eTapestry Customer Support

I was hired at Neighborhood Healthcare 3 weeks before its largest fundraiser of the year. I needed to learn eTapestry quickly to accurately update the database with event purchases and I needed my data entry to be fast. Customer support was my go-to, they answered questions over their chat module, emailed me white papers on best practices, and shared detailed instructions on how to be most efficient with our database.

Pros

Customer service was fast, knowledgeable, and respectful. I never felt like I was asking a dumb question and they always had an answer.

Great Price, good functionality, limited ease of use

Overall, it's a good program for the price we pay, but if it was any more we would change to a more user friendly system. The most important thing with eTap is to make sure that you have an employee who is familiar with database administration otherwise it is very easy within eTap for data to be misrepresented. In summary, if you don't have a big budget, it's a good way to get your feet off the ground, but I wouldn't look at it expecting a 5+ year/long term solution.

Pros

First of all the price for our organization is fantastic, after shopping around for a new database management system, we have found nothing close to what we are currently paying. eTap has decent functionality after you learn how to use it; once you master the basics, it has the flexibility to store just about any data that you need as long as you are willing to get a little creative in how you organize the data. The ability for the data base to be directly integrated into our website and Quickbooks is also a great feature that minimizes potential lost memberships and corrupted data.

Cons

The hands down most frustrating part of the program is that you can't have multiple tabs open within the same browser with eTap. In order to have eTap open on two different tabs, you must use a different web browser and a different login ID, which becomes a complete and total pain. It is also not the easiest program to learn and train new people on. Often we want volunteers to work on data management for us but that is really only possible if the volunteer or intern is with us for at least three months so we an spend the time training them on the program.

eTapestry - A medium weight solution for Donor Management and Receipting.

I have been impressed with the solid support team eTapestry has. The online chat has been very helpful to me, and the specialists I have chatted with have always been knowledgeable.

Pros

eTapestry has lots of power to get things done. It is cloud-based, so there is no need for the user to worry about upgrading the software or backing up the data. Queries are very easy to produce, and exporting the results in reports, PDFs or excel is a snap. You can design your own forms so that your website can talk to eTapestry easily. eTapestry works equally well on desktop computers, tablets and cellphones. This is very helpful for fundraisers who are on the road.

Cons

If you are downsizing from a more robust package such as Raiser's Edge, be prepared for a loss of flexibility - for example, queries in eTapestry lack some of the power that Raiser's Edge has. When comparing what you get "out of the box" with some other solutions, you will find that in order to keep costs down for the average user, eTapestry is very basic. To add in eCommerce, donor logins, advanced email, etc these are available, but as an add-on pricing. This can make it more expensive than other products that have all these features to start with, so you should be aware of what your real needs are before committing to eTapestry.

Good for Database Management, Poor Communications Tools

I have been working in communications and development for non-profit organizations for more than 15 years. I have been using eTapestry for 2 years. I have experience with a variety of other donor management tools including Blackbaud's The Raiser's Edge. eTapestry is strong in regard to contact management, processing online gifts, and the reporting/query tools. The expense as well as the email communications and analytics are where it falls short.

Pros

Entire system is very easy to learn no matter the experience level Managing donor records and online gifts is very easy Reporting and query tools are easy to use even for those without a lot of experience building queries clean, user-friendly interface excellent customer support simple data entry & gift processing online giving pages import gifts directly to database, helping teams avoid manual entry & the pages can be reskinned to match your website design easy to mass import records

Cons

expensive, especially having to pay for Advanced emails & paying an hourly fee for minor changes eTapestry support must be requested for an array of minor tweaks to giving pages for example and it usually takes several days to up to 2 weeks to get changes finished communications templates are inflexible and look extremely dated, often the preview of a communication you see on your screen is not how it looks at delivery, very limited analytics tools and delivery/testing options as far as I know there is no ability to export from eTapestry to QuickBooks which means gift processing team must reenter gifts manually into QuickBooks while it has the ability to provide personal fundraising pages, they are highly inflexible and the layouts look so dated they are almost not worth using

You can't ask for a better donor management software package

I have used so many different donor management software packages throughout my career and I have never been so pleased as I am with eTapestry.

