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Amy Sullivan 2
Amy Sullivan 2
Seventh Anniversary First Comment
in Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT®: General Discussion
I am currently in a career transition from corporate to public/nonprofit sector. I'm volunteering to gain more experience, and I have completed internships and projects in the past for MPA completion. I've used various donor database software (very quick learner!), but not Raiser's Edge...

I joined the Blackbaud RE community, because I have always been fascinated with development and donor databases, and the webinar I attended regarding RE had led me to believe that I could train and certify, even if I did not belong to an organization. At least, when I asked the question, the response was a resounding yes.

Yet, I recently tried to access the training and wasn't allowed to navigate: "your membership status doe does not allow you access. You must be signed in through an organization"... or something similar. I reached out to the chat help, and they stated I must be a member of an organization.

I'm looking for work, and want to be ready. Does anyone have any suggestions for RE training or Blackbaud membership? Any experience that helped a former corporate exec enter the nonprofit realm? I would love to say "Yes! I am familiar with Raiser's Edge!"... or even better, "I'm certified". It seems to be a tough sector to get into, and right now, I just want to learn. Any support would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
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  • Jon Nelson
    Jon Nelson
    Eighth Anniversary 100 Likes 100 Comments Photogenic
    Amy,


    You are correct, you can not take training thru Blackbaud University if you are not a client. 

    However, let me reach out to BBU / Trianing and see if this is something that is on their roadmap - or something they have given thought to.  I honestly don't know the answer, so let me see what I can find out.    
  • Jen Claudy
    Jen Claudy
    Tenth Anniversary 1,500 Likes 1000 Comments Name Dropper
    Maybe look for a volunteer or intern position with an organization who would allow you access to their database (or sample database) and training subscription (if they have one) in exchange for your time and effort with the work they need done.
  • John Heizer
    John Heizer
    Ancient Membership 500 Likes 500 Comments Photogenic

    Amy Sullivan:

    I am currently in a career transition from corporate to public/nonprofit sector. I'm volunteering to gain more experience, and I have completed internships and projects in the past for MPA completion. I've used various donor database software (very quick learner!), but not Raiser's Edge...

    I joined the Blackbaud RE community, because I have always been fascinated with development and donor databases, and the webinar I attended regarding RE had led me to believe that I could train and certify, even if I did not belong to an organization. At least, when I asked the question, the response was a resounding yes.

    Yet, I recently tried to access the training and wasn't allowed to navigate: "your membership status doe does not allow you access. You must be signed in through an organization"... or something similar. I reached out to the chat help, and they stated I must be a member of an organization.

    I'm looking for work, and want to be ready. Does anyone have any suggestions for RE training or Blackbaud membership? Any experience that helped a former corporate exec enter the nonprofit realm? I would love to say "Yes! I am familiar with Raiser's Edge!"... or even better, "I'm certified". It seems to be a tough sector to get into, and right now, I just want to learn. Any support would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

    Learning RE really requires being able to work with a live copy RE which requires having the software installed (i.e. purchased, plus the database server/backend with a separate instance for each student to avoid record-locking collisions, etc. etc etc.).  This can be done in a structured classroom environment where you've got PCs set up specifically for that purpose, but trying to do it in a pre-recorded, self-paced, webinar-style environment becomes almost impossible.


    The volunteer/intern route is the best solution I can think of.  Offer your services in exchange for the opportunity to learn and get a good reference.

  • Gracie Schild
    Gracie Schild
    Ancient Membership 100 Likes 100 Comments Photogenic
    Hi Amy - I'm also in a career transition from working at a tribal college where we use RE to being an independant contractor and consultant. There are several other RE organizations in town, and since turnover is high in academia and the arts, I'm hoping to get gigs in interim work and traning, as well as "clean up" visits for organizations that don't keep an RE specialist on staff (or can't find one!). I expect my bread and butter will be bookkeeping, but RE is my real passion, so I'm going to do most of my marketing in that direction. 


