Flash a Light on Searching and Reporting

Will Wellman

While getting ready to walk the dog last night, I made a horrific discovery. The flashlight I use on night walks, to mitigate the pup’s hedge-sleuthing (among shining the spotlight on other, more unspeakable things) was out of batteries.

Now, now, now … I know what you’re thinking. “Who still carries a flashlight—let alone a flashlight that needs batteries?” And to that question I will say: let me live my life.

But your next question is probably: “Why was a flashlight being out of batteries so horrific?”

And the answer to that is simple: the batteries are kept in the junk drawer in my kitchen. The Bermuda Triangle of storage. You know, the drawer that holds everything you need: batteries, little-used kitchen gadgets, extra coasters, loose coins, birthday cards you can’t bring yourself to throw away, some matches, and maybe a few rogue teabags. The problem is, no matter how many times you plan to organize that drawer, you never do. So every dive into the Drawer of Doom leads to fear, tears, and a lot of anger as you fumble around your long-forgotten items.

My anticipation of having to rummage through the drawer got me thinking a lot about our Blackbaud Grantmaking databases and how much easier it is to find and filter our data by searching and reporting. I wish I could run a Full Search on my junk drawer.

Quick Tip: When adding filters in Full Search, you can set filters as defaults for any record type by clicking the Set as defaults button.

If you’re not that familiar with or just need a refresher on the power of the searching and reporting tools within Blackbaud Grantmaking, take our newest free eLearning course:

Blackbaud Grantmaking: Basics of Searching and Reporting

Ensure you’re never left in the dark, fumbling through your database. Check out this eLearning to learn more about how to use Quick Search, Full Search, and how to run and export ad hoc and standard reports!

Looking for advanced Blackbaud Grantmaking training? Find out how a Blackbaud Learn^® training subscription can help develop your efficiency and ongoing skills.