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This example comes from the tool maker’s own case study, not an independent source.

Evidence grade C
Vendor or secondhand (grade C: vendor or secondhand)Blackbaud's own aggregate figures from its product page. It doesn't say how many organizations they cover or how donations are attributed.

A Fundraising Agent Inside Raiser's Edge NXT Keeps Up With Mid-Level Donors by Email and Text

Blackbaud says its helper can email donors for you while staff watch each send.

What happened Blackbaud says its Development Agent, which works inside the Raiser's Edge NXT donor database, has made 70K+ donor touchpoints, gets a reply rate 76 times the industry email average and has over $300K in donations attributed to it in 6 months.

Who this is about: Nonprofits and university advancement offices

Blackbaud Development AgentRaiser's Edge NXTStartupsAutopilot
Get the prompt

SalesAdded Oct 15, 2026Source: blackbaud.com

What it takes

Cost
Price on requestSold through Blackbaud's sales team to U.S. Raiser's Edge NXT customers. No public price.Price checked Oct 15, 2026 on blackbaud.com. Prices change; check before you buy.
Setup time
A few weeksOur estimate from the source, for one business.
Skill needed
No codeApps and settings only.

Explain it simply

Many groups have more mid-level donors than staff can write to one by one. You set this helper up in the donor list with a name, a tone, and a group. It sends each person their own email and a text, follows up, and logs each chat. Staff watch what goes out, start slow, and step in when it matters.

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What was done

Blackbaud describes the setup as onboarding a new teammate. The agent is set up inside Raiser's Edge NXT, where it works from the organization's constituent data and learns its brand and fundraising goals. The team picks a name and personality for it, chooses which channels it uses (email, text or both) and sets the tone for its outreach.

Next the team decides who it talks to: the agent can pick the best mid-tier donors from the unassigned part of the database, or work only with a group staff assign. The agent then starts outreach slowly while staff fine-tune tone, message length and brand fit, reviews and adjustments follow, and only then does outreach ramp up.

Every interaction is logged in the CRM in real time, and the agent escalates to staff when needed.

How it went

Blackbaud's product page reports 70K+ unique donor touchpoints, a reply rate 76 times the industry email response rate, and more than $300K in donations attributed in the last 6 months. It doesn't say how many organizations those totals cover or how attribution is measured.

  • Brian Otis, Vice President for University Advancement at the University of New Haven, says the agent helps "accelerate donor connections."
  • The "up to 10x" capacity claim is Blackbaud's own estimate: a major gift officer typically manages about 75 to 150 prospects, while the average Raiser's Edge NXT organization has about 1,200 high-potential mid-level donors the agent can engage at once.
  • Only U.S. Raiser's Edge NXT customers can use it for now; a wider release is planned for later in 2026.

Prompt

PromptWritten by our editors from the source
1. Set the agent up inside Raiser's Edge NXT so it works from live donor records.
2. Give it a name and personality that suit your donors.
3. Choose channels (email, SMS) and set the tone to match your brand.
4. Choose the audience: let it find the best mid-tier donors in your unassigned pool, or assign a specific group.
5. Start slowly. Review messages for tone, length and brand fit, then adjust.
6. Ramp up only after the review period. Keep escalation to staff on.
7. Track: donors contacted, reply rate, meetings or gifts, dollars attributed.

Rollout steps as Blackbaud describes them, in our words. Not the product's actual settings.

Business fit

Who this helps, and how:

  • Development teams with a large unassigned mid-level donor pool: get regular, personal contact with donors no gift officer has time for.

  • Small advancement offices: add outreach capacity without a new hire, while keeping staff in charge of major gifts.

  • Any team trying an outreach agent: copy the "start slow, review, then ramp" rollout and log every message in the CRM.

    Startups

Your turn

Ideas to try on your own work. These are starters, not results anyone has measured.

  • Which donor group is too big for your team to write to one by one?
  • What tone should a note keep so it still sounds like your group?
  • When should a person step in before a text goes out?

Related

Similar tools

Other tools for this job, and how they differ. Chosen by our editors, never paid for.

  • Givzey Version2.ai

    An AI fundraising agent sold as an add-on, for organizations not on Raiser's Edge NXT.

  • Bloomerang

    Donor management software focused on retention and engagement for small and mid-size nonprofits.

  • Virtuous

    A fundraising CRM and engagement platform built around personalized donor journeys.

“Vendor or secondhand” (grade C) means: A tool maker's case study, a promotional demo, or someone else's write-up. How we grade. Spotted a mistake? Suggest a correction.