Don't miss the official kick-off to bbdevdays! You'll get the low-down on all of the don't miss activities available during the conference and see how you can take your developer experience to the next level.

Discover how innovative thinking and an entrepreneurial mindset can help you create deeper connections with your constituents. We'll explore five key principles that successful entrepreneurs use, and focus on designing solutions that truly meet your constituents' needs. You’ll learn how to make smart trade-offs and build valuable tools through a fun, constituent-centered approach.

Here are all the people that will be part of the discussion: - Sanya Hussain (Host) - Chanel Carmichael - Jennifer Lovelock

Location: Check in the Braindate platform 10 minutes in advance to find the call link.

Let the group know if you’re running late or can’t make it through the Braindate platform.

Details: go to the Braindate platform

This session will commence with an overview of APIs and their significance in interconnected systems. Next, we'll introduce SKY API® and review SKY Add-Ins® that enhance the functionality of Blackbaud solutions. We'll discuss how Power Platform simplifies the use of these tools explore real-world scenarios. Ideal for those who are new to the topic or interested in expanding their understanding of the terminology, the session will conclude with a Q&A focused on the fundamentals of APIs and Add-Ins.

In this demo, we will create a Luminate Online Feature Pack to manage Raffles.

With tips from basic to advanced, this session will help you maximize the value of your CRM implementation using the trusty page designer tool.

Join us for an informative session designed to enhance your fundraising strategy. We'll explore how to use custom URLs for efficient testing, implement S Tags effectively, use conditional content, and implement other powerful elements to enhance your workflow. We'll also discuss TeamRaiser TPT/template files to help you maximize your impact.

In our session, we'll introduce Chat2Impact — our AI-powered chatbot designed to help charities using Raiser's Edge NXT engage more effectively with their supporters through natural, conversational language. We'll walk through how our platform integrates with Blackbaud's SKY API® to enable users to easily find and register for events, create constituent records, record actions as well as process donations through a brand-new integration with Blackbaud Merchant Services.

Set up Teams or email notifications whenever the Blackbaud Status Page reports an issue or provides an update about your product. Understand the essentials of trigger, filter, and action, which can be enhanced with conditional logic based on new, updated, or completed statuses to include color-coding in the alerts.

Leveraging historical pledge data and Machine Learning, discover how to predict future write-offs in fundraising. By analyzing past pledges and identifying patterns associated with unfulfilled commitments, learn how we train a machine learning model to assess the risk of new pledges.

This hands-on technical workshop is designed for web developers, team leads, and decision-makers who want to get started with SKY UX® components. It is particularly suited for those with experience in web development using frameworks like React or Vue.js but who may be less familiar with Angular.

The session begins with an introductory overview of Angular components, providing context for participants transitioning from other frameworks. Attendees will then learn how to set up and maintain a SKY UX® project, including making informed design decisions, following development patterns, and leveraging SKY UX® documentation and standards.

The hands-on portion allows participants to either copy the project to their local development environment or work in an online environment. By the end of the workshop, attendees will have a functional SKY UX® project and a clear understanding of how to integrate SKY UX® components into their workflows.

You have learned to build visuals in Power BI, but now you need to connect to your Blackbaud data. Learn how to bring data into Power BI from your Blackbaud database. We will cover the Blackbaud Community's Power BI Connector and options to use Power Automate to leverage SKY API® and/or SFTP transfers from file storage.

See how Georgia Tech Foundation has experimented integrating Microsoft Copilot with Fabric, SKY API and the Blackbaud Data Warehouse. Participants will explore possibilities this process unlocks for natural language prompts within Microsoft Teams to access and manipulate data and create actions in BBCRM. Thanks to Microsoft for sponsoring this Innovation Grant.