Pros

Everything is a pro when it comes to eTapestry. The layout is very user intuitive and easy to understand. You can truly dive in and really get a huge bang for you budget almost immediately.

Cons

The only con I can think of for eTapestry is that there isn't a mobile app for the software. I would love to be able to check information when not at my desk.

Frustrating with a long learning curve

Pros

Integration with online giving is seamless. Manual entry of gifts is easy and straightforward. It's easy to export data.

Cons

No one in our small organization uses this software regularly enough to feel proficient, and it isn't intuitive. I waste a lot of time trying to get data out of the software. Reports have to be rebuilt every time you run them, and there is no built-in year against year to date report, which seems like an essential to me. When I was given instructions on how to accomplish this, I couldn't believe the number of steps it involved. I find myself spending a lot of time running queries, then exporting them to Excel to manipulate the data to prepare something I can share with the ED and Board. I know there are users who love this software, but it isn't working well for us.

eTapestry Likely Good for Larger Organizations

Pros

eTapestry has a responsive customer service team. Whenever I had an inquiry, someone was there to answer my questions. Once I was speaking with a sales associate and had a question the associate could not answer. The associate passed my question on to a customer service representative and the rep called me within a day to help solve my problem.

Cons

eTapestry has many options for managing large databases. This is wonderful for large organizations, however, ours is a small non-profit. We have two fundraisers and fewer than 1000 prospect records. eTapestry was too complicated for our needs and therefore ended up only being useful for data storage. Another issue arose when we had staff turnover. Product knowledge left with former staff and training for eTapestry would have cost 150% more than our annual eTapestry costs. Training was just too expensive and, as a result, we did not utilize eTapestry as much as we could have.

New to eTap, not to CRM

Creating an all in one database for donors and subscribers is very important as we grow. We grew from 1 to five employees overnight and so getting "organized" was essential.

Pros

I love the ease of functionality in finding and creating accounts. I like the connection with Blackbaud Merchant Services for an all in one platform.

Cons

The start-up was a little too long and delayed our business plan. Also, queries and forms are not necessarily intuitive.

We use this software to manage the donors, supporters, volunteers, etc. for our non-profit.

It a good, basic tool for housing all of your client, customer or supporter contact information and activity.

Pros

Its an inexpensive way to manage donor and supporter activities. It also allow us to bulk email and communicate to our audience. We can design a nice email with graphics and it is fairly easy to set it up and send it out.

Cons

It is a little clunky in that the categories and drop-downs aren't customization. You basically have to get with your team (or those responsible for entering data) and decide how to use their established categories to fit the data you want to collect in order to have it be consistent for each person's information that you enter.

eTapestry for Donor Management

Pros

eTapestry has a lot of great cloud based functionality for keeping track of your donor database, sending communications, running reports on interactions with donors, etc.

Cons

It's pretty pricey for smaller not for profits.

Raiser's Finally Got an Update

I use Raiser's Edge as our donor database and the data entry, reporting features are really updated. However, when they came out with NXT, it was a game changer. NXT is amazing! It has a very attractive interface and super user friendly. As soon as you search for a record, consecutive years and all information on the donor is clear to see and it lets you know which donors you should be reaching out to. You could assign donors to others to initiate contact. You could easily access information on your mobile device. It takes the Raiser's Edge data entry interface and completely gives it a makeover. You are easily able to review giving history and all donor information on one page and very clearly. The only thing I don't like about NXT is that the consecutive years aren't always the same as in the donor records in the database version.

Pros

I use Raiser's Edge as our donor database and the data entry, reporting features are really updated. However, when they came out with NXT, it was a game changer. NXT is amazing! It has a very attractive interface and super user friendly. As soon as you search for a record, consecutive years and all information on the donor is clear to see and it lets you know which donors you should be reaching out to. You could assign donors to others to initiate contact. You could easily access information on your mobile device. It takes the Raiser's Edge data entry interface and completely gives it a makeover. You are easily able to review giving history and all donor information on one page and very clearly.

Cons

The only thing I don't like about NXT is that the consecutive years aren't always the same as in the donor records in the database version.

Raiser's Edge NXT is a big improvement!

