Financial Edge Generative AI | Do You Know About the Global Opt Out? Financial Edge NX

Financial Edge Generative AI refers to Blackbaud AI capabilities being introduced in Financial Edge NXT, including AI-assisted chat and document-processing tools. Organizations control access through Blackbaud’s global generative AI setting. Once enabled by an organization admin, current and future Blackbaud generative AI features can be made available according to product, role, and user permissions.

For nonprofit organizations, Blackbaud implementing generative AI tools is less about learning about one new feature and more about preparing for how AI will become a part of Financial Edge NXT over time.

What Is Financial Edge Generative AI?

financial edge training for generative ai

Blackbaud is adding generative AI capabilities to its Financial Edge NXT software as part of its broader Blackbaud AI development. Availability still varies by feature and organization, so finance teams should distinguish between what is available now, what is in an Early Adopter Program, and what is being released in stages.

Chat for Blackbaud AI

The chat feature for Blackbaud AI is available through an Early Adopter Program for some Financial Edge NXT customers. Blackbaud’s chat gives users a conversational way to work with Financial Edge software information and to get assistance while using it.

Within Financial Edge NXT, Chat for Blackbaud AI can help users:

Add and customize financial reports
Summarize records
Get help using Financial Edge NXT features

Instead of searching through menus or documentation for every task, users can ask for assistance within the Financial Edge environment and receive responses from Financial Edge Generative AI to help with their work.

AI-Powered Document Intelligence

Document Intelligence focuses on information contained in financial documents. For some customers, this feature of Financial Edge Generative AI is currently available on a limited basis.

Users can upload documents such as invoices and receipts, and the AI can capture key information from them to help create:

Invoice requests
Credit card charge details

For finance teams within the not-for-profit sector, it’s common to regularly have to enter information from vendor invoices, receipts, and similar documents. Financial Edge Generative AI can reduce some of the manual data-entry work involved in moving information from a document into the accounting system.

AI Within Existing Financial Edge NXT Workflows

These new AI features reflect a broader change in Financial Edge software. Rather than requiring staff to move accounting information into a separate public AI tool, Blackbaud is introducing AI capabilities within Financial Edge NXT itself.

That approach allows nonprofit finance teams to explore AI-assisted reporting, record summaries, document processing, and software assistance as part of the workflows they already use.

How the Blackbaud Global AI Opt-In Works

The global setting gives organization administrators a central place to control access to Blackbaud’s current and future generative AI features. Enabling it takes effect across Blackbaud products, although solution administrators can still manage access at the product or user level.

Blackbaud’s current process is straightforward:

Sign in to Blackbaud and open Admin
Go to Settings, then Blackbaud AI
Select Enable generative AI features

The change takes effect immediately. An organization can also disable generative AI later.

Tip: Make sure you review external connector access before opting in. When you enable Financial Edge generative AI, access for external connectors is also turned on. These connectors can request organizational data when needed, although Blackbaud will not store the data they access.

If your organization prefers not to allow external connector access, an administrator can disable it separately while keeping Blackbaud’s built-in generative AI features enabled.

What Happens to Your Financial Data?

For nonprofit accounting teams, financial data privacy is likely to be one of the first concerns when evaluating generative AI.

Blackbaud currently uses OpenAI models for its generative AI capabilities along with Blackbaud-specific context. The same controls that already apply to customer information continue to apply when AI features are used, including:

Access controls
Data retention policies
Data deletion controls
Security protections

These controls also apply to AI-generated outputs created within Blackbaud products.

Your Organization Still Controls Who Uses AI

Enabling Financial Edge generative AI does not mean every employee should automatically use every available feature. Finance leaders and administrators should decide who needs access based on each employee’s role and responsibilities.

Before expanding access, consider:

Which staff members should be able to use generative AI
What types of financial records or workflows are appropriate for AI assistance
Which AI-generated summaries, reports, or extracted information should be reviewed by a staff member
Whether internal AI-use or data-governance policies need to be updated

Tip: Keep human review in the financial workflow. AI can assist with tasks such as summarizing records or extracting information, but finance teams should still review AI-generated work before relying on it for accounting, reporting, approvals, or other financial decisions.

The goal is to reduce repetitive work without removing the financial controls and staff oversight your organization already depends on.

Blackbaud Financial Edge Training and Consulting for Nonprofits

New Financial Edge NXT features are easier to adopt when staff understand both how the software works and how it fits into the organization’s existing accounting processes. Capital Business Solutions provides Financial Edge training for nonprofit organizations that need help with day-to-day use, changing workflows, reporting requirements, and new functionality.

Financial Edge Training

Financial edge training can be tailored to the tasks employees actually perform rather than stopping at a general software overview. That is especially useful when staff are learning Web View, taking on new responsibilities, or preparing to use newer Financial Edge NXT capabilities.

Depending on your organization’s needs, financial edge training may cover:

General ledger and account structure
Accounts payable and purchasing workflows
Budgeting and financial reporting
Grants and project accounting
User roles, permissions, and approvals
Web View navigation and workflow changes
New Financial Edge NXT features and updates
Staff processes for reviewing and using AI-assisted features

At Capital Business Solutions, our Financial Edge software training can be adjusted for different experience levels, so new employees are not learning from the same starting point as long-time Financial Edge NXT users.

Working with a Financial Edge Consultant

Financial edge consulting helps your organization look closely at who is using the software and where its current setup or processes may need attention. Rather than focusing only on how to complete a task, Financial Edge consulting addresses the way Financial Edge NXT supports the larger finance operation.

Schedule Financial Edge Generative AI Training Today

Capital Business Solutions can help your nonprofit prepare for new Financial Edge NXT features, including its new AI features, train staff on changing workflows, and build a plan around the way your finance team actually works.