General Information

Blackbaud is the world’s leading cloud software company powering social good.

Leading uniquely at the intersection point of technology and social good, Blackbaud provides cloud software, services, data intelligence, and expertise that empower and connect people to drive impact for social good. We serve the entire social good community, which includes nonprofits, foundations, companies, education institutions, healthcare organizations, and the individual change agents who support them. Learn more about Blackbaud.

bbcon is the ultimate conference experience for every person and organization using technology to build a better world.  With sessions for arts and cultural organizations, cause-based nonprofits, educational institutions, faith communities, healthcare organizations, foundations, and corporate giving, this conference provides an unmatched experience for all social good professionals.

No. bbcon now will take place as a global virtual gathering October 6-8, 2020. 
This online-only event will unite the social good community for three days of thought leadership and best practices, technology trends and innovations, and peer networking.  
 

Some can’t-miss highlights:  

  • Keynotes to enlighten, empower, and entertain   
  • Thought leadership and best practices specifically for your organization type and role  
  • Roundtable discussion rooms for industry peers to talk trends, challenges, and opportunities   
  • One-on-one appointments with the Blackbaud team, exhibitors, and other attendees  
The dates remain that same from October 6–8, 2020. See the schedule curated by region to learn more.

We want to connect as many people in the social good community as possible, and we want to do it safely, so in light of COVID-19, bbcon is now proceeding as a global virtual gathering.  

We’re excited to deliver bbcon 2020 unconstrained by physical limitations. We recognize the unique opportunity to connect more people in the social good community with thought leadership and best practices, technology trends and innovations, and peer networking in a reimagined format.  

Registration is now open! Secure your spot here.
 

If you have additional questions about bbcon, please email us at conference@blackbaud.com. 

Blackbaud University Day will not be included as part of the bbcon 2020 Virtual agenda. However, Blackbaud University is now offering customers free, universal access to its entire curriculum of ondemand, self-paced eLearning resources. Our instructor-led classes are still available for purchase or are included if your organization invests in a Learn More or Learn Everything subscription. Visit Training Central to begin learning today!

From the Technology Curriculum Page, you can click on a product name. That will open a curriculum datasheet with all of the associated classes. The free eLearning classes have the green computer icon.

Virtual Experience

Ahead of the start of the event on the week of October 5, attendees will receive details on how to access bbcon 2020 Virtual. Your login credentials will be shared with this information. Once you have logged in, refer to the Program tab in the top navigation which includes the full schedule of sessions and speakers.

We hope you will join us during the conference dates, October 6–8, so that you can participate in live chat during sessions, visit with our sponsors in the virtual marketplace, and network with other attendees through AI-matching and small group roundtables. If you can’t make it, please still register to access content! The platform will stay live through November 18, 2020. The networking feature and other live elements will not be available past October 9.

Great news! The virtual pass this year will include ALL sessions free of charge to attendees. You won't need to regiser for specific sessions in order to attend.

Blackbaud will continue to explore and analyze our options for future decisions on virtual and hybrid events. At this time, we plan to host bbcon in person again for 2021 and will consider the virtual experience as well.

Sessions and Speakers

bbcon is filled with sessions tailored for you! With content for all regions and role types—arts and cultural organizations, cause-based nonprofits, educational institutions, faith communities, healthcare organizations, foundations, and corporate giving—this conference provides an unrivaled experience for all social good professionals

Sessions are available here! bbcon 2020 Virtual sessions along with descriptions and speakers were released earlier this summer. We will release more details on session times soon. Note that the bbcon 2020 Virtual experience includes all sessions available on-demand for attendees. Attendees are encouraged to plan a schedule during conference hours and access any additional content on-demand in the weeks following bbcon., but are not required to sign up for any session in order to attend.

This year, bbcon is a global gathering. We’ve curated a schedule by region to assist attendees with navigating throughout the three days of the conference. Attendees can join the broadcast of sessions during their scheduled time, Attendees can also access content on-demand after the scheduled time. All sessions are available on demand through November 18, 2020.

North American session times are listed in Eastern Time (UTC). Sessions and networking opportunities are offered each day, starting at 11:00 a.m. ET., on October 6, 2020.

Europe session times are listed in British Summer Time (BST). Sessions and networking opportunities are offered each day, starting at 2:00 p.m. BST, to align with the region. Attendees can also access all content on-demand after the scheduled time.

Asia-Pacific session times are listed in Australian Eastern Daylight Time (AEDT). Sessions and networking opportunities are offered each day, starting around 12:00 p.m. AEDT, to align with the region. Attendees can also access all content on-demand after the scheduled time.

Yes! Blackbaud provides inspiration and learning opportunities throughout the year. We are continually releasing content through digital channels, including webinars, meet-ups, and more. Please visit Blackbaud’s website for more information.

We are offering only a few sessions where attendees can earn education credit. These sessions are listed under the Financial Management track, found here. View more on how to submit for credits here.

We are in the process of formulating an exciting agenda and reviewing all submissions. We plan to share the agenda this summer. If you submitted a session for bbcon, stay tuned!

Want to stay current with Blackbaud solution updates and industry trends? Product Update Briefings will be held on October 20–22. Reserve your spot via the links below:

Sponsors

We will connect with all sponsors directly about virtual sponsorship benefits.   

Yes. More information will be provided on sponsorship opportunities in the coming months. For more details, please contact innovationexpo@blackbaud.com. 

Registration is closed, we look forward to seeing you next year!

