Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT

“Powerful platform but at a premium cost

Pros

One of the things I appreciate is how user friendly the platform feels, I can search by any data point and quickly find what I need. I also trust the payment gateways' security and I value how the system lets me control every part of our records from entering data and processing gifts to managing donor officers. It's handy that I can tag and maintain information across users to make sure coverage is complete and donor facing work stays prioritized. On top of that being able to spin up personal or departmental dashboard reports on the fly is excellent for accessing data when I'm out and about. I can build large, data-heavy reports for forecasting and to dig into each campaign's details. Having worked with several donor management platforms, I find this one both powerful and easy to use.

Cons

my main drawback is the price point, it feels a bit prohibitive for smaller organizations that would really benefit from all the features. In my experience those smaller agencies could put the tools to good use but the cost may be a real barrier to adoption.

“Worth the investment for growing nonprofits

Pros

All in all my time using Raiser's Edge NXT has been extremely positive. The system delivers a lot of power for donor management, reporting and planning strategic fundraising campaigns. It feels user-friendly, can be reached from anywhere and gives meaningful insights that inform our development strategy. Although pricing can be a hurdle at times but the suite of tools and the support that comes with it have genuinely uplifted the quality of our fundraising work. This is a full-featured platform that keeps us organized and helps nurture stronger donor relationships which ultimately advances our mission. What stands out most to me about Raiser's Edge NXT is how easy and efficient it is to work with donor records. Since it's cloud-based, accessing data whenever I need it is simple and the dashboards provide an up-to-the-minute view of how our fundraising is tracking. I particularly value how effortlessly it logs giving histories and donor interactions which enables our team to make smarter and more strategic choices. It really simplifies development tasks and lets our staff stay focused on mission-driven priorities. Generating reports is also extremely easy!

Cons

The main drawback I've noticed is its price. Even though it delivers strong features and solid capabilities it can require a sizable investment, particularly tough for small nonprofits that operate on tight budgets. Still the benefits in donor management and reporting are noteworthy but the cost may make it out of reach for certain organizations.

“Extremely capable but hard to learn

Pros

I found the software pretty solid though I wish I'd been working somewhere different when I used it. At the location where I worked, it wasn't used in a way that made the most of its features. I would advise thinking carefully about exactly what your organization's needs are before committing to Raiser's Edge. The system does support very sophisticated reporting that gave me a fair amount of flexibility in choosing how to enter data into the platform.

Cons

its frustrating that RE wouldn't let me set up recurring lists that automatically refresh after being saved. Because it supports more advanced reporting, the interface can feel a bit harder to learn and get around. I also didn't find any built-in links to major email marketing tools like MailChimp or Constant Contact so integrating with those services wasn't available in my experience.