Luminate Online Marketing Software

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

Likes Best

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.

Likes Least

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.

Recommendations

I recommend this product to larger non-profits with large budgets depending on the size of web, marketing, and communications staff and their capacity. It's a big product, and it is spendy. This product WILL require significant staff time to be used properly and effectively. I also recommend that orgs who purchase this include training in the purchase contract because it is not intuitive to learn.

That said, after over a year of having and using this product, I do believe it is worth buying. I am constantly finding myself appreciating the automation (I use it for targeted email welcome series). I appreciate that it integrates with Raiser's Edge. I appreciate that it has a robust support team behind it, which can be accessed by phone or chat. And I certainly love the recurring gift management aspect.

Likes Best

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

Likes Least

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.

Recommendations

Know ahead what your organization is trying to accomplish and make sure that the software has a way to get to those goals.

Likes Best

The flexibility and the integration are the best parts.

Likes Least

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.

Recommendations

Be patient. Be willing to learn. Keep your mind open to what the software COULD do. I can do a lot but it's a lot to take in all at once.

Likes Best

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

Likes Least

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

Recommendations

This is only a product you should buy if you also have the staff time and capacity for training.

Likes Best

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

Likes Least

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.

Recommendations

Make sure you allocate the time to learn the software.

Likes Best

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

Likes Least

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.

Recommendations

the learning process and bi-weekly trainings have been great. I feel as though we have grown into the process with the other non-profits in my cohort.

Likes Best

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

Likes Least

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

Recommendations

Luminate Online has many functions. I think it would be good to make sure to have an experienced IT professional to help with the evaluation as some of the functionality is advanced for a basic user.

Likes Best

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

Likes Least

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

Recommendations

Look at what support and programs they offer to get you up and running (ie ask about the GO! program).

Likes Best

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.

Likes Least

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

Recommendations

I don't have any recommendations for others evaluating software like this.

Likes Best

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

Likes Least

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

Recommendations

Give it time to deploy and make sure you keep it free of viruses.

Likes Best

Very professional and prompt on getting back to me

Likes Least

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

Recommendations

The service is superb. There is no room for improvement.

Likes Best

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

Likes Least

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.

Recommendations

If you want a product that's incredibly easy to use, extremely useful and super intuitive, this is it. Creating donation forms is point and click, drag and drop easy, and it integrates with RE easily! You can easily create surveys and custom pages and the email capabilities are the best I've seen! Not only do the email campaigns allow you to track click through, forwards and unsubscribed, but you can track donations that were prompted from that campaign! My Communications Team thinks I'm a wizard! The really great thing? I'm still learning, so I know its going to get better!

Likes Best

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

Likes Least

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.

Recommendations

You should have someone on staff that is very knowledgeable in web design and coding.

Likes Best

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!

Likes Least

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

Recommendations

No software is "one size fits all." Find the solution that works best for your organization.

Likes Best

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.

Likes Least

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

Recommendations

Don't just take the surface demos; really ask some deep questions. Make sure all the departments affected have buy in. Discuss not only what you need now but also what you want to grow into. Find out what happens to your data if you ever move away from product.

Likes Best

This product integrates with Raiser's Edge, which streamlines data entry. They have a great program called Go!, which takes you through three different email campaigns and provides specific direction and feedback to grow your email lists. It is not difficult to set up new action forms. Emails are not difficult to send (especially if you are working off a template designed for you in the Go! Program). Blackbaud has been quick to respond to concerns and problems that arose from the integration with Raisers Edge.

Likes Least

Navigating to some of the reports is less intuitive than I would like. But, like anything, once you understand the structure, it is okay.

Recommendations

Find out about the Go! Program. This really aids in the learning process and helps build templates and models for future campaigns. It is designed to grow your list with a result of the program paying for itself. It provides training sessions every two weeks for a year. If you do this program, look ahead at the year and the campaigns you will be building out and start planning early. Also, they will create a newsletter each month. We just had them make a different template each month and put the content in ourselves so we had more email templates to choose from.