Raiser's Edge NXT has notified us when prospect donor pledges are ending and recommendations for cultivation which has increased our major giving donors.

Pros

The Raiser's Edge database was very outdated however with the addition of NXT it's now very visually appealing and user-friendly. They took the old database look and revamped it to include charts, recommendations for donor cultivation and alerts daily referencing which donors to reach out to. It's very mobile friendly and great for major giving officers so they could make notes and assign tasks to their team while on the road. You could easily look up donor records and it's all accessible from Blackbaud.com so you don't need to download an app. It's good to have when on meetings and if you have to be an exhibitor for your Foundation and quickly look up donor records.

Cons

NXT shows consecutive donor years at the top of each profile however the years are not always accurate with the years in Raiser's database. Sometimes the years are way off. Also, they should make it easier to view outstanding pledges in NXT. NXT is a bit pricey however worth the cost and your return on investment is improved as it notifies you when you have major giving prospects to reach out to.

eTapestry: simply the best product out there

Pros

The eTapestry system is by far the best we've ever used. There are many things to like including: the dashboard with its sophisticated look that integrates all of the important information in on place, which makes it simple to focus on important things like delivering programs. Our old system didn't work well, especially when we needed to pull information from it. Reporting in eTapestry is quick and it looks really professional. So far, everyone we've had to provide information to, such as accountants, counselors, and so forth, are really impressed with how the information is presented to them. Last but not least, the diy forms are a godsend. They've raised us to a whole new level in regards to our tax receipting, registration forms, and mail outs! Perhaps the greatest thing we've enjoyed using eTapestry is the caliber of service we've received from every member of the team.

Cons

So far there's nothing we don't like, but I do have some suggestions. First of all, for the diy forms, we are using one for program registrations that have a fee - the donation form seemed to be the best fit. It would be ideal for us if we could either change the wording from "donation amount" and "donation frequency" to "payment amount" and "payment frequency", or provide us with the options for wording because we don't want those who are registering to be confused about the fee because it's not a donation. Secondly, in the diy forms, where we have multiple options for users to check off, it would be ideal if we could create columns so that the form isn't too long. Finally, because we are using some of the diy forms for program registrations and we deliver programs to families, it would be ideal for us if we could have a form where participants could put in the names of their family members and those names would generate separate constituents in the database. For instance, a mother signs up for a program with her two kids. All have the same contact information, but the health information is different for all three. Currently, people have to do the form several times - once for each family member.

Blackbaud is great for non-profits!

Blackbaud has allowed our team to increase relationship with our patrons through the careful documentation of every interaction and helpful information regarding the constituent- including sales orders, event registrations, donations, prospect management, memberships, contact information, household/organization relationships, marketing communications, etc. We also utilize the training and support available through Blackbaud to ensure we are using their tools to their full potential.

Pros

I love that Blackbaud has many different software options. The non-profit I work for used Blackbaud's Raisers Edge software for many years and switched to Altru in 2012 as our CRM needs had increased/developed as our organization grew. I also am appreciative of the time and attention that Blackbaud employees provide when support or training is needed.

Cons

Blackbaud's client base is largely owned by non-profit organizations. Non-profits aren't typically the kind that can spend thousands of dollars on software every month. However, Blackbaud's products are very costly. I would say they are worth the money, if it's affordable. But I do question their motives when it comes to cost, as they seem very high for who the products are for.

A huge step forward from RE7

Pros

RENXT is a wonderful leap forward for those that are currently using RE7. First off, it is online, so you can login anywhere and on any device, which for me makes it far more useful to fundraisers. Ultimately, I am a big fan and I think it makes your fundraisers spend more time reaching out to key donors, rather than working on back end tracking and database work. Also, what I appreciate the most is that I do not have to hire people who have RE experience anymore, because it is so easy for them to immediately start working out of NXT. It opens up the candidate pool!

Cons

This is a general blackbaud critique, but their customer service is not always the best. They can be difficult to get in touch with and you sometimes have to wait for a while to get a question answered or problem fixed. I will say, we have not had any issues with NXT in particular, where we needed to call them though.

