Welcome to the first issue of RE: Fundraising, a monthly briefing on Raiser's Edge NXT and fundraising operations. I'm Mallory Burgan, CFRE and bCRE-Pro — a Raiser's Edge NXT consultant and member of the Blackbaud Partner Network. Through Burgan Advancement Consulting, I help schools and small- to mid-sized nonprofits align their database strategy with their fundraising goals so their teams can work smarter, not harder.

If you're one of the many Raiser's Edge NXT users trying to keep up with Blackbaud's rapid product updates release pace while also, you know, doing your actual job, this newsletter is for you. 

Each month, I'll break down what's new, what's coming, and what this actually means for your operation. Consider it a bite-sized guide for navigating the road to Total Web Unification by mid-2027.

Glad you're here.

Mallory

Campaign, Fund & Appeal Management Now in Web View

You can now manage linked campaigns, funds, and appeals directly from their associated records in web view — including adding and editing appeal expenses and linking or unlinking events from campaign records. 

This is one more task you won't have to toggle back to Database View (DBV) to manage, streamlining your workflow. Linking these records can accelerate gift processing and reduce entry errors by limiting which appeals can be used for specific funds and which funds fall under specific campaigns. It will also autofill these fields in gift batch entry if you select defaults in your relationship records.

Prompt Library Now Available for Blackbaud AI

Blackbaud has launched a curated library of ready-to-use prompts for Chat for Blackbaud AI, organized by category — including donor engagement, gifts and pledges, prospecting, and stewardship. If your team has been staring at a blank chat window, unsure of what to ask, this removes that barrier. Even if you've been skeptical about AI, the prompt library is a low-risk way to see what Chat can actually do for your workflows. Check the library out here. 

Alumni Class Analysis Report Now in Web View (requires Alumni module) 

This report, long available in DBV, is now accessible in web view, allowing schools to analyze giving trends by graduating class, degree program, and major.

If you're already using Dashboard Builder, the Alumni Class Summary Insight covers similar ground and updates automatically — worth knowing before you build a new report pull into your workflow.

Single Row Query

This is currently available only to users in the API Early Adopter Program and is scheduled to be generally available to all users sometime this summer. 

If you're not familiar with Single-Row Query, it's effectively replacing the Export function in the DBV. You create a query to select a group of records (exactly what Query is right now), then connect it to another query that has all the outputs you want to see (aka what we used Export for). If that sounds a little confusing to you, don't worry–you're not alone.

Good News: all of your exports currently living in DBV will be migrated to the Web View as queries with the same outputs and data processing settings.

Interestingly, Blackbaud has said they are not planning on bringing every single export field currently available in the DBV. They have stated that there are existing fields that are never or very rarely used, and are prioritizing the commonly used fields. If you encounter a missing field, create a ticket with support to let them know.

While summer might feel ages away, with most of your fiscal years ending in about two months, your future self will thank you if you start learning more about Single Row Query today. 

LYBUNTs and SYBUNTs

Everyone's favorite acronyms! The end of the fiscal year is a natural time of year to reach out to your LYBUNTs (Last Year But Unfortunately Not This) and SYBUNTs (Some Year But Unfortunately Not This). When you are pulling your lists,  pull the constituent's last gift information to personalize their ask. Add the following Last Gift fields to your export: Gift Amount, Gift Date, Gift Type, Fund Description. Alternatively, you can pull this information via Summary Information if that makes more sense for your organization. 

Build your acknowledgment workflow now, and thank your past self later
Year-end giving spikes are predictable, but the acknowledgment bottleneck doesn't have to be. If your team is manually processing thank-you letters, this is the moment to review and update your acknowledgment templates and batch letter process so you're not scrambling in June.

Tip for Schools
Even if it's still spring break in your head, graduation is right around the corner. Send your LYBUNT and SYBUNT solicitation sooner rather than later to catch your new alumni and current families while they're still engaged. It's harder to reach your donors when they're in vacation mode.

Is your database ready for your year-end fundraising push? If you're not sure, let's find out together. I offer a free 30-minute exploratory call — no pressure, just a practical conversation about where your system stands and what you can do about it.