What does Professional certification mean to you?

Mike Adams

Professional certification in Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT® is the highest level of certification. But what does it mean to you?

Share your journey, thoughts, experiences, hopes, and accomplishments in the comments below!

The reply with the most Community Likes between now and Sept. 1,2021 will get some cool Blackbaud University swag – and who doesn’t love free stuff?

Bonus: Here’s something exciting – everyone who replies to this thread and achieves Professional level certification by Sept. 1, 2021 will be invited to attend a special Q&A webinar with one of our rock star Raiser’s Edge NXT Specialists.

So tell us about your journey to Raiser’s Edge NXT Professional Certification and enjoy this great perk!

Brent Troth 2

Professional certification is very important to me. I re-certify each year to make sure I am staying up on the latest developments in RENXT and yes, I added “, bCRE-Pro” behind my name on my company business cards. Additionally, renewing my certification is a great way to fill one of those job objective slots that HR requires use to create each year during annual evaluations. After so many years, my supervisor and I have a hard time coming up with new ones!

Daniel Bayer

Professional certification means validation. It's something I can look at when I'm feeling overwhelmed and like I maybe don't know what I'm doing and be reminded that I actually DO know what I'm doing. It felt really good to pass that test in the moment, and it continues to feel that way when I see “bCRE-Pro" on my resume.

It also feels kinda like being part of a secret special club, and who doesn't like that??

Angela Tuttle 2

I like keep my colleagues and myself up to date on the software. I always seem to learn something new. At times my job can skip from one module to another and I like to know that I am keeping current with certification and staying active in the Blackbaud Community. Continuing certification is important to me.

Heather Pauli

While it’s nice to pass the test and add bCRE-Pro under my name on company emails, I think my biggest benefit from my Professional recertification is being forced to remember proper RE terminology for processes I’ve used for years!

Daniel Moody

I have routinely achieved my Fundamentals certification because I valued the education and preparedness that it provided for the software that we routinely use. Recently, I was invited to the Blackbaud Champions portal and soon found out that there were extra opportunities to do the Professional certification. Being Professional Certified in Raiser's Edge is just extra validation for both myself and our department that we have capable hands at the helm of the software.

roger berg

I like to be able to list bCRE-Pro on my e-signature. Those who know what that title means understand that it is one thing to say that you're “familiar with” The Raiser's Edge but a whole different level of familiarity and knowledge that comes with being certified. Those who don't know what it means will sometimes ask and then the Data Geek in me comes out while I explain it to them. I was able to use Champion points earned over the years to, “pay” for my tests which was a really great advantage to someone working in a smaller shop with limited training dollars. It's also validation that I am actually good at what I do and that's the sort of feedback we don't always get in this line of work. I'm proud to be certified! (Guess I need to renew now…)

Faith Murray

I love knowing that I am always challenging myself to new and better things. That's part of the joy of database management: the constant quest to solve unknown mysteries, to rise to better solutions, and to save the world (or at least save the day-to-day office mechanism). DBM's are a specially-wired people who get joy out of vanquishing foes and overcoming challenges. So a test to prove our mettle is right up our line. At the end of a long tourney, we get a trophy and get to become knighted.

On a practical level, as others have said, it's validation. Validation to your boss that you are proficient in your job. Validation to HR that your position deserves professional compensation for trained (non-entry) work. Validation to your team that your policies are well-crafted (and should be followed). Validation to other employers, who have to judge your capacities from one small resume.

To be honest, though – Professional isn't enough for me. I want a certification that includes Imports and all the other advanced stuff! Blackbaud, please?

Dawn Pello

Reviewing this thread inspired me, I just took and passed the exam. I believe having the certification will give me more credibility when I am assisting and training others within my organization. It can also be useful to those who are considering making job changes. Glad I took the time!

Katherine Manniion

I've been thinking about this question for 12 days, since @Mike Adams posted it. My opinion of certification has evolved over the years, so here goes, for better or for worse….

I took the tests and became certified in its inaugural year, and had the same feeling as so many of you have commented. I was proud of myself, felt validated. But it didn't “get” me anything. (Oh, except a fun party at bbcon with the few of us who were certified. It felt very exclusive!) My boss was happy for me, although she already knew I knew what I was doing in RE.

Certification didn't get me any raises or new jobs…my connections and knowledge got me those. Being active in my local user group and getting to know people online and at conferences got me those.

And now, many years later, I am a consultant who works with clients all over the country who have databases in need. Typically, there has been turnover, RE is a mess, there is no one on the fundraising team who is an expert at RE to guide and train the team. Often, the database manager is new-ish, and has taken the Blackbaud classes to try to catch up quickly, and I've heard over and over “I just passed the professional exam." Awesome! But time and again, all it means is they passed the exam. They're still confused, need support, lack the expertise many of us have put in years to accumulate.

So, what does Professional Certification mean to me? I guess I'm just not sure that it's as important to me as I once thought it was. Maybe it needs to be harder? Maybe you need to prove that you've worked in RE for a certain number of years before you can take it? And as RENXT becomes more sophisticated, will the exam evolve with it? Do you need to understand the Marketplace, and how to add integrations etc. to be a Professional or are we still just talking about RE itself? Should it be regulated so that you have to renew every year?

(I guess I had a lot to say about it after thinking about it for almost 2 weeks!)

Faith Murray

Katherine, I appreciate your profound thought on the subject of certification! What I see in certification is the same as you - yet different. I think we have to remember what topics are actually covered in each certification: to value them for what they teach, and not belittle them for expecting them to be more than they really are.