ETapestry for NonProfit

Pros

Data conversion from ResultsPlus was excellent. The specialist worked with us to make sure all the data was correct and matched or improved upon how it was organized. The process also helps you become familiar with the software. So, once completed, we were able to start using without much disruption. We've been successfully using it for over a year. Overall, it is user-friendly, with great support. Our account manager is wonderful and helps with issues/questions; checks up from time to time. Online resources/tutorial great and help navigate some of the learning curves with reports, mailings, etc.

Cons

We got an odd impersonal e-mail with a link to view our invoice.It would be nice to be able to pull it up online via our Blackbaud Account Site. Support was slow when we had a question with invoice and not easy to manage/review. Not the best for e-newsletters - it's a little clunky to design with limited templates. We stayed with Constant Contact, but there are good integration features with eTapestry.

An Investment for Growth

This review was solicited by eTapestry's marketing department.

Pros

I appreciate that the product is part of Blackbaud's empire of services for the sector, so you can assume that much of the functionality is based on best practices. It has a nice graphic interface. I really appreciate the DIY form features that allow us to collect information on not only donors but volunteers and other constituents. It's been a phenomenal transformation in our ability to track our supporters and empower the board with good information. The automatic address updates we completed before our annual fund appeal resulted in an increased in renewal rates for our lapsed donors, which effectively paid for the subscription for the year.

Cons

For an organization with a smaller budget, the software investment is expensive. We were fortunate to receive a 30% discount for our first three years, but as we look to renew in the coming year, I think it will start to become more painful to pay for this operational utility. It took a significant amount of time to learn how eTap works. I was initially stunned by the costs of eTapestry's video and in-person training programs and the knowledge base is a little funky to use. Their customer service staff on chat have been super helpful, however, and that's become my go-to for answering questions. They do have free resources for training, but they are basic.

Overall a good starter CRM

IF you use their system, you should really consider using their payment processing as well. It is comparable to other services and will make your life easier.

Pros

The interface is easy to use and the donation processing and web forms functionality is pretty intuitive. If you haven't used a donor database before, this is a good beginning system. It has all of the basic functions you need, is fairly easy to use and fees are on a sliding scale.

Cons

Their reporting and querying system is not great. You can get what you need, but it seems to be overly complicated and often requires two or three steps where other systems can do it in one. They are making improvements on this, but the essential architecture now is the same as it was when I first used this system in 2008, so I am not sure how much they can effectively change.

Slow loading times, yet valuable, helpful, and easy to use

The benefits that I get from eTapestry is a giant database that can easily access each user by using a simple 1 to 6 digit entry recognition. Being able to store all this information online as opposed to locally also benefits our organization due to eTapestry's massive storage.

Pros

I like the most the fact that one can search for a client's account by their account number, with a / before it, and find any given person within the account instantly. This sort of number-orientation makes the software much easier to integrate for importing data, especially when importing hundreds of account updates and journal entries at a time.

Cons

I like the least how slow the software is. Perhaps this is because my company is utilizing the maximum account storage (we have 100,000+ accounts on file). When clicking on someone's name, there is a loading time of 3-5 seconds. When attempting to enter a gift or a journal entry from that person, there are 2 additional loading buffers of 3-5 seconds depending on the activity within the company at that time. This severely slows our process of data entry, preventing data entry from being smooth and fast.

The right features for the the right development plan

Pros

I have worked with several different non-profits, and there are a wide range of products available. In many cases, people fall back on Raiser's Edge or a similarly-sized software package because it's comfortable. However, in my current position, I was creating a development department from scratch for a small non-profit, and we simply didn't need that level of software, especially not with our limited budget. eTapestry, I find, provides absolutely everything I could need at an extremely afford price point. Gone are our days of tracking prospects, donors and campaigns in multiple spreadsheets - but we don't have the complicated and, frankly, overkill options of a high-end software that's needed for the likes of non-profit giants. It's immediately accessible to fundraising veterans and novices, with access to your information from anywhere that you can connect to the internet. Plus, it grows with you, with very well-priced tiers based on your number of records. I'm a huge advocate!

Cons

I think there is still work to be done on making customization a little more straightforward. For certain, there are challenges when it comes to split gifts, for example, that still need to worked out. That said, I have not used any software that is perfect out of the box or even after tinkering for weeks, for that matter. There is always some give and take, but I feel eTapestry does a great job.

