On February 9th, Blackbaud announced the release of their newest update to The Raiser’s Edge software – 7.94. The update is based on feedback from Raiser’s Edge users in Blackbaud’s Idea Bank and Discovery forums.
Keep reading to learn more about the 7.94’s exciting new features, and how to best prepare for the update.
What’s New in the 7.94 Release
Constituent Level Information
Now constituent record information will include first level fields for phone, email, social media links, website, fax, and more. Preferred contact information will be upgraded as active, and non-primary business information will be moved to new fields as inactive. Each contact type will also have the primary and non-primary option for the new fields.
Automatically Updating Dashboards
Now you can set your Raiser’s Edge dashboard to update at set intervals to ensure key information is continually being refreshed, without having to manually refresh anything.
Dashboard Component Updates
In addition to the new automatically refreshing dashboards, the technology from Outlook Web Components has also been improved to make it easier to view Dashboards directly within Raiser’s Edge.
Pivot Report Now Uses Excel
Raiser’s Edge now uses Excel to deliver Pivot Reports. As you’re adding fields and setting your column and row mappings, your data will automatically be pulled into the pivot report and chart.
Automatic Reconciliation of Blackbaud Merchant Services
The Raiser’s Edge Auto Reconciliation feature automatically matches credit and debit card transactions using Blackbaud Merchant Services with the funds being dispersed. This can help cut down the reconciliation time from hours to minutes each month, saving nonprofit organizations significant amounts of time. This feature also enables you see which transactions are not matched and which may need further action.
*Available to clients in the United States, Canada and United Kingdom in 2015
Crowd Fundraising Integration
everdayhero, Blackbaud’s direct-to-consumer crowd fundraising platform, is now fully integrated with Raiser’s Edge 7.94. Fundraisers and donors acquired through everydayhero will be imported to Raiser’s Edge seamlessly.
Education Edge & Raiser’s Edge Synchronization Update
The Education Edge recently released 7.87 patch 3 to help users synchronize their data with the Raiser’s Edge 7.94 update.
*Education Edge users must update their software in order to synchronize with the 7.94 update.
Before Updating Your Software
Before you update your Raiser’s Edge software, there are a few things you should do to ensure a smooth transition.
- Read the Installation Guide
- Review the System Requirements, Installation Requirements, Prerequisites Installation, SQL Server Requirements and Required NTFS Rights.
- Back up your database!
- If you update from The Raiser’s Edge 7.5, review Migrate an ASA Database.
Recommended reading for the 7.94 release can be found here.
If you would like help updating to the 7.94 release, please contact Any Thorson by calling 888.366.7527 x26, emailing athorson@capitalbusiness.net or filling out our online contact form.
Consulting Services for Raiser’s Edge
Need help organizing, redesigning or even updating your Raiser’s Edge software? Capital Business Solutions provides ongoing training, installation and configuration, and implementation services to help ensure your fundraising software is tailored to your internal operations and processes. Learn more by calling 888.366.7527 x26, emailing athorson@capitalbusiness.net or filling out this contact form!