RE replacement?

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Sharon Yokelson
Sharon Yokelson
Ancient Membership 5 Likes First Comment Blackbaud Certified
in Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT®: General Discussion
We are really frustrated with BB in general, we use EE, RE and FE and they are so outdated and complicated we are looking for replacements - with out going to the "ON" products or RE NXT. Any thoughts or suggestions.
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  • Julia Kalinkina
    Julia Kalinkina
    Ninth Anniversary 10 Comments 25 Likes Photogenic

    You can try CiviCRM  as a replacement for RE - it is good enough and it is open source (ie free). In my opinion though RE functionality is better.

  • Elizabeth Johnson
    Elizabeth Johnson Community All-Star
    Ancient Membership 500 Likes 500 Comments Photogenic
    Our school is in the process of transitioning to Veracross at the moment. Our Reenrollment will go live on February 13.


    We had been "integrated" between admission, academic, business office, and development with Blackbaud. Our summer programs was on a different database as was our health office although they had access to EE. Admission moved away to School Admin a few years ago. All departments aside from development is moving to Veracross. They do have the capability to handle development functionality, although I don't see it as an improvement for us and I am capable of getting the relevant data from Veracross into RE swiftly with the help of my little friend ImportOmatic. We are very impressed with what Veracross can do to replace EE. They are willing to share contacts of schools that have all departments that have made the transition, and ones that have kept with Raiser's Edge. There are some schools where the business office have decided to stay with Blackbaud. Make sure you fully view the product before checking those references though. 


    I'll be taking a look at the development piece again in another year to see if it makes sense for us to make the move. We are not a burden on any other department so we are free to make the choice that will best promote the school's mission and have a voice as to what data is collected in the (re)enrollment process. 


    Veracross is not a cheaper alternative. We did not make the decision lightly. It is a truly integrated system - one record per person no linking or syncronizing necessary. Everything (and I mean everything) is queriable. Knowing where a student is supposed to be at any particular time is very slick. Nightly datascrubbing . . . One knowledgeable account rep that manages migration, training, and support.


    I'll be breaking the Blackbaud integration in March and will finally be able to upgrade from 7.93 to 7.96. Timing was always an issue. My staff and I have prepped for the upgrade three times only to be let down right before as we were not a go. This time no further prep will be needed, no need to coordinate with other departments! 


    I hope you find this helpful,

    Elizabeth


     
  • Shelley Hindmon 2
    Shelley Hindmon 2 Blackbaud Employee
    Ninth Anniversary 25 Likes 10 Comments Photogenic

    Sharon Yokelson:

    We are really frustrated with BB in general, we use EE, RE and FE and they are so outdated and complicated we are looking for replacements - with out going to the "ON" products or RE NXT. Any thoughts or suggestions.

    Sharon, 


    I am sorry to hear that you are having difficulty with your Blackbaud products. I would definitely suggest looking into RE NXT, FE NXT, and ON products in place of going through the trouble of converting to an entirely new systems. I have worked with many RE clients who are very pleased with how easy it is for your fundraisers. RE and FE NXT both look more modern in the Web View and is built to be easy to use. Depending on the specific challenges you are expereiencing, you may find that the Web Views in NXT may be a good solution. I would recommend reaching out to your account executive for more information. 


    My other suggestion would be to take some of the trainings for RE, FE and EE. Oftentimes, the functionality can be difficult to figure out by yourself but our instructors, like myself, can provide a solid foundation on how to use the features and give you tips on how to use it most efficiently and effectively. We offer classes online, private trainings with your team at your organization, and regional trainings in many cities. To learn more about the classes that we offer, you can visit Training Central (www.blackbaud.com/trainingcentral). I would be happy to offer some specific suggestions.


    If you need assistance reaching out to your account executive or would like some suggestions on classes to take, please feel free to email me at shelley.hindmon@blackbaud.com. I would be happy to offer some help!


    Shelley Hindmon, bCRE-Pro, bCET

    Educational Consultant

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