gift asks.

In the recent FundRaising Success webinar E-mail Strategies for Driving Donations, Christina Johns, senior manager of direct-response television and social media for the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, and Allison Van Diest, senior product marketing manager for Blackbaud, shared how strong segmentation can drive great e-mail strategy and how social media can fit into e-mail strategy.

Charleston, S.C., November 19, 2009 — Blackbaud, Inc. (Nasdaq: BLKB) held its 10th annual Conference for Nonprofits this week in Charleston, South Carolina, welcoming 1000 nonprofit professionals from all over the world to learn more about nonprofit technology and techniques to help them succeed in 2010.

Charleston, S.C., November 13, 2009 — Blackbaud, Inc. (Nasdaq: BLKB), the leading global provider of software and related services designed specifically for nonprofit organizations, today announced the release of Blackbaud Sphere Grow™. This new “Grow” version of the company’s popular web-based emarketing and event fundraising solution, Blackbaud Sphere, provides nonprofits an affordable turn-key solution with a guided implementation and ongoing consulting services.

The final installment in our year-long series on fundraising basics focuses on online fundraising.