Raiser’s Edge Fundamentals & Professional Certifications For 2018

Mike Adams

Great news—Blackbaud University 2018 Certification is available now!


You know Raiser’s Edge inside and out. But can you prove it? Blackbaud certification in Raiser’s Edge is the best way to demonstrate your level of product mastery. If you’re ready to prove what you know, get certified!


Blackbaud University offers certified learning opportunities to recognize student achievement and help validate product knowledge. We provide these development opportunities to reflect our students’ commitment to excellence.

Fundamentals Certification
Ready to take the first step in proving your Raiser’s Edge product knowledge? Start the process to become Blackbaud Fundamentals certified in Raiser’s Edge. The recommended path to achieve product-specific certification is to first attend the Fundamentals series of courses, and then take the Raiser’s Edge Fundamentals Exam.


If you have previously taken the Fundamentals courses, or feel you have the necessary product skills and knowledge, you may proceed to the exam. Students who pass with an 80% score or better are Fundamentals certified. Passing this exam enables access to all courses for which the Fundamentals series is a prerequisite. Fundamentals certification is a great milestone for every Raiser’s Edge user.


Certification Designation
·         Fundamentals: Raiser’s Edge bCRE

Fundamentals Exam Recommended Courses
Raiser’s Edge: Fundamentals—Constituents
Raiser’s Edge: Fundamentals—Gifts
Raiser’s Edge: Fundamentals—Query
Raiser’s Edge: Fundamentals—Data Analysis and Extraction

Professional Certification
Are you ready to take the next step? Blackbaud University provides a secondary level of certification for Raiser’s Edge users. This Professional level of certification indicates a broader and deeper knowledge set. Eligibility for Professional certification requires Fundamentals certification and completion of required badges.


Badges serve as learning paths to guide students who want to build toward advanced expertise and Professional certification. Before attempting any badge exam, we suggest taking the associated recommended courses. Recommended Courses Raiser’s Edge: Expert Data Segmentation with Query Raiser’s Edge: Actionable Reporting Raiser’s Edge: Data Extraction 2 Raiser’s Edge: Maintaining Accurate Constituent Records Raiser’s Edge: Moves Management and Retention Raiser’s Edge: Developing and Managing Recurring Gifts Raiser’s Edge: Efficient Mail Communications Raiser’s Edge: Optimizing Mail with Segmentation

Certification Badge Exams

Data Analysis Badge

Fundraising Badge

Communications Badge

 

These area-specific badges allow students to customize their learning plan to fit their goals. The ambitious learner can complete all required badges and then attempt the Professional level exam. The student who passes with 80% or better can proudly claim their Professional Certification for the year of issuance.

Certification Designations
·         Fundamentals: Raiser’s Edge bCRE
·         Professional: Raiser’s Edge bCRE-Pro

Bonus: All recommended courses, exams, badges, and certifications are included in Blackbaud University’s Learn More^® and Learn Everything^® training subscriptions! The opportunity to earn Raiser’s Edge Fundamentals certification (bCRE) is also included in the regional course Raiser’s Edge: Fundamentals and Certification.

Action Item: Ready to test your skill? Click on the course names in this blog post to view the course descriptions and course abstracts.

Credentials
When you achieve accreditation, you join a savvy community of professionals who are Blackbaud experts, and you attain credentials recognized as the industry standard. Blackbaud Certification validates your credentials, enhances your resume, and helps advance your career.

Bonus: When you pass your certification exam, you’ll receive a certificate and will be able to start promoting your Professional designation. You will also receive an email from Blackbaud with a link to download the certification seal to share on social media pages, and a small digital icon to use on your business cards, resume, and email signature. You can even promote your certification status with a badge on your Blackbaud Community profile!

No Expiration
Every certification identifies the year it was achieved. There is no expiration on a certification, but the year gives context to when the title was achieved. We encourage students to periodically renew certification in order to reflect updates in the product platforms. You can use your certification as exemption from Raiser’s Edge instructor-led prerequisite courses for a full three years after certification date.

No Course Requirement
We want you to pass your certification examination; we therefore recommend specific courses be taken before attempting certification. However, if you feel you possess skills and knowledge strong enough to pass an exam, we encourage you to take the exam without taking the recommended courses. To learn what topics are covered in a recommended course (and in the associated certification exam), click on the course name in this blog post to review the course abstract.

 

Melissa S Graves

There is nothing in this that tells me how to get to the exams...

Elizabeth Johnson

The links to the badges and certifications are within these documents.

https://www.blackbaud.com/files/resources/downloads/Datasheet_Training_Learn_RE.pdf

https://www.blackbaud.com/files/resources/downloads/Datasheet_Training_Learn_RENXT.pdf


Hope that helps,

Elizabeth

Connie Degneau

Where can I find the Professional Certification exam?

Mike Adams

Hey Connie!

The Professional Exam will only appear as an option after the Fundamentals Certification and the Badges have been completed with a passing score. This causes it to 'unlock' after about 24 hours after the Badge exams have been passed. Once it appears, you will be able to register for the exam.  You can either search for it from Training Central or by clicking the name of the exam from the datasheets:
https://www.blackbaud.com/files/resources/downloads/Datasheet_Training_Learn_RE.pdf
https://www.blackbaud.com/files/resources/downloads/Datasheet_Training_Learn_RENXT.pdf

Mike

Connie Degneau

Has this happened with anyone else?  I've completed the badges but the Professional Certification isn't available - it just points me back to the badges.

