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Moving from The Raiser’s Edge® to Blackbaud CRM™: What’s the Difference?

January 15, 2016

So your organization uses the Raiser’s Edge and you’re moving to Blackbaud CRM. You might be surprised to learn that some of the functionality you take for granted in the Raiser’s Edge does not exist in Blackbaud CRM. Or, it’s quite a bit different. Here are five differences you’re going to want to know about!

  • Limited import capability out of the box. While The Raiser’s Edge can import just about anything in one of its standard import layouts, Blackbaud CRM has fewer import templates available. You may need to specify and have custom import templates built for data you import regularly.
  • Different options for Global Changes. The Global Change features in The Raiser’s Edge allow for plenty of easy updates to your database. Blackbaud CRM comes with many more limits on the data that can be transformed through global change.
  • More complex Query Tool. If you thought giving access to your Raiser’s Edge users to build their own queries was tough, wait until you see the CRM’s Query Tools. You can build a Smart Query based on an Ad-Hoc Query. You can build a report based on an Ad-Hoc Query. You can build a Selection on either a Smart Query or an Ad-Hoc Query. Each tool has its own unique set of capabilities, and all of them are complex.
  • Revamped General Ledger configuration. If your organization spent time setting up the General Ledger distribution tables behind your Raiser’s Edge funds, be prepared. CRM’s General Ledger configuration is completely different and will have to be built again from scratch.
  • Different treatments for Appeals and Packages. Although appeals and packages “concepts” exist in CRM, they take a different form that may require changing business processes and reporting codes. For example, you cannot split gifts at the appeal level, and you cannot assign a package at the gift level (you cannot assign a package code that is different than the one you used when you sent out the direct marketing piece).

Make sure that as you go through your implementation you don’t forget these functional differences. You, your technical team, and your end users need to be prepared!

 

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