Very Robust CRM

One thing that stood out is that the UI is near intuitive, nice to look at and the data is well supported by a dedicated team at Blackbaud. I was able to pull reports on data quickly and easily for other users. Training is pretty seamless as far as getting users acclimated into the system. Though we didn't like the out-of-the-box functionalities, we understood that we wanted some customization, which was a bit pricey for our company. Once when we did get the essential functionalities edited, we were quite happy with the results. Customer support is great at quickly responding in helping us with issues.

Pros

Easy flow in adding donors, easy flow in taking donations, pretty UI, intuitive use and workflow. Reporting functions are easy to edit and create.

Cons

Licensing and customization can be pricey. If you have your own developer to improve functionality, you may not get access to test environments or else you're paying for their developer for customizations.

Perfect customer service and help

Pros

We use eTapestry for all of our donor and fundraising needs. We have used many other products and have never been satisfied until now. Every function we need - and many we didn't even know we needed - are included in eTapestry. Even more than that, whenever I have a question or can't figure something out, their online help is available and can quickly and effectively solve any problem or challenge I have. I HIGHLY recommend eTapestry for your fundraising and donor relation needs.

Cons

I don't have a single con after using them for 3 years! The only small tiny downside would be that I wish there was an app I could check from my phone.

Expensive platform with increasing costs and long contract periods!

Unfortunately, eTapestry is just not easy to work with as they were in the beginning when we started working with them in 2011.

Pros

At first I loved eTapestry for its great support and a la carte options. It is definitely a robust system. Not so much anymore since they are now part of Blackbaud. They now bundle options and railroad agencies into long contracts to get single features that used to be available a la carte.

Cons

All of the above, plus their communications tool is not the best. It would be better if they integrated with a marketing tool like Constant Contact and included that in their packages. The maneuvering through the system is clunky and not at all intuitive.

Highly recommend eTapestry for your fundraising software. Absolutely worth the money.

Easy to set up queries, fast reporting features and an increase of donations because we have more time to focus on the donor and not the software.

Pros

Blackbaud's eTapestry is highly functional and very easy to use. We have almost 7,000 records in the eTapestry database. We found for queries, reporting and lists we are able to create these quicky to return the information we desire. Also, there are customizable features that we use frequently for our specific donor interests.

Cons

Our organization does not have anything negative to say about eTapestry. The service is fabulous and so is the product. We wish it were a lower cost, but feel we get the value out of the software.

Decent donor software for medium-sized nonprofits

It's too complicated for small organizations and not robust enough for large organizations. Since bought by Blackbaud, it seems to have been de-prioritized in terms of features, upgrades and design. Customer support is very good - but you'll need them on speed dial. Great people, great company - but this produce needs a little more TLC. Email marketing function is almost un-usable in today's mobile environment. No moves-management function, etc. 'Entirely customizable' means you have to build your own systems within. Great for basic donor info and gift tracking. Took us a couple years to 'right-size' it for us - and even then, when you have more 'work-arounds' than original offerings, you wonder if there's something better.

Pros

Customer service

Cons

Old design, clunky, not intuitive.

Great donor relations CRM with great flexibility and adaptability

Pros

eTapestry offers a first-rate, flexible CRM with every function necessary to create and manage the organization's connections. Coupled with great customer service, eTapestry offers a CRM that can be adapted and created specifically for any nonprofit organization. Offering both standardized and custom query options, eTapestry allows the user every opportunity to get to the information needed. Additionally, eTapestry offers tremendous system integration. Via forms and a QuickBooks connection, eTapestry integrates with your website and reduces unnecessary and redundant input.

Cons

While mass emailing components (Delivra) are less aesthetically pleasing "out of the box" than Constant Contact or other email marketing tools, eTapestry allows for Constant Contact integration if one would like to use that product instead. Additionally, CART functionality (the area where one can sell merchandise) needs to be updated to allow for greater customer flexibility and usability. eTapestry needs to allow its customers more creative license so that forms, etc. can be updated more quickly to match websites. These are ancillary issues that eTapestry is constantly working on.

eTapestry use for all levels of fundraising

Pros

The best part of using eTapestry is the all-around ease of navigation and training. The software is laid out in a logical format, simple to customize to fit your needs and show you the numbers you really need to know. The Blackbaud training for eTapestry is outstanding. There are recorded webinars, an online community center, an online manual, live webinars that are interactive so you can practice what you are learning, and more.

