7 things I learned at bbcon

This past week I attended my first-ever #bbcon (“BlackBaud convention”, for the uninitiated).

I was so excited, not only because it would be my first bbcon, but because it would also be my first time on the West Coast. (The conference was in Seattle).

I imagined what it would be like – I expected to learn and be inspired. But I also wondered – would I return a changed woman? That’s a bit dramatic, I know… I’m a bit dramatic, sometimes.

But anyway, the first thing I did when I got to Seattle was look for Mt. Rainier. Where was it? How glorious was it? As we were landing, I looked out the window. I couldn’t see it. I got in the taxi, looked all around, and noticed that the trees were different from what we had back in Washington, D.C. Enjoyed it, but still didn’t see Mt. Rainer. I got to the hotel and asked for a mountain view. They said no, that’s not available. So I got the city view – a view of highways and high-rises. That’s OK, though. I bided my time.

But the SECOND thing that I did when I got to Seattle was I became a “yes” person. I said, yes, I’m going to attend as many sessions as possible. I said, YES, I’m going to attend as many booths in the Marketplace as possible. And YES, I am going to talk to as many people as I can. And yes, of course, I’m going to have as much Seattle coffee as I can (and I must say, I had some AMAZING vanilla lattes around the city). This week I was a sponge.

And so, without further ado, here are the top 7 things that I learned and was impressed by (as a Database Manager using Raiser’s Edge NXT) at #bbcon2024 (note: even if no one reads this, I write this for myself so that I don’t forget what I learned):

1.? ? ? Automation – That’s what we’re moving towards, folks. You’ve got to learn how to automate because apparently, I have more important things to do than to make a bunch of clicks to update a record. I can instead just set up an automation workflow and let the robot do the basics for me. I’ve got to start using my brain more at work, the thinking part. Here’s more information about getting started with Microsoft Power Automate and Power Apps.

2.? ? ? Dashboards – And for the brain part – we’ve got to be looking at and start analyzing the data that we have. Raiser’s Edge NXT has a lot of pre-built dashboards that are ready to go. And if you want to take it a step further, apparently, it’s not that hard to build a custom report.

3.? ? ? Prospect Insights – Check if this is in your subscription, because apparently it was included in mine, and I just didn’t know about it. I just have to turn it on, and then we’ll be able to see insights about a constituent based on the data that we already have in our database. Also, this is a separate thing from ResearchPoint. Read more about the difference between Prospect Insights and ResearchPoint.??

4.? ? ? Bill Connors is amazing. I learned so much from him in just the two sessions that I attended. Everything that he said was gold. Also, I did walk out of there with the realization that I have a stunning amount of work I have to do. No session gave me as much stress as his did. Also, he has so many resources up on his website.

5.? ? ? Everything in Database View Raiser’s Edge should be in Raiser’s Edge NXT by the end of 2025. I am most excited about a more robust batch tool in Raiser’s Edge NXT, and pledges being added to Raiser’s Edge NXT giving forms. I’m also curious about using Blackbaud Copilot. It will be my friend.

6.? ? ? I am EXTREMELY excited about Constant Contact x Raiser’s Edge NXT. I have used Constant Contact for nearly 15 years. I’ve been a fan of it since the beginning.

7. Also, everyone that I met was so friendly. Truly, some of the nicest people here. Everyone was so easy to talk to, and we were all just so willing to share our experiences and learning with each other.?

And finally, I think I might’ve seen Mt. Rainier as the plane was rising into the air, but I couldn’t really tell. Nevertheless, I still saw so many other beautiful things in Seattle, like the gum wall and the murky foggy water behind Pike Place, and those weird seeds that go pop! In your hand. That was strange – and all very memorable.

#BlackbaudCommunity