ULTIMATE 2025 GUIDE TO BLACKBAUD CRM SOFTWARE FOR NONPROFITS

We’re rapidly approaching 2026, and the level of internal pressure on nonprofit organizations to take more advantage of technology has never been higher. For teams on Blackbaud CRM software like Blackbaud Enterprise Fundraising CRM, this pressure should be causing them to ask: Is BBCRM still an asset for our mission?

This is a packed question, and requires an objective evaluation of whether your organization is using the software to its fullest potential, if a migration to another platform is justified, or if it is more valuable to attempt to re-engineer your Blackbaud CRM.

This article offers a strategic framework for making that evaluation. We’ll highlight the current Blackbaud landscape, explore direct comparisons with Salesforce and Raiser's Edge, and the options NPOs have for BBCRM hosting. 

Understanding the Current Blackbaud CRM Software Landscape

At its core, Blackbaud Enterprise Fundraising CRM (often called BBCRM) is a powerful tool for large and enterprise nonprofits like universities, healthcare foundations and national charities to manage complex donation campaign operations and relationships.

BBRCM is Blackbaud’s premier constituent relationship management solution, which offers nonprofits a lower-cost, fundraising-centric alternative to platforms like Salesforce, with more flexibility and customization.

Blackbaud CRM Functions

BBCRM is an expansive system offering a rich set of capabilities to help organizations efficiently manage millions of constituent records. The platform is composed of over two dozen out-of-the-box functional areas, covering every aspect of the fundraising cycle and providing a 360-degree view of every person and organization.

Key modules include:

• Major gifts and prospect management
• Marketing and segmentation
• Gift processing and recurring gifts
• Events and membership
• Planned and tribute gifts
• System security and configuration

Beyond these functions, BBCRM is intended to be a hub of a nonprofit’s larger tech stack, with web services (Blackbaud Internet Solutions, or BBIS) and integration with ancillary tools for sales, data analytics, and student information.

Blackbaud CRM Costs

The total cost of ownership (TCO) for Blackbaud Enterprise Fundraising CRM is a blend of several key factors.

• Licensing - Historically, BBCRM was sold with a single-tenant perpetual license with a client-server foundation. Newer users have been funneled to an annual subscription model.
• Infrastructure and Hosting - Hosting is a major expense for BBCRM shops. Costs vary dramatically between self-hosting, Blackbaud Cloud services, and independent private hosting.
• Custom Development - Blackbaud’s customizability is another main expense driver. After initial implementation, recurring costs quickly compound for ongoing development, maintenance, troubleshooting and intermittent platform reboots.
• Support and Training - Ongoing support and user training are necessary to keep new and veteran in-house staff up-to-date with version releases, patches and best practices.

Common Blackbaud Problems

Let’s be frank. Despite Blackbaud’s capabilities, there are many nonprofits using Blackbaud who don't like Blackbaud. It’s a multifaceted issue that ranges from user frustrations like underutilization, heavy IT burdens, process inefficiency, and distrust.

How the platform got to this point is also complicated, though. Unlike its modern, cloud-native competitors, BBCRM has a different DNA.

Blackbaud’s Backdrop

First released in 2007, Blackbaud was engineered from the ground up as a single-tenant, client-server product. That architecture gives the platform its greatest strengths, like in-depth customization and control. But that structure is a double-edged sword.

According to Bill Walsh, who spent 30 years at Blackbaud helping to build, sell, and implement the very systems in question, the platform's vastness is both its biggest asset and its primary source of user friction. Walsh says that because the system is so comprehensive, many organizations struggle to leverage its full potential.

"In almost every conversation with a customer who's using Blackbaud CRM, they have some existing pain that they haven't solved, and they are underutilizing Blackbaud CRM,” Walsh says. “It is an expansive system with a deep and rich set of capabilities, many of which they are not using.”

Friction Points

This core problem of underutilization manifests in several points of friction:

• Heavy IT and development burden - Complexity places a significant burden on internal IT teams
• Inefficiency and resistance - Re-examining or re-engineering processes is intimidating
• Lingering distrust - Past events, such as the 2020 Blackbaud data breach, have created a persistent lack of trust among the platform's user base

With these common issues around Blackbaud, it makes sense that many teams on BBCRM are in a recurring cycle of questioning whether they should migrate to another platform. And usually, the first name that comes up is Salesforce.

Let's break down how Salesforce Nonprofit actually stacks up.

Getting Everything Out of Blackbaud CRM Software?  

Audit your BBCRM deployment with tailored strategies to get the most out of your BBCRM investment, so you can focus on your mission.

