Luminate Online Marketing Software

Some features are a learning curve and cumbersome to setup

We have used Luminate for crowdfunding, event management however it's quite pricey and not very easy to use. We use several Blackbaud products at my company and we have a high priced yearly contract with them.

Pros

It's a great tool for crowdfunding, event management. I definitely have more cons than pros. This tool does allow you to create individual, team fundraising crowdfunding pages and to be able to share with networks. The TeamRaiser feature in Luminate allows a crowdfunding page where you create everything to share on your website with donors however donors are not able to create their own pages.

Cons

Although we use multiple Blackbaud products, they are not very rewarding as far as discounts, promotions on your contract and even though you don't use products you still have to pay thousands if under contract. Luminate to me is very tedious and all features have a learning curve. It's not very easy to setup a donor giving page whether individual or for a team. Some tools require more html so it requires to pay more for a Blackbaud specialist to assist. To setup an individual fundraising page, it has numerous steps, took me days and still didn't understand. Then, the page looked very old fashioned. Donors are not easily able to create their own fundraising pages.

is really necesary?

I really don't like at all, but i have to work with

Pros

I love web pages that can help us with the task we need to do, and this tool do that I need to do, but personaly i do not really liked

Cons

Sometimes need a previous training before you start and its a little bit complicate, if you are not familiar with manage web pages

Horrid, stay away!

Pros

Nothing. Since this space has to be filled with 100 characters I will reiterate that there is nothing positive to say about this platform.

Cons

Blackbaud is a hydra with a thousand heads and zero direction. It's products, including Luminate, are archaic and outdated, lacking in user experience, features and functionality. Platform support is laughable. Choose an alternative and stay far, far away!

Easy to use without a programmer, but much better with programming experience.

The biggest thing I've been using this for lately is event registration and management. Without this product we wouldn't be able to pilot the programs we're piloting right now.

Pros

Very robust software with a ton of features built in. It requires some initial training to get started but once you get the hang of it, figuring out all the menus and features gets easier.

Cons

The interface can be clunky at times. Some things require navigating multiple menus and clicking multiple times to complete a task. But overall the functionality is incredible.

Workhorse, but clunky and challenging to use

Luminate's email marketing tools are clunky. The segmentation is challenging as is building split tests. The support materials are dense but the support team itself is knowledgeable, which is the only saving grace in this review.

Luminate Online: Sophisticated, Imperfect

Pros

Overall, I really like Blackbaud. I'm an expert user/administrator of several of their products. And to be perfectly frank, Blackbaud is THE industry standard software. You can go with another vendor, but Blackbaud WILL end up buying that product out. Luminate in all of its iterations is a perfect example of this. It used to be Convio, its own, standalone non-profit software company. It is now a product in the Blackbaud family.

I use Luminate in conjunction with Raiser's Edge via a Blackbaud-provided integration plugin. One thing I really like about this is that my two database software components communicate with one another. I also really like that you can use formulas--from simple to complex--to generate targeted ask strings for constituents in emails and donation forms.

And that is the best thing about Luminate Online. It is powerful and customizable. It is capable of nuance and automation. It has API access for developers. These things are vital in the world of internet marketing, communications, and donation processing.

I am also thrilled with its capability to automate recurring giving, providing recurring donors with logins to self-manage some of their giving information. Recurring giving in Raiser's Edge is a relatively manual process still. For orgs with large recurring donor groups, this product can help save a lot of time and energy by automating many of the aspects of managing these donors.

Cons

My biggest beef with Luminate Online is that it is ill-equipped to deal with non-individual, organizational records, such as businesses. There really is no functionality for org-type records, let alone the ability to manage and communicate with contacts. I would really like to see this part of the product fleshed out more in a similar way to the Raiser's Edge.

I also really dislike the event management piece of Luminate Online. It lacks basic functionality, such as the ticket buyer being able to provide guest names (!). It's almost unbelievable that any 21st century software product that provides event management functions would be incapable of collecting the most rudimentary, necessary information for an event.

Both of these issues are points in the software that make it clear this product was acquired by Blackbaud and not designed from the ground up by Blackbaud. Small snags in integration and imperfections in the product become sore points after a while, and the only way to overcome them is to have some serious web-developing firepower at your command. Many of Luminate Online's issues CAN be overcome by having a consultant or in-house web-developer customize the product for you. However, small non-profits rarely can afford this.

Bad Timing for us

Pros

It is powerful in the use of the data and also in the production of web pages.

Cons

It seems like every time we pay for some customization, then not long after, it becomes a feature or fix in a future release. I just feel like we're not being advised very well. We aren't a cookie-cutter blackbaud client, so it doesn't always fit with what we are trying to do.

Great product with a lot of potential

Pros

The flexibility and the integration are the best parts.

Cons

Blackbaud has acquired a lot of products over the years and even though integration is happening, your needs may be slower at integration than others.

We use LO in conjunction with TR. We have several TR events each year.

Pros

It is easy to use once you spend the time to learn the product and receive the appropriate training.

Cons

The learning curve is steep. There is a big up tick in learning the product and using it to meet best practice standards.

Luminate provides an on-line branded look!

Pros

The look of the finished product is incredibly professional. The software is also easy to use after you spend time learning it.

Cons

It has been difficult to get used to using the Community when issues arise however on the other hand the Community is an excellent resource.

Luminate Online "Go to the community"!

Pros

It's a wonderful way to engage with your constituents and look at online marketing as a tool for growth.

Cons

I want a live person to ask questions to, without having to be told "post it to the community" every time an issue comes up. And then having to wait a day or two for a response or comment.

Luminate Online is a great email and fundraising tool

Pros

I like that it syncs with Raiser's Edge and is very easy to upload data into the system.

Cons

I wish the donation pages were a bit easier to design.

Luminate Go!

Pros

I loved their Go! Program. It enabled us to get up and running with our eNewsletter, and various eCampaigns. Providing templates and guidance.

Cons

Not as intuitive as I would like. Also you either have to use the WYSIWYG Editor (which can be buggy) or know HTML.

Luminate Review

Pros

This product is fairly easy to use, and if I have any questions the FAQ or Luminate employees are easy to get in touch with.

Cons

It's similar to other products but, it seems to lack some of the features of Salesforce.

Mysurvey22

Pros

The speed. It is very reliable and dependable. Like the aspects.

Cons

There is really nothing at all except for maybe the costs.

Accountant

Pros

Very professional and prompt on getting back to me

Cons

It's sometimes hard to reach people. Initial contact is hard.

Easy to use, amazing results!

Pros

I like that it integrates almost seamlessly with Raisers Edge! I love how the Constituent 360 database tracks every interaction a user makes.

Cons

I don't like that the C360 database doesn't allow for Organisational records. That's silly Blackbaud! And the preceding alpha and zeros on a receipt number don't transfer to RE.

Luminate Review

Pros

It allows us to create online fundraising sites when you have little knowledge of website design.

Cons

Their eCommerce module is out of date, and many times, we find that we are battling the system to do what we want and writing custom code to get what we want.

Luminate Online Rocks!

Pros

Luminate Online is a cutting-edge and forward-thinking software that leverages the strength of the world's leading fundraising software developer with the input from actual end users of the product. Blackbaud listens to us!

Cons

It's slightly expensive, but you get what you pay for.

Used service since 2006

Pros

I love that I can do everything in one tool. The initial training and ongoing resources are great. The support team is helpful, and if you ever use client services, they are even better.

Cons

The price is a little steep, and the reporting could be a little more in-depth.