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Blackbaud Review

Depends

Should I use Blackbaud?

Leading Software for Nonprofits and Education - blackbaud.com

· 2 weeks ago

Buy only if you're a large nonprofit, university, or foundation with dedicated database admins and a real software budget. Small and midsize nonprofits get enterprise overhead, opaque pricing, and migration pain they don't need.

Confidence

Medium. Based on 20+ public sources: G2 reviews, FTC and state AG records, pricing trackers, and community forums. Pricing and user quotes were only available truncated.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Feature depth
  • Support quality
  • Security posture

Pricing

Quote-based

Custom

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierNo

Best for

  • Large nonprofits with dedicated database admins
  • University advancement and alumni teams
  • Orgs needing fund accounting plus CRM together
  • Foundations running large grant programs

Not for

  • Small nonprofits — expensive, admin-heavy overkill
  • For-profits wanting a simple sales CRM or contact list
  • Teams without budget for implementation and training
  • Buyers who need transparent, published pricing

Gotchas - check before you buy

high

2020 breach led to FTC agreement and multistate settlements; scrutinize data-security terms

medium

Custom pricing plus implementation costs; get total cost in writing before signing

medium

'Right-size' alternatives articles show buyers commonly overbuy, then migrate away

low

SoftwareAdvice reviewers mention duplicate data issues

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Purpose-built suite for nonprofits, education, and grantmaking
  • Raiser's Edge NXT praised for ease of use on G2
  • Covers fundraising, fund accounting, grants, and SIS under one vendor
  • Multiple products recognized in G2's 2025 Best Software Awards

Cons

  • Luminate Online reviewers call integrations 'terrible'
  • 2020 breach harmed nonprofits and universities; lasting donor-data impact
  • No published pricing; custom quotes only
  • Support complaints appear in Blackbaud's own community forums
  • Complaints on file with the Better Business Bureau

Sources & method

- 12 sources - 2020 breach affected nonprofit and university customers; resolved via 2024 FTC agreement and $6.75M California settlement; now runs a Trust Center.

official x1review x7security x3news x1
  • 2020 data breach, Security incident exposed data of nonprofit and university donors; ID Theft Center documented lasting impact.
  • FTC agreement (2024), Blackbaud reached agreement with the FTC related to its handling of the 2020 security incident.
  • $6.75M California settlement (2024), California AG settlement over the breach and disclosure practices.
  • Multistate AG settlements (2023), Assurance of voluntary compliance agreements with North Carolina, DC, and Ohio.

Key stats

  • Value for money: 2/5

    Rating

  • Quote-based

    Starting price

  • 12

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 2/5. Custom quotes, implementation fees, opaque pricing
  • Ease of use: 3/5. Raiser's Edge NXT ease praised; Luminate integration pain
  • Feature depth: 4/5. Spans fundraising CRM, accounting, grants, SIS
  • Support quality: 2/5. Complaints in community forums and BBB
  • Security posture: 2/5. 2020 breach; FTC and state settlements
  • 1,336 G2 reviews Across Blackbaud product listings
  • Custom quote Pricing Not published publicly
  • 3.4/5 Employee rating AmbitionBox, 100+ employee reviews
  • $6.75M+ Regulatory settlements CA AG 2024; FTC, NC, DC, OH 2023-24

Pricing

Custom

Quote-based

  • Varies by product and org size
  • Implementation costs apply

Security

2020 breach affected nonprofit and university customers; resolved via 2024 FTC agreement and $6.75M California settlement; now runs a Trust Center.

  • 2020 data breachSecurity incident exposed data of nonprofit and university donors; ID Theft Center documented lasting impact.⁶
  • FTC agreement (2024)Blackbaud reached agreement with the FTC related to its handling of the 2020 security incident.⁷
  • $6.75M California settlement (2024)California AG settlement over the breach and disclosure practices.⁸
  • Multistate AG settlements (2023)Assurance of voluntary compliance agreements with North Carolina, DC, and Ohio.

Companies that use it

  • University of Texas at Austin
  • Clemson University
  • Valley City State University
  • Community Health Center of Lubbock
  • Charleston Animal Society
Full analysis

Based on 20+ public sources: G2 reviews, FTC and state AG records, pricing trackers, and community forums. Pricing and user quotes were only available truncated.

Enterprise-grade nonprofit suite: deep but pricey. Right for big orgs with admins; overkill for small teams.

Methodology

Based on 20+ public sources: G2 reviews, FTC and state AG records, pricing trackers, and community forums. Pricing and user quotes were only available truncated.

Read how a report is made.

Sources

  1. Blackbaud Products on G2 (1,336 reviews)g2.com
    review
  2. Blackbaud Luminate Online Pros and Cons — G2g2.com
    review
  3. Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT Pros and Cons — G2g2.com
    review
  4. Blackbaud Pricing — Vendr marketplacevendr.com
    review
  5. Blackbaud Pricing pageblackbaud.com
    official
  6. Blackbaud Data Breach Lasting Impact — ID Theft Centeridtheftcenter.org
    security
  7. Blackbaud — FTC case pageftc.gov
    security
  8. CA AG $6.75M settlement against Blackbaudoag.ca.gov
    security
  9. Blackbaud Alternatives for Small to Midsize Nonprofits4agoodcause.com
    review
  10. 8 Blackbaud alternatives for nonprofits ready to right-sizedonordock.com
    news
  11. Blackbaud support discussion — Blackbaud Communitycommunity.blackbaud.com
    review
  12. Blackbaud Reviews — AmbitionBox (employees)ambitionbox.com
    review

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