Blackbaud and Microsoft Forge Enhanced Partnership to Boost Nonprofit and Education Sectors
Silicon Valley, October 2023 - In a groundbreaking move to support the nonprofit and education sectors, Blackbaud and Microsoft have unveiled plans to deepen their integration of advanced AI and analytical tools into Blackbaud’s suite of purpose-built software solutions. This collaboration aims to streamline operations and enhance the efficacy of social impact organizations around the globe.
Central to this initiative is the integration of Microsoft technologies into Blackbaud's donor management systems, notably Blackbaud CRM and Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT. These systems have been meticulously designed with a comprehensive fundraising data model, which has been proven to improve data coherence and operational efficiency. By leveraging these advancements, nonprofit organisations can better manage their fundraising activities, leading to an increase in donor numbers, gifts, and the overall funds raised.
A significant aspect of this enhancement is the incorporation of Microsoft Fabric, a tool that unifies disparate data sources. This integration will introduce new capabilities, such as role-specific productivity dashboards. These dashboards are intended to help users focus on critical tasks and prioritise their next actions, thereby increasing productivity and effectiveness.
Thousands of Blackbaud's existing customers are already experiencing increased productivity by using Blackbaud's Microsoft Power Platform connectors, available on the Blackbaud Marketplace. These connectors enable organisations to create custom applications, automate workflows, build dashboards, and fine-tune reporting for their Blackbaud solutions, ultimately saving time and raising more funds for their causes.
Sudip Datta, Chief Product Officer at Blackbaud, expressed enthusiasm about the collaboration, stating, “A tremendous opportunity exists for our two companies to collaborate on ways to help social impact organizations use AI and automation to address key operational and financial challenges. As a longstanding Microsoft partner and leader in the nonprofit technology space, we're committed to making sure our customers have access to the latest innovation within a connected ecosystem purpose-built for the social impact sector. We're excited to be leveraging Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service and Microsoft Fabric within our solutions, helping social impact organizations accelerate impact.”
Echoing this sentiment, Justin Spelhaug, Corporate Vice President of Microsoft’s Tech for Social Impact, part of Microsoft Philanthropies, noted, “Microsoft is committed to empowering social good organizations with the technology and tools they need to achieve more impact. We are grateful for the collaboration with Blackbaud who has been a pioneer in applying AI and cloud technologies to the social sector. Together, we are enabling social impact organizations to transform their operations, optimize their resources and amplify their outcomes.”
The collaboration is underpinned by a history of partnership between Blackbaud and Microsoft, with Blackbaud’s early adoption of Microsoft Azure as a foundation for many of its core products. This alliance continues with ongoing integration of new Azure capabilities. Notably, Blackbaud's financial management software, Financial Edge NXT, will soon incorporate the Microsoft Azure AI Document Intelligence service. This will automate invoice and receipt scanning, streamlining the entire payables process from start to finish, directly within Financial Edge NXT.
Furthermore, Blackbaud is utilising Microsoft AI Services to advance its Intelligence for Good strategy. One notable outcome of this is Blackbaud Impact Edge, the company's new data and storytelling solution currently under development. By making AI both powerful and accessible, these innovations are poised to further enhance social impact missions globally.
As leaders in nonprofit technology and corporate philanthropy respectively, Blackbaud and Microsoft’s enhanced partnership marks a significant step forward in empowering social good organisations with cutting-edge technology, enabling them to operate more efficiently and achieve greater impact.
Source: Noah Wire Services