Veteran

Kimberly Pierce

What courses do you recommend for someone who has been using RE since 1986?

Elizabeth Johnson

Hi, @Kimberly Pierce, great question! So you have one year on my organization for longevity with Blackbaud! BBU has some really great offerings that they didn't have back in the day.

• I recall when I started trying to get Blackbaud to share Best Practices in my experience they would often shy away from that question - now they have an entire series of classes on Best Practices. Not only do the instructors come with great ideas--the participation in these classes can have a great impact.
• The web view didn't exist so there many classes around this that would benefit a veteran. Here is a list of eLearning classes that addresses What's is New in Blackbaud's Raiser's Edge.
• Classes periodically to update your certifications can also be helpful. I have tried to update mine annually since around 2016. I will say that certifications have gotten a lot easier since they first came out. No more multiple choice with three answers and you have to get them all correct to get the answer right!
• If you haven't dived into Microsoft Power Platform and Power Automate and how you can use it to leverage your data, automate repetitive tasks, and maintain your database I started with this class and loved it! I can't say enough about bbdevdays and this community is shining with help, advice, and encouragement.

I hope this helps and thanks for asking!