Ana Popescu

Hi. I've got all my badges examp and the fundamentals but it happend in 2017, can i take the Professional exam or should I retake the fundametals plus the badges again for this year?

Mike Adams

Hi Ana!  I checked with Training Help and they said that they already chatted with you. There would be no need to take the 2017 Fundamentals exam, but you would need to take the 2018 Badge Exams.

Jessica Price

Is there any kind of study guide or preparation materials (like the badge exam tables above) for the Professionals exam?

Sunshine Reinken Watson

Do we have to do the badge tests again when renewing?

Mike Adams

Hey Jessica!  We recommend reviewing the class handouts from the prerequisite classes for the badge exams as a way to review/study for the Professional Certification. Thanks and good luck!

Mike Adams

Hey Sunshine!  If your last Professional Certification Exam was taken in 2017 and you wish to renew, you would need to take (and pass) the 2018 Badge Exams first to unlock the 2018 Professional Certification Exam. 

Crystal Chouinard

It is funny how a taking a test and getting certified can make you feel so good about yourself. It is the little things in life  

Karen Hammond

Are you able to just take the Exam?  I have worked on RE for some time and now we have moved to NXT. I feel I know database well enought just to take the exam.

 

Mike Adams

Hi Karen!  If you navigate  directly to https://www.blackbaud.com/files/resources/downloads/Datasheet_Training_Learn_RE.pdf you should be able to begin taking the exams right away.

Joan Schutt

Do you have to renew every year???

Mike Adams

Hey Joan! You don't have to take it every year. Having the credit from the exam will exempt you from pre-requisite classes for up to three years. Have a great weekend!

Mike Adams

Hey Allison!

 

So, I would say there are two ways to go about it; pitch the exam itself, and pitch a Learn More subscription (which includes exams and classes).

Advantages of the exam you could mention:

• Covering the exam(s) is an inexpensive way to help members of your team continue their professional development by proving they know the product
• Covering the cost of the exam could be a tool in future job posts and recruiting for the organization
• On the recruiting theme, organizations can cast a wider net when hiring new employees if they are willing to pay for training/certification as they will no longer need to “require” BB product experience in the job posting. This will give the organization more liberty to choose new recruits that fit their culture and mission, rather than have a more limited pool of potential hires with RE experience, etc

A Learn More subscription would include all of the above benefits, but the cost of the subscription is usually less than purchasing each class and exam separately. Having access to training with a subscription would take off more of the burden of onboarding new employees from current employees, help them learn the system more quickly, and allow them to learn best practices from the classes themselves and through the classroom discussions with other attendees at different organizations.


Anyway, those are some things to consider. Let me know if you’d like your organization’s Account Exec to reach out. Good luck!


Mike

 

KaLeigh Lee

Is there a way to see what questions you've missed on the certification exam? I'd like to know what I don't know.

Adriana Navarro

Still want to know when the Master Level (bCRE-Ma) is coming out? It seems it has been in the works for years.

Mike Adams

Hi KaLeigh!


There is not a way to see the specific questions missed, but the score should show you the module or area where questions were missed. Knowing which module to review will hopefully help on the second time around.

Mike Adams

Hi Adriana! A Masters Level certification for Raiser's Edge is under consideration, but we have no specific plans for it at this time. If you are looking for more advanced certifications, you may wish to consider our Best Practices Nonprofit Fundraising Certification.  

Annette Rurka

I wish there were more Professional Badges offered so that we get bCRE-Pro certification that is based upon our roles within our organization.  The certification offered this year is more Development based except for the Communications Badge.  Database Administration needs its own badge if you are looking into giving options for this.  Maybe you could offer five badges and three can be chosen to get professional level certification.  Thanks, Annette  

Jenna Anderson 2

Yes, was finally able to take my professional certification! 

Mike Adams

Hi Annette,

I like the idea! There is no plans to offer additional badge exams this year, but we will take that under consideration for the future.

Mike

Mike Adams

Hi Jenna,


I am glad to hear it!


Mike

Christopher Blitz

Excellent post Mike. Thanks for all the information. I was able to clear through the fundamentals cert exam, along with the fundraising, communication, and data analysis badges with very little trouble. I would assume that I just need to wait the 24 hours you mentioned to open up the professional cert exam. 1 quick question, is there someplace I could find a basic study guide on what will be in the professional cert exam?  I didn't take any of the classes to pass the other exams, so I'm unable to pull the handouts from those classes as you mentioned in a previous post.  Any information would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks again. 

Mike Adams

Thanks Chris! The best way to prepare for the Professional Exam is to prepare for the Badge Exams that serve as pre-requisites. The Professional Exam covers the same courses as the Badge Exams, so reviewing the handouts after taking the Badge Exam courses would be the normal, recommended way to prepare. If you passed the Badge Exams already, my recommendation would be to review any program areas that you felt less familiar with during the Badge Exams. 

Karina Trujillo

Once we pass our certification Pro exam how to we add it to our profile?  I've been looking and can't find it anywhere?

 

Larry Wheeler

Great information!   Now to convince those with the checks!

Mike Adams

Hi Karina! The email notification after you passed the exam should include a link to claim your badge for the Community. Send me a private message if you didn't get it or if it doesn't work.