    I'm already certified at the Fundamentals level, but I was hoping to get my Professional cerification before I leave this job - which isn't going to happen because my last day is Friday! I was cheered to find, however, that you can see all the user's guides (PDFs) from the BB website, so I can study up on the areas I don't know. If you look for the thread titled "Adios...or not?" that I started last week, you'll see that there's a way to take the exams even without the training. My organization never had a subscription to any training, so everything I learned was on the job and through training provided by the amazing Ed Hohlbein. But I had the advantage of learning by doing, in real time, with real gifts and constituents. I agree with the others who say find an organization where you can volunteer. I don't (yet) know if they do this, but our local Community Foundation uses RE, and they're all about helping non-profits, so maybe there's a way they could let me or others use the sample database. I taught a class on Batch to the RE Users Group (now defunct) at the Community Foundation - I'm hoping I can be some kind of coordinator to get that running again. If you live in a moderately large urban area, you might find a Users Group in your area where you can get some help. And by all means, stay in this community! I've learned so much here. If you can afford it (pretty expensive) consider going to bbcon next fall. I went twice and came away each time with my head practically exploding with ideas!


    Best of luck!
  • Amy Sullivan 2
    Amy Sullivan 2
    Seventh Anniversary First Comment

    Jon Nelson:

    Amy,


    You are correct, you can not take training thru Blackbaud University if you are not a client. 

    However, let me reach out to BBU / Trianing and see if this is something that is on their roadmap - or something they have given thought to.  I honestly don't know the answer, so let me see what I can find out.    

    Thank you, Jon, for popping in and checking out other possibilities...

     

  • Amy Sullivan 2
    Amy Sullivan 2
    Seventh Anniversary First Comment

    Gracie Schild:

    Hi Amy - I'm also in a career transition from working at a tribal college where we use RE to being an independant contractor and consultant. There are several other RE organizations in town, and since turnover is high in academia and the arts, I'm hoping to get gigs in interim work and traning, as well as "clean up" visits for organizations that don't keep an RE specialist on staff (or can't find one!). I expect my bread and butter will be bookkeeping, but RE is my real passion, so I'm going to do most of my marketing in that direction. 


    I'm already certified at the Fundamentals level, but I was hoping to get my Professional cerification before I leave this job - which isn't going to happen because my last day is Friday! I was cheered to find, however, that you can see all the user's guides (PDFs) from the BB website, so I can study up on the areas I don't know. If you look for the thread titled "Adios...or not?" that I started last week, you'll see that there's a way to take the exams even without the training. My organization never had a subscription to any training, so everything I learned was on the job and through training provided by the amazing Ed Hohlbein. But I had the advantage of learning by doing, in real time, with real gifts and constituents. I agree with the others who say find an organization where you can volunteer. I don't (yet) know if they do this, but our local Community Foundation uses RE, and they're all about helping non-profits, so maybe there's a way they could let me or others use the sample database. I taught a class on Batch to the RE Users Group (now defunct) at the Community Foundation - I'm hoping I can be some kind of coordinator to get that running again. If you live in a moderately large urban area, you might find a Users Group in your area where you can get some help. And by all means, stay in this community! I've learned so much here. If you can afford it (pretty expensive) consider going to bbcon next fall. I went twice and came away each time with my head practically exploding with ideas!


    Best of luck!

    Gracie, thank you for the direction with the PDFs... I will reach out to my local CNE group and see if I cannot connect from there...

  • Amy Sullivan 2
    Amy Sullivan 2
    Seventh Anniversary First Comment

    John Heizer:

    Amy Sullivan:

    I am currently in a career transition from corporate to public/nonprofit sector. I'm volunteering to gain more experience, and I have completed internships and projects in the past for MPA completion. I've used various donor database software (very quick learner!), but not Raiser's Edge...

    I joined the Blackbaud RE community, because I have always been fascinated with development and donor databases, and the webinar I attended regarding RE had led me to believe that I could train and certify, even if I did not belong to an organization. At least, when I asked the question, the response was a resounding yes.

