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Blackbaud Announces New Enhancements to the Worlda?s Most Popular Online Fundraising Solutions


Published on 2010-06-17 07:00:24 - Market Wire
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CHARLESTON, S.C.--([ BUSINESS WIRE ])--Blackbaud, Inc. (Nasdaq: [ BLKB ]) today announced new releases of Blackbaud® Sphere and Blackbaud NetCommunitya" a" two of the key applications in Blackbauda™s suite of [ Internet solutions for nonprofits ]. The latest releases bring one-of-a-kind advancements to website management that have yet to be seen in the nonprofit market.

"Our online fundraising has continued to grow annually through executing strategies that promote more and continued use of Blackbaud Friends Asking Friends for our Memory Walk campaign"

aThe Internet is reshaping the way nonprofits are interacting with their audiences, and Blackbaud is putting considerable research and development into making sure our products can help lead their efforts,a said Steve MacLaughlin, director of Internet solutions. aEach of these new releases not only brings significant new technology to the nonprofit marketplace, but also demonstrates Blackbauda™s commitment to support the more than 4600 customers using our Internet solutions.a

The new versions of Blackbaud Sphere and Blackbaud NetCommunity represent Blackbauda™s ongoing investment in helping nonprofits reach, engage, and acquire supporters through online channels.

Blackbaud Sphere Enhancements

Blackbaud Sphere®, featuring Friends Asking Friends®, is a comprehensive online solution for email marketing, online event management, website management, and advocacy. Sphere easily integrates with other databases, third-party applications, and The Raisera™s Edge®.

Blackbauda™s Friends Asking Friends is the first and only event fundraising solution that provides mobile versions of personal fundraising pages, donation forms, and on-screen confirmations. Nonprofit websites built with Friends Asking Friends are able to automatically detect mobile browsers and display information in a format that is easily managed on a wireless device.

aOur online fundraising has continued to grow annually through executing strategies that promote more and continued use of Blackbaud Friends Asking Friends for our Memory Walk campaign,a said Lynn DeHoyos, Alzheimera™s Associationa™s director of constituent events. aWe look forward to leveraging the additions to the platform such as these that trend with modern technology and appeal to our donors.a

With the new version of Blackbaud Sphere, nonprofits can more easily use reporting tools to analyze the success of their online efforts, including form and transaction conversions, through integration with Google Analyticsa", the leading web analytics service. Nonprofits can now also manage Google AdWordsa" performance from directly within the application, enabling them to track conversion rates and return on investment for their Google® advertisements. aAddThisa social bookmarking capabilities have also been included in the new Blackbaud Sphere release, which enable website visitors to share website content with social networks and social media sites, resulting in greater website traffic and conversions.

Nonprofits can also benchmark their email marketing campaigns by accessing monthly reports, only available in Blackbaud Sphere. Each month, data from more than 2,100 Sphere customers is compiled across 22 standard email marketing metrics, which nonprofits can use as a reference tool to compare their performance to industry benchmarks.

Blackbaud NetCommunity Enhancements

Blackbaud NetCommunity is a comprehensive Internet marketing solution that integrates with The Raisera™s Edge and Blackbaud Enterprise CRMa" for website management, online community-building, and email marketing. In addition to many feature enhancements, the new version of Blackbaud NetCommunity has been built on Blackbauda™s next-generation Infinity platform, making the solution even more scalable, secure, and flexible. The [ Infinity SDK ] provides developers with new options for customization, data access, and extensibility.

In addition, with this release, nonprofits will be able to more easily request for and accept online payments made toward outstanding pledges stored in their fundraising management solutiona"whether they use The Raisera™s Edge or Blackbaud Enterprise CRMa".

aWea™re really excited about what this new release offers us in terms of managing online pledge payments,a said Stephanie Veatch, [ The Basilica of Saint Marya™s ] database and technology administrator. aGiven the current economic times, people need to have more control over when they make their gifts, and the new enhancements in Blackbaud NetCommunity will enable us to deliver that flexibility while automating the payment application process and saving valuable staff time.a

More than 4,600 nonprofit organizations around the world use Blackbaud Internet solutions, including Blackbaud NetCommunity,Blackbaud NetCommunity Growa", Blackbaud Sphere, and Blackbaud Sphere® Growa" for content email, and event management; online fundraising, online community building, and advocacy. For more information about Blackbauda™s Internet solutions, visit [ www.blackbaud.com/internetsolutions ].

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 a" including University of Arizona Foundation, American Red Cross, Cancer Research UK, The Taft School, Lincoln Center, In Touch Ministries, Tulsa Community Foundation, Ursinus College, Earthjustice, International Fund for Animal Welfare, and the WGBH Educational Foundation a" 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, Blackbauda™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 Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit [ www.blackbaud.com ].

Forward-looking Statements

Except for historical information, all of the statements, expectations, and assumptions contained in this news release are forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Although Blackbaud attempts to be accurate in making these forward-looking statements, it is possible that future circumstances might differ from the assumptions on which such statements are based. In addition, other important factors that could cause results to differ materially include the following: general economic risks; uncertainty regarding increased business and renewals from existing customers; continued success in sales growth; management of integration of acquired companies and other risks associated with acquisitions; risks associated with successful implementation of multiple integrated software products; the ability to attract and retain key personnel; risks related to our dividend policy and share repurchase program, including potential limitations on our ability to grow and the possibility that we might discontinue payment of dividends; risks relating to restrictions imposed by the credit facility; risks associated with management of growth; lengthy sales and implementation cycles, particularly in larger organization; technological changes that make our products and services less competitive; and the other risk factors set forth from time to time in the SEC filings for Blackbaud, copies of which are available free of charge at the SECa™s website at [ www.sec.gov ] or upon request from Blackbaud's investor relations department. All Blackbaud product names appearing herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of Blackbaud, Inc.

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