Blackbaud CRM (BBCRM) vs. Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud

With so much pressure around taking advantage of new tech, a move to Salesforce NPC is compelling on paper, especially for BBCRM shops that experience frustration with their CRM instance. But is a move from BBCRM worth it?

Salesforce for Nonprofits

Nonprofit Cloud (NPC) is Salesforce’s latest constituent management tool for nonprofits. Released in March 2023, Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud is built into the tech giant’s core CRM platform and consolidates and replaces previous products like the Nonprofit Success Pack (NPSP), Program Management Model, Case Management, and Grants Management, while introducing new capabilities such as Outcome Measurement.

Key Differences Between Blackbaud and Salesforce

Both Blackbaud CRM and Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud serve large, complex nonprofits, but their unique approaches may offer important distinctions depending on an organization's priorities. 

Salesforce NPC is flexible, with a vast integration ecosystem and access to the system’s powerful native AI capabilities and agents. Like Blackbaud, it requires configuration and integrations with third-party apps, and often costly technical support to reach full potential. While BBCRM is the legacy nonprofit platform and purpose-built for enterprise-grade fundraising, some organizations may view the fresh iteration in NPC as appealing.

One key differentiator for nonprofits with Blackbaud Enterprise CRM is the ability to use private and independent cloud hosting services. This can be an advantage for organizations concerned with data security and control, especially when considering the unknowns surrounding AI models, their access to databases, and the veracity of the guardrails for how they use private information and intellectual property.

Should BBCRM Clients Move to Salesforce?

According to Walsh, NPOs should be cautious with such a decision, noting that the cost of such a transition is often underestimated.

“The cost to move from Blackbaud to Salesforce can rise to the level of millions of dollars and requires a careful assessment of the return on investment,” Walsh says, noting an organization will have to consider licensing changes, data migration, customization, and retraining.

Walsh also cautions leaders to keep their eyes on the industry and be patient before making a move.

“My general strategy recommendation right now is to stay where you are while evaluating the options carefully and analyzing potential returns,” he says. “Vendors are still evolving from the mid-range up, and also investing heavily in AI. Who’s going to rise to the top and deliver significant real-world value in terms of feature/performance and in AI? It’s hard to predict who the winning vendors will be, and some will be acquired, such as the recent consolidation in Higher Ed SF options.”

The Bottom Line

While the platforms match up closely side-by-side, a migration from Blackbaud CRM to Salesforce will be a high-cost, high-risk endeavor that creates an unclear net value. For many established BBCRM users, the immense cost and effort of a transition can quickly outweigh the perceived benefits.

Rather than a complete migration across platforms, some may be considering a move to Raiser's Edge.

Is Your NPO Considering a Move to Salesforce?

Before committing millions to a migration, explore how you can rescue your Blackbaud CRM.

Comparison: Blackbaud CRM vs. Raiser's Edge NXT

If the pains of a migration to a new provider are out of the question, shifting to another platform within the Blackbaud CRM Software ecosystem, such as Raiser’s Edge, is an often-overlooked route.

That being said, a move from BBCRM to Raiser's Edge NXT should be understood clearly as a downgrade. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it does require understanding the trade-offs.

Raiser's Edge NXT (RE NXT)

Raiser's Edge NXT is Blackbaud's mid-range fundraising and donor management product, offering standardized tools for core workflows, including constituent tracking, campaign management, donation processing, and engagement.

Key Differences

While BBCRM is an enterprise-grade platform for complex operations, Raiser’s Edge NXT offers a more user- and admin-friendly application for mid-sized to large nonprofits with straightforward use cases and whose internal system processes don't handle a lot of volume.

However, Raiser's Edge NXT can struggle to fully support instances with high data volumes and intricate business processes. While there have been strides in recent years, the difference in RE NXT’s capabilities compared to BBRCM is still vastly different, particularly in terms of security models, APIs and form customization.

When a 'Downgrade' Makes Sense

For nonprofits on BBCRM managing larger levels of donation dollars but only relying on simple processes, a transition from their enterprise system to RE NXT can look appealing.

However, according to Walsh, these types of downgrades are not frequently recommended. While Raiser’s Edge NXT can reduce licensing and hosting expenses, it comes with trade-offs in scalability and security controls.

“If you're a $24 million annual fundraising organization, you're on the bubble of a Raiser’s Edge and a BBCRM client,” Walsh says. “That organization may have chosen Blackbaud CRM originally with ambitions to scale and fully customize, but that need never materialized. Now, they’re paying for capabilities they don’t need.”

Walsh cautions that migrations between Blackbaud CRM software can still be costly and disruptive.

“The long-term savings need to justify that decision,” he says.