Networking

 

  1. When in the virtual platform, find the Networking tab on the top navigation. Attendee profiles are built from your bbcon registration details but can be updated as you see fit within the platform. When first accessing the networking tool, you will be prompted to review and ensure your profile is up to date.
  2. At any time while in the Networking tool, attendees can go to the Profile section as part of the upper right navigation and make any necessary changes or additions. Profile options include uploading a picture, completing personal information, answering questions tied to your interests and to assist with matching you with other attendees using Artificial Intelligence (AI). Having an updated profile will allow you to get more meaningful connections.

Note that opt in is required to participate in networking.

The Networking feature is available for everyone, but opt-in is required as part of registration.

During the registration process, you had the choice to enable sharing of your contact data in order for us to create you a networking profile. Those who did not will be able to access the virtual platform but will not have a profile or the ability to network with other attendees, speakers, sponsors and Blackbaud staff.

Once the event starts, please reach out to event staff with any profile concerns–

  • Attendees may request a networking profile during the conference by reaching out to conference@blackbaud.com, understanding the networking piece is only available October 5–9, 2020.
  • Attendees may request to have a profile removed during the conference by reaching out to support@grip.events using the subject line “Remove from networking” and we will be happy to assist.

If you would like to set up a meeting, go to their profile and select Meet. A box will be displayed that allows you to request to meet at a date, time, and location. Then select Request Meeting. The recipient can decide whether to go ahead and schedule the meeting or decline. The status of your meetings will appear on My Schedule. Note–You can also search and filter for specific individuals in the networking tool.

The rooms are available to schedule throughout the conference week. You can schedule a meeting for an available time slot, and up to 4 people can join. Choose your available hours when completing your profile in the Networking feature.

You will need to send a meeting request to your contact. Once the meeting is accepted, the Virtual Meeting Room button will appear, and be clickable 5 minutes before the scheduled meeting. The meeting link will be available for the duration of the meeting, and the room will stay open until everyone leaves. You cannot re-enter an empty room after the scheduled meeting time.

You can add additional people (up to a total of 4) to the meeting by selecting the icon of a person’s outline that also shows the number of people in the room (“x/4”). The icon is in the upper left corner of the video window. There you will find a shareable link to the meeting. You can also control whether the room is locked/private.

The intent of these sessions is to allow for smaller group discussions, and they can be accessed in the Networking feature. Look under the Event Agenda section in the left column and you will see options for various networking sessions to attend. Add it to your networking schedule and join the meeting link when it is time. Remember that these rooms are limited to 50 people and are first-come, first-serve until the capacity is reached.

Meeting rooms are supported by Whereby. To troubleshoot your technology in the meeting rooms, go to https://whereby.helpscoutdocs.com/article/502-my-camera-and-microphone-arent-working

Those who opt out of the Networking feature when completing registration will be able to access the platform but will not have a visible profile to maintain your privacy. New attendees will be added to networking if opted in. Attendees may request a networking profile during the conference by reaching out to conference@blackbaud.com, understanding the networking piece is only available October 5–9, 2020.

If you would like to be removed once the event has already begun, please send your details to support@grip.events using the subject line “Remove from networking” and we will be happy to assist you.

Technical Concerns

Ahead of the start of the event on the week of October 5, attendees will receive details on how to access bbcon 2020 Virtual. Your login credentials will be shared with this information. Once you have logged in, refer to the Program tab in the top navigation which includes the full schedule of sessions and speakers.

We will update this FAQ with more information as we prepare to launch for the event. If you have additional questions around platform access, reach out to us at conference@blackbaud.com for support.

NO plug-in is required to access the platform and content. An up-to-date web browser is the only requirement to participate in the virtual experience.

NO webcam is required to attend the conference and attendees can experience the platform in audio-only format. Note that attendees do have the option to schedule meetings and small groups as part of networking functionality which will also allow you to connect through video if preferred.

The platform is accessible on a mobile device and formatted to that experience in addition to the standard web browser view.

We support the most current version of the popular browsers; Chrome, Safari, Edge, IE 11 and FireFox. Chrome is the preferred browser.

Please have your IT Security team whitelist the following addresses—

Additional Troubleshooting Tips—

  • Ensure you have a supported browser.
  • Check your internet speed to make sure your internet is fast enough for smooth playback. We recommend a minimum internet download speed of 1.5mbps for video-on-demand content and 4mbps for live event content. How fast is my internet?
  • Disable ad-blockers or other browser extensions that may be interfering with the page.
  • "Hard refresh" the page. This is done by pressing the "Ctrl-F5" keys on Windows or "Cmd-Shift-R" on Mac.
  • Close all instances of your browser then relaunch the browser and try again.
  • Clear your browser cache. You can find instructions for clearing your cache here.
  • If problems persist, reach out to us at conference@blackbaud.com or use the Help Desk feature on bbcon 2020 Virtual once logged in.

There could be several causes resulting in slow or interrupted video playback. In general, if you’re connecting over Wi-Fi and experiencing constant rebuffering or other issues during playback, try moving your router to another location and away from other devices that may cause electrical interference.

Recommendations—

  • Move your wireless router to a more central location of your home
  • Move your wireless router to an elevated surface such as a desk or on top of a bookshelf
  • Clear clutter from the vicinity of your wireless router
  • Use a hardline internet connection if available

Meeting rooms are supported by Whereby. To troubleshoot your technology in the meeting rooms, go to https://whereby.helpscoutdocs.com/article/502-my-camera-and-microphone-arent-working