    Yet, I recently tried to access the training and wasn't allowed to navigate: "your membership status doe does not allow you access. You must be signed in through an organization"... or something similar. I reached out to the chat help, and they stated I must be a member of an organization.

    I'm looking for work, and want to be ready. Does anyone have any suggestions for RE training or Blackbaud membership? Any experience that helped a former corporate exec enter the nonprofit realm? I would love to say "Yes! I am familiar with Raiser's Edge!"... or even better, "I'm certified". It seems to be a tough sector to get into, and right now, I just want to learn. Any support would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

    Learning RE really requires being able to work with a live copy RE which requires having the software installed (i.e. purchased, plus the database server/backend with a separate instance for each student to avoid record-locking collisions, etc. etc etc.).  This can be done in a structured classroom environment where you've got PCs set up specifically for that purpose, but trying to do it in a pre-recorded, self-paced, webinar-style environment becomes almost impossible.


    The volunteer/intern route is the best solution I can think of.  Offer your services in exchange for the opportunity to learn and get a good reference.

     

    Thank you, John! I will devise a "help wanted/exchange" type ad in order to entice the organizations that DO use RE...

  • Amy Sullivan 2
    Amy Sullivan 2
    Seventh Anniversary First Comment

    Jen Claudy:

    Maybe look for a volunteer or intern position with an organization who would allow you access to their database (or sample database) and training subscription (if they have one) in exchange for your time and effort with the work they need done.

    Hi Jen, thanks for this input.Your suggestion was actually my first action, and was met with disapproval... perhaps my approach was wrong. I will continue diligence and networking, though... 

  • Amy Sullivan 2
    Amy Sullivan 2
    Seventh Anniversary First Comment

    Karen Stuhlfeier:

    I think that this is a very valid question. I know of other people who would like to obtain training in order to be able to be more marketable for a job that uses Raiser's Edge. Volunteer positions are often for very specific tasks and really don't teach you much about the database. 

     

     

    I appreciate the validation, Karen... I will continue my search for an answer....

  • Amy Sullivan 2
    Amy Sullivan 2
    Seventh Anniversary First Comment

    Michelle Tribe:

    Amy, I wish you the best of luck!  Is there an AFP (Association of Fundraising Professionals) in your area? They offer mentorships, and maybe a mentor would let you use their non-profit organization to log in for training purposes.

    I will look into this! Thank you, Michelle...

  • Charles Stokes 5
    Charles Stokes 5
    Fourth Anniversary First Comment
    Dear Amy,


    It has been a few years since your question, but I had a similar experience when I was laid off during COVID. I had just finished taking about every training class available but had not taken the exam for the Professional certification. I had done all that hard work but had nothing to show for it when I was jobhunting, and I was marketing myself for database-focused roles. [My workaround: since I didn't officially have the certification, in the Skills section of my resume, I highlighted "129 training hours in 2020". I had good records of all my training, but one can request their Blackbaud University transcript by emailing Training Central, even if they are not affiliated with a client organization.]


    Some folks suggested volunteering, and I want to add that since COVID, there are a lot more remote opportunities for volunteering--check out Volunteer Match--and there are other online volunteer matching apps/sites, so you can extend your search beyond local orgs. Keep in mind, however, that donor confidentiality concerns make granting access to the database difficult without knowing the volunteer candidate.


    I can confirm that without having a Blackbaud account through a client organization, you CANNOT simply take the exam only, as I wanted to, since I didn't need access to training. You'd think all they'd have to do is give you access to the exam and the sample database, charge for the test, and Blackbaud has a new product adding to sales. Especially since Coursera offers a Salesforce training certification. Salesforce has gained a significant market share in the nonprofit market since this question in 2018, with many organizations jumping ship from RE to Salesforce. I don't have any data, but based on what I've seen in job listings, it seems like currently there are about as many organizations using Salesforce as there are RE--or at least enough to warrant investing in Coursera's training if one hasn't trained on either system. I don't know what it costs, but if there had been a similar product for RE training, I would have jumped on it.


    Good luck,

    ~CHARLES

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