Cons

What I like least about the product is the need to continually upgrade if you want more features.

As the development director of a small non-profit, we use this software to track our donor activity.

Pros

It provides a comprehensive, detailed account of all interactions, donations, and potential contacts among our donor base. Whenever I've had to call customer support, they have been incredibly knowledgeable and friendly, and typically have gotten to the bottom of whatever issue I'm having.

Cons

There are SO many functions and features that it is hard to utilize them successfully at any given time. Reports can be complicated to produce, and creating queries to generate the specific sets of donor groups you are looking for is difficult at best.

Been with eTapestry for over three years.

Pros

Very recently, I had my first positive experience with phone support. Hopefully, that is an indicator that eTapestry is beefing up their customer service. We will know more as the holiday rush happens.

Cons

Since the beginning, customer support has been abysmal. Just recently, it has improved, but it took three years. Last year, during the holidays, I waited no less than an hour on hold each time and ended up hanging up because I did not have that kind of time to wait on the phone. One time, I waited an hour and a half, and when the closing time came, instead of taking my call, eTapestry simply disconnected me, and I pay extra for phone support! I gave up and was never able to reach support last year during the holiday season. This year's holiday season is just starting, so I have to see if anything has improved. Also, when we set up our account there was zero project management. They did not establish our needs, and as a result, set up the database as they saw fit. We had problems with defined fields (ones they established and ones they did not), and any changes would have cost a fortune. So we were stuck with what they did, which requires a lot of additional data input after the fact. There was also zero personal training. They provided videos to watch. That was not an effective way to train because they use their own terminology, and when you had questions to ask, you couldn't ask because you were watching a video. Hands-on training is a must! We started with a customer support person who was not in tune with our needs and was later switched to a group and lost one-on-one support.

e-Tapestry: Non-Profit Software for 10,000 or less donors

When I worked for a small non-profit we used e-Tapestry successfully. It was a tremendously helpful to establishing our development pyramid and where our team should best spend our time to be successful.

Pros

This software allows you to track, research and analyze donors. That means you can project revenue, cultivate more effectively and have a better communicative relationship with your donors.

Cons

In non-profit, development professionals use many different types of software. I see eTapestry as the entry level software with an eventual graduation to Raiser's Edge.

Still the most sophisticated fundraising software.

I've used Raisers Edge for years and it is still the industry standard for larger nonprofits that don't want to create their own software. The most important caveat is how much time a nonprofit spends on implementation.

Pros

It is built by fundraisers and they continue to improve it.

Cons

While it is excellent, if you put garbage data in or you don't take the time to implement correctly, it will not help you achieve your fundraising goals. It can be complicated and expensive.

eTapestry Is A Great Product!

Pros

We receipt over 50,000 gifts annually. eTapestry saved us with their automatic pledge and recurring gift schedules with credit cards and EFT. We have over 3,500 gifts go off automatically each month. If we didn't have this feature, we would need to hire at least three more full-time staff for gift receipting. The ease of building queries and reports for mailing lists, monthly financial reports, moves management processes, and anything the VP needs is incredible. In my old database, it was a 24-hour process to run our alumni magazine mailing list. The first time I ran the list in eTapestry, it only took 15 minutes. We've been with eTapestry for seven years. I know many of their staff personally and enjoy the relationship that I have built with them over the years. Their support staff are amazing!

Cons

I miss the old days of eTapestry when they were their own, small company. Although Blackbaud has allowed them to advance in some areas, I miss some of the small company touches that used to be there.

eTapestry is a comprehensive software solution for fund development

I would highly recommend eTapestry as a software solution for fund development. Great for managing up to 10,000 constituents and Blackbaud is fantastic to work with.

Pros

eTapestry is easy to use, query and reporting features are dynamic and static and constituent records are easy to record journal entries, take notes and track information about donors.