• Fundamentals covers constituent records, gifts, and basic data entry. This confirms a person's ability to enter clean data within a single record. This level would be appropriate for data entry staff.
• Professional covers Reports, Queries, and Exports. It confirms that a user knows how to extract bulk data from Raiser's Edge for mailings and strategic decisions. This level would be appropriate for Development Directors, mailing list generators, donor prospectors, and finance officers.
• There is no Master level, for Database Managers. (I have heard that there used to be, once upon a time.) Neither of the above certifications confirms a user's ability in Imports, SQL, software integration, plugins, Global Adds, Crystal Reports – basically, anything in the Config or Admin tabs – or overall database structuring.

I understand the lack you see when you encounter an organization that has poor data structure. However, the reality is that several different job tiers exist in database work, and each requires a different skill set, and a different certification. Rather than condemning the Professional certification for what it does not do, let's celebrate it for what it is, and beg Blackbaud to add a third level for DBM's!

Dariel Dixon 2

Now that you mention it @Faith Murray, I would really love to see a return to the master level. It was not even available for a whole year before it was discontinued. I don't know why they don't bring it back.

Katherine Manniion

Fair point, Faith! Maybe it's the word Professional that's tripping me up. That word, and the designation on someone's signature as a Professional, should represent a mastery of the tool, and in my experience I have encountered people who have achieved the certification but have not achieved mastery. Maybe, as you say, we need another level of certification.

Katherine Manniion

After some thought, I want to be clear...I think the certification IS an accomplishment. It absolutely is! And while I have encountered people who have the certification without the expertise to back it up, I know that there are MANY more RE Professionals who have achieved and deserve this designation. I hope you all didn't think that's what I meant!

Fr Christopher Rowe

Thanks for all the great feedback. I'm going to look at getting certified at the Pro level.

Jill McNally

This is great to know about. I will be looking into getting certified. Thanks for the tip!

Judy Spigarelli

As others have said, I'm proud to have the Professional certification. However, I feel like that can be achieved without true proficiency in Raiser's Edge. I'd like to see the certification cover more topics and more challenging processes to be considered a professional level. I have very limited experience in NXT, but understanding the logic of RE made pro certification in NXT achievable for me when perhaps it should not have been.

I like to see others obtain their certification because it certainly boosts confidence and it takes some bravery to be willing to be tested.

Mayra Cataln

Thanks for sharing, Mike! What's the best way to get started? I recently joined the Development team and I am still getting familiar with Raiser's Edge NXT.

Brett Scott

This is great. What do I need to do, in order to get certified?

Lorraine Grannum

This is the best system ever. I love working in RE & RENXT

Michelle Williams 5

Professional certification in Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT® is the highest level of certification. But what does it mean to you?

A certification in any software program for me means that it tells people: “I know what I know and I know it well” ?

Since RENXT is used by a large number of non profits, I would be a valuable employee for hire t any organization I apply to.

Veronica Adams

I was certified professionally a few years ago and it was a very proud moment for me. I feel very accomplished and knowledgeable in my role as a database administrator and I take my job seriously.

It is a wonderful accomplishment and looks good if you are looking for other careers in the field and also you can be counted on for advice and input.

Brock Veltri

I have used other fundraising software in the past but Raisers Edge and NXT are the best of the best. I am now 3 months into using this software and I really feel that the opportunities are limitless to make connecting with constituents more effective and more focused. I am eager to see what our organization revenue looks like next year as we utilize Raisers edge more and more each day!

Barbara Kunkel

I am proud to receive the Professional certification in RE NXT. I have worked for 18 years in RE database view and was happy to see NXT web view. Certification shows co-workers, my supervisor, my peers, and finally, myself that I am knowledgeable. I can create policies and procedures to allow our team to have the best database (yes, even the garbage ). My previous employer left RE to another CRM, and I missed RE so much. Having the training and skillsets enabled me to seek other employment because of these opportunities.

Michelle Foster 3

I've worked in databases for nearly 40 years, but have been taking all the training classes for RE/NXT as we are converting to it in February 2022. 49 classes and 76 hours later, I got the email that I'm considered a professional. I hesitate to say that I am, especially since I have yet to really be WORKING in RE/NXT just yet. Hopefully one day soon I will feel confident in saying I'm a professional in RE/NXT.

Brock Veltri

HI Michell,


I spent my first two months on the job taking those classes. They were very helpful as I now have a laid out plan for attacking the next calendar year. Great job being proactive. I think you will really enjoy the software!

Tracey Curran

Hi Mike

When I first joined my organisation 2 yrs ago as the Data Manager this was my first encounter with RE and then NXT when we migrated, so I really appreciated the classes and being able to demonstrate my learning by achieving the certifications. I now have 5 certifications including my professional which just felt like the icing on the cake for me and i'm super proud to show these in my email signature and on my linkedin account.

Michelle Foster 3

Thanks, Brock, for your message. I appreciate your comment about enjoying the software. I've been through one other conversion and several process/policy changes in my time, so I'm just looking forward to getting into the actual system and getting comfortable with all it can do.

Sunshine Reinken Watson

It is validation! It also helped me get into the position I am in today. I just took the new NXT professional exam and passed. What are the credentials for this? bCRE-Pro NXT???

Keena Bait

Earning a professional certification to me means that I would be able to do my job at a higher level and would be able to help others progress as well. I would love to accomplish professional certification!

Ariel Dressen

To earn a professional certification would mean I would have a more comprehensive understanding of this program to better assist my fellow advancement colleagues. I have experience with the program, but am not even CLOSE to “professional” & would love to learn more about how to about earning this certification.