Public Broadcasting Stations Enhance Online Efforts With Blackbaud Sphere and Team Approach
Charleston, S.C., May 12, 2009 — Blackbaud, Inc. (Nasdaq: BLKB) today announced the increasing adoption of Blackbaud Sphere™ by public broadcasting stations to enhance online member acquisition and engagement. Since the addition of Sphere and Team Approach® to Blackbaud’s family of products, and the increasing desire of members to connect online, public broadcasting stations across the country are beginning to further realize the benefits of a unified view of members.
“We have been working hard to bring nonprofits the solutions they need to meet their missions including the integration of various Blackbaud products, like Sphere and Team Approach,” said Rich LaBarbera, senior vice president of Blackbaud’s Internet Solutions division. “I am pleased to see that our efforts are helping nonprofits, and we will continue to integrate products where appropriate to bring organizations the solutions they need to make the world a better place.”
The integration of Team Approach, a constituent management solution used by 48 public broadcasting stations, and Blackbaud Sphere, one of the nonprofit industry’s leading online engagement tools, provides stations a holistic view of member behavior. Both Maine Public Broadcasting and Connecticut Public Broadcasting, long time Team Approach clients, recently selected Blackbaud Sphere to better manage online relationships with constituents and enhance e-commerce capabilities.
“The integration of Team Approach and Sphere provides the critical link for helping us understand how we are engaging with our constituents—both online and offline,” said Jack Callahan, senior director of membership for Connecticut Public Broadcasting. “Not only do we get to use the products that best meet our needs, but we can actually have the same data in both systems, providing a view of constituents that was previously hard to find. With Sphere and Team Approach we can know when donors call, respond to direct mail, click on an email, or join an online group.
“In addition, we also found Sphere’s segmentation ability extremely robust,” Callahan added. “We wanted the ability to quickly send the right information to the right group of members and Blackbaud Sphere does this extremely well.”
For Maine Public Broadcasting, the unified view of members was also critical. Additionally, the e-commerce functionality of Sphere will help the organization enhance its online thank you gift selection.
“We will have an online store where members can choose their thank you gifts,” said Judi Gardner, director of membership for Maine Public Broadcasting. “Sphere not only supports this functionality, it also enables us to build and mine online communities. Plus, because it is part of the Blackbaud family of products, it integrates with Team Approach so we can analyze and review data to better gauge the success of our efforts. It really was a simple decision.”
Sphere eMarketing includes tools to manage websites, send email campaigns, and host online membership pledge forms. Specifically for public broadcasting stations, Blackbaud has enhanced this offering to incorporate personalized content based on membership levels, e-commerce driven pledge gift stores, and an online membership center designed to enhance member acquisition and cultivation efforts. The solution also enables stations to improve operational efficiency by automating pledge reminders and renewals, and providing report and query tools to allow greater access to online member data.
Backed by award-winning services and support teams, Blackbaud’s comprehensive set of Internet solutions, featuring Blackbaud® NetCommunity™ and Blackbaud Sphere™, is designed to meet the evolving needs of nonprofits. With Blackbaud, nonprofits have a choice in implementation models with Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solutions, Blackbaud OnDemand hosting services, or self-hosting options. More than 400 employees are focused on strategy, design, development, and training services in support of Blackbaud’s Internet solutions. For more information, visit www.blackbaud.com/is.
About Blackbaud
Blackbaud is the leading global provider of software and services designed specifically for nonprofit organizations, enabling them to improve operational efficiency, build strong relationships, and raise more money to support their missions. Approximately 22,000 organizations — including University of Arizona Foundation, American Red Cross, Cancer Research UK, The Taft School,Lincoln Center, InTouch Ministries, Tulsa Community Foundation, Ursinus College,Earthjustice, International Fund for Animal Welfare, and the WGBH Educational Foundation — use one or more Blackbaud products and services for fundraising, constituent relationship management, financial management, website management, direct marketing, education administration, ticketing, business intelligence, prospect research, consulting, and analytics. Since 1981, Blackbaud’s sole focus and expertise has been partnering with nonprofits and providing them the solutions they need to make a difference in their local communities and worldwide. Headquartered in the United States, Blackbaud also has operations in Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia. For more information, visit www.blackbaud.com.