Cons

Sometimes the reporting features change due to updates in the software (on in the cloud), but the customer service is top notch and will troubleshoot these concerns and find a solution to resolve the issue.

Should have done this long ago

The customer service has been top-notch. I'm a very satisfied customer and have already spread the word about Blackbaud and Etapestry to my colleagues in the nonprofit field.

Pros

Etapestry makes it easy for me to have all of my important donor information in one comprehensive spot. Pulling reports, adding content and getting an at-a-glance look at where my financials are coming from have been an essential part of my strategic success.

Cons

There is definitely a learning curve, as there is for any industry-specific software. Working in the nonprofit field, it's hard to find time to learn everything there is to know but I'm confident that the more I use the software, the more second-nature it will become.

Streamlined Fundraising Support

Etapestry has helped our small development department in big ways! It's ease of use was critical for staff who had not used professional fundraising systems before. They were able to get on and get started right away.

Pros

Dramatically cuts down administrative time with auto functions, which was essential for our small development team so that they can spend time on cultivation vs. wasting time updating spreadsheets and processing donations. Easy reporting and querying has enabled us to better assess our efforts and returns. Great donor tracking functions ensure things are slipping through the cracks. The auto reminders and calendaring are super helpful. The seamless integration with online giving was also a blessing.

Cons

The only con is that the online fundraising interface is a bit limited design-wise, without additional cost.

eTapestry for non-profits

eTapestry is very useful for even small non-profits in terms of moving donors through cycles of giving and being able to thank them appropriately and within a good timeframe.

Pros

For me, the best thing about eTapestry is being able to use it from anywhere and not worrying about site licenses or purchasing updates.

Cons

It can be quite hard to move data over into eTapestry due to a lack on intuitive functionality. However, the customer service is quite easy to use and they have been able to help me/my staff every time.

Raiser's Edge NXT is worth the upgrade

RE NXT is a great system for tracking donor relations for nonprofits. RE has been the standard CRM for nonprofits for a while but their improved NXT edition is worth the extra expense. Wealth screening, enhanced features like donor mapping, and customized reporting are all improved features of NXT over the base RE 7 edition. It is an essential tool in building deeper relationships with donors and thus in raising more money to support your nonprofit.

Pros

Comprehensiveness, power of analytics, mobile cvompatible

Cons

Expense

eTapestry Donor Data Base

Overall great software

Pros

eTapestry is an economical donor data base that is provided through Blackbaud systems. It is a great price for all the features and functions it has. It can store and track all data on donors both individual and grants.

Cons

While the software and database can track grants it is easier and more useful to track individual donors. Matching funds are a bit tricky to input and events are another feature which are a bit tedious and difficult to track.

Before and after Blackbaud

eTapestry has become a tool that can rival any of the more expensive CRMs in the market. The only big step back is that it now belongs to Blackbaud, which has decreased the quality of its customer service.

Pros

It is user friendly for the nontechnical staff when looking for and updating information.

Cons

Not that friendly for extracting information (querying and reporting features). And since Blackbaud bought it, its customer service has become bad and unreliable.

Great way to raise funds!

We are tracking our constituents and raising money by building relationships. We could not do that without this system.

Pros

This software is designed for nonprofits and the the features are incredibly helpful in maintaining and recording information about our constituents.

Cons

Some of Blackbaud's systems look dated and you have to upgrade (more $) for a 2018 look. However, the functionality is efficient and effective. The cost is also a bit high as compared to other cloud-based CRMs.

Great tool for a more complex organization

Pros

It's versatility in being able to manage your donor's information. It is flexible enough that it allows users to define how and what they input. There is a lot of functionality in being able to track your interactions with your donors.

Cons

It is a bit complex and there is a steep learning curve. If your org doesn't have the proper roadmap in place first, you can get bogged down with learning the program also whilst trying to stay afloat.

I think RE is a very useful program!

Raiser's Edge is a very valuable tool that I've used at several different organizations on a daily basis. It is an excellent resource when used correctly and consistently. I just wish the search function was a little easier to navigate sometimes!