The Bottom Line

A downgrade to Raiser's Edge comes with significant trade-offs in control and customization. For organizations that don't need the enterprise-grade power of BBCRM, it can be a cost-effective move. 

But where does that leave a frustrated BBCRM user? The smarter path is to optimize the powerful system they already own.

Underutilizing Blackbaud CRM?

Let our team audit your BBCRM instance and see how private managed hosting and dedicated development services can revive your nonprofit’s CRM.

Blackbaud CRM Implementation Tips

Rather than spending millions on a risky transition to a new platform, the most valuable use of resources for many BBCRM users is a "reboot" or "re-engineering" project. The goal is to realign the powerful platform you already own with your current strategic goals.

According to Bill Walsh, while new platform implementations can be accounting "nightmares,” re-engineering an existing system often offers a clear path to ROI.

Here are Walsh’s top tips for approaching a BBCRM reboot:

• Frame it as an Opportunity
  Words like “revamp” can spark existential angst for IT teams. To earn buy-in from your board and from your key stakeholders, frame the proposal around your organization’s strategic goals. Instead of opening up “a can of worms," it should feel like moving on an opportunity.
• Conduct a Technical & BBIS Audit
  BBCRM instances and BBIS websites can accumulate years of outdated SDK customizations that hinder performance. A technical audit can streamline this code and eliminate technical debt.
• Focus on Problems, Not Buzzwords
  It’s easy to get caught up in wanting to look like the most modern operation, but don’t be naive when industry influencers and vendors are promoting vague solutions, such as “AI." Instead, start by grounding your reboot in specific, real-world friction your nonprofit needs to solve or a capability you need.
• Re-Engineer for Donor Experience
  Any reboot should involve some level of workshopping and testing key processes for higher-quality donor engagement, ease of usability and satisfaction. Reviewing workflows like gift processing and membership handling can directly translate into stronger relationships and fundraising success.

Following these tips above will be revolutionary for your org’s future with BBCRM. However, even the best implementation plan can be undermined by a restrictive or burdensome environment.

If you're going to maximize Blackbaud Enterprise Fundraising CRM, you need to peel back a layer further and address where your system lives.

This brings us to the critical decision of BBCRM hosting.

Blackbaud Cloud vs. Concourse Cloud vs. Self-Hosting

Hosting is a critical fork in the road for nonprofits running BBCRM, and many are eager for a smarter path forward. It's a decision that will dictate the balance your org has between operational burden and platform control. 

Self-Hosting On-Prem

This is built on Blackbaud’s original single-tenant model. It offers maximum control, flexibility, and customization. But control comes at a cost. Nonprofits can face significant operational bloat and burden by having to have a dedicated in-house IT team to manage BBCRM’s complex infrastructure, security, and maintenance.

Blackbaud Cloud / Azure Services

Blackbaud's Cloud is the vendor's attempt to give BBCRM users an escape from the weight of self-hosting. While this service can remove the backend pain, it comes with substantial trade-offs in system independence, such as timing of upgrades. Blackbaud Cloud’s environment is highly controlled, limiting your ability to implement certain functions or charging you extra to do so, restricting access to your own data, and locking you into their toolset.

Independent Cloud / Private Hosting (The Middle Ground)

For self-hosting organizations, an independent private cloud is the ideal middle ground and allows organizations to get the best of both worlds. Hosting with an independent cloud allows your nonprofit to simplify operations and keep key customizability while keeping costs affordable.

• It removes the pain of running the backend, offloading the complex infrastructure management to a team of experts.
• It allows you to retain the control, flexibility, and security you need.

Get the Most Out of Blackbaud CRM with Concourse Hosting 

Concourse offers premier, private managed cloud solutions purpose-built to help nonprofits maximize BBCRM with more control, flexibility, and better pricing. We are proud to host many of the biggest and most complex implementations of BBCRM for well-known nonprofits.

We help organizations achieve advanced cloud capabilities such as layered security, superior systems monitoring, and automated disaster recovery while retaining their Blackbaud Enterprise CRM license.

With Concourse, nonprofits get:

• Direct Access: Retain control over your data and systems.
• Partner Services: Offload the IT burden to a dedicated team of experts.
• Predictable Costs: Get the most out of your BBCRM investment without paying a premium for inferior cloud services or bloating expenses with on-prem hosting.

Get the most out of your BBCRM investment without paying a premium for inferior cloud or being weighed down by bloated expenses with on-prem hosting.

Hosting Comparison Snapshot

Modernize Your CRM Without Big Cloud

Grow your nonprofit, fundraise efficiently, and deliver on your mission. Schedule a 30-minute consultation to learn more.