We all have a say in what our software does for us

I recently had a follow-up conversation with Jana Eggers, SVP Product Management and Marketing at Blackbaud. This was in regard to the roadmap for The Raiser's Edge. Jana expressed to me her concern that Blackbaud wasn't getting the message to its clients that it is committed to the Raiser's Edge users. She indicated to me that Blackbaud (BB) understands it has a strong client-base using RE and it will support those clients.

I don't know what is coming after RE7. I've heard the term "bluebird" - a new product that Blackbaud is not ready to discuss in detail at this point. We've seen the solution, Altru, for those in the Arts and Cultural venue. But, I will be the first to say that I wanted the enhancements that I saw in the discovery process for the now debunked RE8. Along that line, prior to speaking with Jana Eggers, I spoke with Jenn Mercer,the RE Product Manager at BB. We spoke about the concept of a household record, a record that allows one to see a household grouping with a primary address and contact info. One address to mail, one address for email, one group for overall giving - one way to identify a group of constituents and note the primary contact person for that group - what we saw during RE8 discovery - what is included in the CRM product.

I'm conflicted by the opportunity I've had to speak with such influential people at Blackbaud. I'm human, so of course, I feel good about the chance to give my opinions. However, I am one person, one set of opinions based on mostly my needs. You all have a voice in what you need and want in the solutions from Blackbaud. There are many ways to speak out. I know you are busy, but doing your job well depends on these products. Somehow, our message is getting confused when it reaches Blackbaud or we are not speaking out enough on what we really need. I also realize that there are too many places to let Blackbaud know what you need. Hopefully, that will be somewhat remedied in the future by Blackbaud creating one community online for RE users similar to the newly offered BBNC Community. Here are some ways to get involved and communicate what you want and need:

I really enjoy the discovery process offered by Blackbaud and highly encourage you to get involved with it. I am currently taking part in the pre-release of FE and the beta for RE certification. I recently took part in the mobile app release. If you don't know how to get involved or need to know more, contact your account managers. If your account manager doesn't respond, email me. Blackbaud is working on the account manager program to bring about improvements in communication. 

There is a great Raiser's Edge User Group on Facebook. There are over 500 members in this group. You can share and learn and I do know that Blackbaud looks at this group.

There is a Blackbaud Users Forum on LinkedIn. There is also a Blackbaud Fan Club. The use of LinkedIn is really fired up these days.

I'm learning to tweet. I have been slow to go to Twitter but I realize that I can learn more and reach out to more people in a short amount of time. It is like having a finger on the pulse of the topics that interest you. Start by following Blackbaud. See what is tweeted there and you may want to join in on conversations in the future.

Just as an aside, I use Tweetdeck to get an overview of my Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter accounts.

If you are not ready to speak out online, contact your account manager. Express your requirements, your suggestions to him/her. Ask that your account manager make sure your voice is heard. Blackbaud has indicated it wants to hear what you need in the products they offer, let's tell them.