National Nonprofits Select Blackbaud Sphere for Multi-Chapter Management
Charleston, S.C., March 11, 2009 — Blackbaud, Inc. (Nasdaq: BLKB) today announced enhancements to Blackbaud Sphere™ that will further support the complex data needs of national nonprofits with multiple chapters. More than 85 multi-chapter organizations already use Blackbaud Sphere for their online fundraising, communication, event management, and advocacy needs.
"Blackbaud Sphere enables national nonprofits to manage and report on data in a way that aligns with their operational structures," said Rich LaBarbera, senior vice president of Blackbaud Internet Solutions. "The recent enhancements provide added flexibility for nonprofits to better manage and share data across chapters.”
The solution now provides national nonprofits the flexibility to mirror their operations, whether centralized or decentralized, in a way that supports business operations and increases administrative efficiency. The multi-chapter management feature is currently being used by leading nonprofits including the Arthritis Foundation, Boy Scouts of America, and the Canadian Cancer Society BC and Yukon Division to better control and manage data.
“The biggest benefit of the virtual account structure is the one-view snapshot of our constituents,” said Marla Davidson, chief information officer for Arthritis Foundation. “We also expect a considerable reduction in the time it takes to administer accounts, increased security because of the ability to limit access levels, and the ability to push down major features and changes at once for all events.”
With Blackbaud Sphere, Boy Scouts of America has grown its online donations by 61 percent. “Along with the surge in our online donations, we now have to manage and maintain these donors, which requires a deep understanding of donor behavior and organizational activities,” said Mark Moshier, Boy Scouts of America’s funding team leader. “The multi-chapter management support in Sphere has enabled us to centralize our online and offline database so we can have a complete view of the donor.”
The Boy Scouts headquarters has also standardized more than 115 websites to provide a consistent donor experience that reflects the brand of the organization, and added more than a half million email addresses to its database since 2006. The organization is now able to manage its offline and online database in one location to increase administrative efficiency and optimize organization-wide reporting.
The Canadian Cancer Society BC and Yukon Division was one of the first organizations to utilize the new virtual account structure in multi-chapter management, migrating all of its events. “The new structure has proven to be very successful in making our events easier to maintain, as we are now using a single account and database across our seven regions and 58 communities,” said Melissa McKay, who heads up community giving for the organization. “We were able to run our first centralized e-solicitation thanks to the new structure, and generated over $25,000 CAN online in two weeks.”
