In recent years, many nonprofits have been looking for alternatives to Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge, a popular fundraising and donor management software. By far, the most attractive of options is Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud, which offers a powerful suite of tools designed to help nonprofits manage their operations more efficiently.
However, migrating from Raiser’s Edge to Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud can be a daunting task. In this article, we’ll explore the challenges associated with migration, the benefits of making the switch, and introduce an exciting new product from Plative called the Raiser’s Edge Accelerator that can save your nonprofit months and tens of thousands of dollars during the transition process.
Introducing the Raiser’s Edge Accelerator by Plative
To help nonprofits overcome the challenges of migrating from Raiser’s Edge to Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud, Plative has developed an innovative new offering called the Raiser’s Edge Accelerator. This powerful tool can reduce the amount of time required for migration by up to two months, potentially saving nonprofits tens of thousands of dollars in the process.
The Raiser’s Edge Accelerator streamlines the data migration process by automating many of the tasks typically required during a transition. This includes mapping and transforming data, configuring Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud to match your organization’s unique needs, and ensuring that all data is accurately transferred to the new platform.
In addition to speeding up the migration process, the Raiser’s Edge Accelerator also provides comprehensive training and support services to help ensure that your staff can quickly and confidently adopt the new system. This includes customized training materials, on-demand support, and access to a dedicated team of experts who can provide guidance and assistance throughout the migration process.
The top 3 challenges of Migrating from Raiser’s Edge to Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud:
- Data migration: One of the most significant challenges associated with any new CRM is data migration. However, migrating from Raiser’s Edge is the most complex due to its system architecture. The data migration process can be time-consuming and prone to errors if not managed carefully. This is also where many unseasoned Salesforce consultants fail during these projects. To successfully leverage your new CRM, you need to transfer vast amounts of data, including donor records, fundraising campaigns, and event information. If the Salesforce team isn’t acutely aware of the ins and outs of the Raiser’s Edge platform, they’ll be entirely unprepared to transform the very different data model into the Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud model. If they can figure it out, they’ll spend tens of thousands of dollars worth of implementation budget and likely extend your timeline significantly.
- Customization and configuration: Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud is highly customizable, which is one of its main advantages. However, this flexibility can also make the migration process more complex, as organizations must determine how to best configure the platform to meet their unique needs.
- Staff training and adoption: Any major software change can be challenging for staff members who are accustomed to a particular system. Ensuring that staff are properly trained and supported during the transition is critical for a successful migration.
After reading these, you might be asking yourself why you’d want to migrate off of Blackbaud to Salesforce in the first place. There are a couple of primary reasons to consider migrating from Blackbaud products to Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud.
- Scalability: Salesforce is built to grow with your organization, making it an ideal choice for nonprofits looking to scale their operations.
- Flexibility: With a vast ecosystem of apps and integrations, Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud can be customized to meet the unique needs of your organization.
- Advanced analytics: Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud offers powerful reporting and analytics tools that can help nonprofits make data-driven decisions to improve their fundraising and donor engagement efforts.
- Security: One of the most notable is the history of data breaches and leaks associated with Blackbaud. In 2020, the company suffered a major cybersecurity incident that exposed the personal information of millions of users.
Migrating from Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge to Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud can be a challenging process, but the benefits of making the switch are substantial. With improved security, scalability, and flexibility, Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud can help your organization achieve its goals more efficiently and effectively. And with the help of Plative’s Raiser’s Edge Accelerator, you can make this transition more quickly and cost-effectively than ever before.
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