Pros

I like how easily I can find information stored by colleagues throughout my organization. It cuts down on asking people questions about constituents they have relationships with.

Cons

I find it hard to search for information sometimes if you do not have all the information you need.

eTapestry - is it for you, without a rep?

I can recommend - you have to decide and you management without a Lindsey

Pros

I like eTapestry but I have to confess that when I started at an organization using it I had the benefit of an assistant who knew the product inside and out and got me started almost immediately actively working with the software. It is intuitive so I only had to query my wonderful colleague, on occasion. I was excited at what was possible to accomplish (with some add-ons).

Cons

Again the confession: if I did not have rep on board would I have been able to be operating the system my first week. I had used similar products before and am not really a novice. I did reach out during that time to eTapestry for support but it was often slow enough that I figured everything out without their help

RaiserEdge was the top CRM

We did all our daily data entry and reports

Pros

RaiserEdge was our main CRM before we switched to Salesforce, RaiseEdge really built something that enabled nonprofits to have everything covered.

Cons

RaisersEdge stopped keeping up with times, they did not invest on the online platform and the bridge and net community were a disaster. I loved RaisersEdge but they simple stopped investing our their technology and they become a very closed software.

Very helpful software for Higher Education

Blackbaud has helped us tremendously in our fundraising. We continue to be pleased with it and aren't going anywhere else anytime soon.

Pros

It's tailored to my needs as a higher education professional. It's a software designed specifically for nonprofits, and helps not only with CRM, but with how to conduct all fundraising operations.

Cons

Sometimes the export features are not the most useful, however, we are able to find workaround solutions.

We do all our Donation processing with Raiser's Edge. All data entry, constituent 'touches' & repor

Database for all donations - information is kept reliable, complete (can be used to store a lot of data/facts) and accessible for reports

Pros

Data entry is easy and reports are dependable. Versatility in the type of information that can be stored in each constituent record.

Cons

the software programmers I know say the set up is very 'old school.' I use batches a lot in RE - and the setting up of each is not as intuitive as some software programs out there.

Too Many Limitations

If you are only dealing with donations, this may be a good option for you, but I work for a membership organization, and not long after I was hired, I convinced the organization to scrap eTapestry for something better suited to our needs.

Pros

This database is easy to use. If you've ever used another donor management system, you'll find it pretty intuitive. You can build decent queries and create tons of data points you want to track.

Cons

Everything has to be done manually, and it can take some time. I wouldn't recommend this to a membership organization because of the time involved logging renewals. There is also a really not so awesome template you have to use create all of the products you want to offer, including donations. It's a hassle for the organization and the donor.

The best for smaller organizations

Pros

Such an easy interface to maneuver. It makes managing donors and tracking gifts as easy as possible, while maintaining an attractive interface. Customer support is cool because a primary function is for support to be given by other users, people who know the software and may have overcome struggles like you are enduring. It creates a community in the nonprofit sector.

Cons

It might be too simple for larger organizations, but it's functionality is just as applicable for larger groups as it would be for smaller! Customer support will get you through any hassle.

360 View of Constituent (Donor) Data

MY OVERALL EXPERIENCE WITH BLACKBAUD CRM HAS BEEN NOTHING SHORT OF AWESOME. WHAT AN AMAZING PIECE OF SOFTWARE!

Pros

I LOVE THE CAPABILTY TO MANAGE DONORS FROM BEGINNING TO END. FROM PROSPECTING TO STEWARDING. REVENUE IS EASILY ENTERED, STORED AND REPORTED ON. ABILITY TO MANAGE ALL FUNDRAISING AND EVENTS ALONG WITH VOLUNTEER MODULE. SECURITY ROLES TO MANAGE WHO SEES WHAT.

Cons

I HAVE NO COMPLAINTS THUS FAR ABOUT THIS SOFTWARE.

Painful learning process

Etapestry needs to be more user friendly. 9 out of 10 times their chat can't even help, and I have to wait for a higher level and sometimes they need to get back to me, which they eventually do, but too much time wasted.

Pros

Generating letters off of each donation. Being able to run queries. I like the address updates and a lot of the user defined fields.

Cons

Way too many layers/dynamics. Next to impossible to figure out many of the compound queries without help.