Target Analytics, a Blackbaud company, released the 2008 donorCentrics Internet Giving Benchmarking Analysis report - detailing the donation trends of nearly 10 million people.

The report's key findings concluded that online non-profit fundraising has increasingly become a significant source of new donors and integrating both online and offline fundraising channels is key to long term success.

"Online giving is growing rapidly, and many online donors have a tendency to also give offline, so fundraisers face increasing complexity in managing an integrated direct marketing program that maximizes donor value," said Rob Harris, Target Analytics' vice president of analytics. "With direct mail, the blueprints for success are well-known, but in this new multi-channel world everything is new and many strategies are still unproven."

Other findings from the 2008 report include:

* Online giving is still relatively small but increasing at a fast rate

* Online donors are younger and generally more affluent than offline donors

* Donor managementmust integrate online and offline channels. While most offline donors stay there, many online donors migrate to offline donor channels in large numbers

Access the full report by going to http://www.blackbaud.com/targetanalytics/benchmarking/dcinternet.aspx or view the press release from Blackbaud here.

Each year, Blackbaud holds informative conferences for The Raiser's Edge and other conferences for nonprofits in North America - one in Ottawa, Canada on May 13-15 and the other in Charleston, South Carolina on November 15-18.

Sessions for these events are either general in nature, directly related to Blackbaud donor management and enrollment management software solutions, while others are developed around specific issues nonprofits face.

Attendees of these conferences travel from across the United States and Canada. The Ottawa conference is expected to draw 300+ attendees while the Charleston conference is expected to have around 1100 people attend.

We're looking for energetic speakers, those who are interactive in their presentation, involving the audience in their session. Speakers are encouraged to attend the entire conference - a complimentary ticket to all events is provided to the speaker at no charge.

To learn more, visit our speaker's resource page and fill out an application.

Deadline to apply for submissions to this year's conference is March 27th.

In many respects, the strength of a relationship between a non-profit institution and its donors can mean the difference between a successful fundraising campaign or not. It's important to keep in touch with supporters and let you know you appreciate them.

Non-profit fundraising, or constituent relations management software solutions from Blackbaud, helps foster lifelong donor relationships and streamline processes.

The right CRM solution depends on the size of your organization. The Raisers Edge is the most basic, geared for small-medium sized institutions. Better manage contacts, cultivate relationships, and diversifying methods are just a few of the benefits.

The YMCA of Greater Charlotte used the Raisers Edge to raise over $50 million and in the process, received the 2007 Excellence in Fundraising award.

For larger organizations, or those with complex needs, the Raisers Edge Enterprise Edition provides all the benefits of the Raisers Edge along with a scaleable giving hierarchy and automated task scheduling. Other features, only optional with the Raisers Edge, include prospect management and point of sale to name a few.

And if your organization is spread over a large area with many offices and branches, Blackbaud Enterprise CRM may be right for you. Through web delivery, your organization can properly manage reporting requirements along with cultivating strong relationships irregardless of location or currency.

Blackbaud, the education software solutions leader, is also a leader in providing timely news and information topics for nonprofit organizations. Through their Resources for Nonprofits section on their website, fundraisers and educators can find up-to-date news, statistics, current trends, and new tools to help make the world a better place.

Newsletters for Nonprofits is one way Blackbaud helps those in education and philanthropy stay current. Users subscribe at no cost and the newsletters, organized into 4 categories, provide perspective on a wide range of issues, from donor management to technical support for Blackbaud products.

Another resource available is informative guides, or white papers, that provide detailed information on a wide range of nonprofit related issues. Papers can be downloaded directly to your computer in .pdf format and include such topics as fundraising, prospect research, and more technical things relating to their education and fundraising software products.

Beside the above mentioned, Blackbaud also provides annual reports on the state on the nonprofit industry as a whole in addition to podcasts from company officials discussing many topics. Another neat tool is the Gift Range Calculator, which can help fundraisers plan a successful fundraising campaign.

Whether you have just joined the Blackbaud family or need a refresher on the numerous features of our software, many classes and resources are available. Being properly trained through one of the following options is the best way to ensure you get the most from your investment in Blackbaud's educational software solutions.

1. Classroom training at Blackbaud Headquarters in Charleston, South Carolina

Courses are available in a wide range of Blackbaud educational, fundraising, and data management software products. Plus you will have the benefit of visiting one of the most leisurely and historic cities in the United States.

2. Regional training available in 50 cities across the United States and Canada.

Just like traveling to our facility in Charleston, regional training sessions are held in state-of-the-art facilities. Each student is provided with their own workstation for hands-on learning.

3. Distance learning options available for busy professionals.

Can't travel anywhere? Distance learning can help you just like our in-class options. Instructor-led classes are available in an interactive, live group setting along with the eLearning library which provides self-paced online software lessons.

While these courses and resources can be purchased individually, Blackbaud recognizes organizations have budget constraints but also need a well-trained, passionate staff. For one affordable yearly fee, Blackbaud Training Pass offers unlimited classroom, regional, and distance learning courses along with unlimited access to the eLearning library.

Users of Blackbaud school administrative software or any of their other services can connect with other users through the Blackbaud User Society. Maintained by volunteers, it was developed by Blackbaud users to provide an informational resource separate from the company itself.

The user society includes many items that help school and non-profit administrators maximize the usefulness of their software products. Forums are available for each of Blackbaud's products, including the Raiser's Edge, Education Edge, Intelligence Edge, etc. Users can post questions regarding specific issues that are then addressed by others.

For instance, one recent post was from a college administrator having a difficult time importing test scores into their Blackbaud database. With a quick post to the forum, they received many helpful responses to their inquiry.

The Blackbaud User Society also includes news releases from the company and other topics of interest - with RSS feed capability so users can have those directly downloaded to their desktops.

Another great feature of the society is the user suggestion area. Each year, members from the society meet with developers from Blackbaud to share their insights and suggestions for making their products better. Suggestions are organized into several different categories and ranked by other users.

While the user society is free, you must create an account to fully utilize the site.

Blackbaud recently combined several large, existing teams to create a new division exclusively focused on internet solutions and services for non-profits.

Blackbaud Interactive combines the company's Interactive Services and Support teams with OnDemand hosting to better meet the needs of their rapidly growing Internet solutions customer base.

Many donor management professionals had a growing desire to "build a sense of community among their supporters and an increasing adoption of multi-channeled fundraising strategies," said Marc Chardon, Blackbaud’s chief executive officer.

Blackbaud Interactive provides a comprehensive set of end-to-end services for school fundraising, including strategy, design, development, training, and management.

An exciting new offering of Blackbaud Interactive is OnCall Services. School fundraisers can partner with a dedicated client manager and other experienced professionals to collaborate on website development and design, improving efficiency and delivering on long-term strategies.

Blackbaud Interactive believes first and foremost that communication is the driver of online success and that people want to be recognized as unique individuals when they interact with an organization.

Their solutions are used by many organizations including the Clinton Global Initiative, University of Dayton, and the Francis W. Parker School to name a few.

Visit http://interactive.blackbaud.com/ to find out how Blackbaud Interactive can make the most of technology for your school fundraising and donor management.