shouldiuse.io

Report

Should I Use Blackbaud?

blackbaud.com·Analyzed 1 day ago··Based on 12 sources

Leading Software for Nonprofits and Education

Verdict

Depends

Buy only if you're a large nonprofit, university, or foundation with dedicated database admins and a real software budget.

Confidence: Medium

Small and midsize nonprofits get enterprise overhead, opaque pricing, and migration pain they don't need.

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

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
Best for and not for

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

Biggest gotcha

  • high2020 breach led to FTC agreement and multistate settlements; scrutinize data-security terms⁸
  • mediumCustom pricing plus implementation costs; get total cost in writing before signing⁴
  • medium'Right-size' alternatives articles show buyers commonly overbuy, then migrate away10
  • lowSoftwareAdvice reviewers mention duplicate data issues

Pros

  • Purpose-built suite for nonprofits, education, and grantmaking⁵
  • Raiser's Edge NXT praised for ease of use on G2³
  • Covers fundraising, fund accounting, grants, and SIS under one vendor¹
  • Multiple products recognized in G2's 2025 Best Software Awards

Cons

  • Luminate Online reviewers call integrations 'terrible'²
  • 2020 breach harmed nonprofits and universities; lasting donor-data impact⁶
  • No published pricing; custom quotes only⁴
  • Support complaints appear in Blackbaud's own community forums11
  • Complaints on file with the Better Business Bureau

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

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.

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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