Does it seem like every company is busy adding AI to every product you use? Are you left wondering what it actually means? Join us for an enlightening session where Thomas Betts, one of Blackbaud's software architects and an industry expert on software trends, will demystify the AI label. In this session, you'll gain a clear understanding of the fundamental building blocks of AI—without the jargon. We'll help you separate the hype from genuinely useful features that can enhance your productivity. Learn about the real-world technologies often referred to as AI, such as machine learning, natural language processing, and predictive analytics, and how they are applied in practical scenarios. Expect real-world examples, including insights from Blackbaud's Intelligence for Good program. If you prioritize productivity over an AI label on a product, this session will equip you to cut through the marketing jargon and identify genuinely useful features that save you time.

In this session, join Kathy Steinman, Director of Institutional Research at New Canaan Country School, and Brian Jarvis, Director of Institutional Research and Analytics at Norfolk Academy, as they explore the transformative power of Power BI in K-12 school data management. Learn how connecting Power BI to Blackbaud's Core and countless other data systems can help you overcome data pain points, create dynamic dashboards, and make data-driven decisions that enhance enrollment management, financial aid, and academic processes. Through live demos and practical insights, attendees will discover how to unlock the potential of their data, enabling smarter, more informed decisions across departments. Whether you're just getting started with Power BI or looking to optimize your existing setup, this session will provide valuable takeaways and inspiration for using data to its full potential.

Are you still relying on database downloads for local reporting in Financial Edge NXT? Discover how to modernize your data workflows using Microsoft Fabric and Blackbaud SKY API for automated, seamless data extraction—eliminating the need for manual downloads. In this session, Wadih Pazos of Esgenio and Bill Walsh of IBW Solutions will walk you through a real-world implementation, highlighting how to bring in bulk data into Fabric using the Query API, managing authentication and token expirations, and how to transform your reporting infrastructure with Power BI. Bonus content will include leveraging this information for innovative use cases such as SKY Add-Ins®. Whether you’re a developer, administrator, or data professional, you’ll leave with a clear understanding of the business case, technical process, and a pattern to apply in your own environment.

Eager to dive into API but not sure where to start? Learn how to interpret Blackbaud's updated API documentation and start using the LuminateExtend library to access the robust data systems that power Luminate Online and TeamRaiser.

Are you ready to set your work processes to “easy mode”? In this session, learn how to leverage Microsoft Power Automate with your Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT®, Blackbaud Financial Edge NXT® and other SKY API®: enabled solutions. Learn about the Marketplace, third-party apps, and the basics of Microsoft Power Automate. You’ll also learn how to create a flow by importing a template which will jump start your Power Automate learning experience. Learning Objectives:

• Navigate the Marketplace

• Build a Power Automate flow from a template

• Modify and test the flow

• Identify help resources

Learn how Alvernia University leverages the extensibility of Raiser's Edge NXT to import information using Power Automate, saving time, reducing errors, and boosting alignment with business processes.

Demo different ways to save data in an Excel file and learn applicable skills like saving to SharePoint and attaching files to email. These techniques vary in speed, coding difficulty, and ease of understanding, offering solutions from basic to more involved.

Do you spend countless hours querying data, exporting it to Excel, and formatting it to look presentable for team reports? It's time to set it and forget it!

Unlock the full potential of your Blackbaud CRM with our low code solutions session at bbdevdays. This interactive session is designed for developers, administrators, and solution architects who are looking to streamline their CRM processes and enhance functionality without extensive coding. Join us as we explore the latest low code tools and techniques that can help you customize and optimize your Blackbaud CRM. You'll learn how to create powerful workflows, automate tasks, and integrate third-party applications seamlessly. Our experts will guide you through practical examples and real-world scenarios, demonstrating how low code solutions can save time, reduce costs, and improve overall efficiency. Whether you're new to low code or looking to deepen your knowledge, this session will provide valuable insights and hands-on experience to help you take your Blackbaud CRM to the next level. Don't miss this opportunity to transform your CRM with innovative low code strategies!

In this presentation, you will learn how Power Automate can streamline data operations in K-12 schools by automating tasks such as user and enrollment change notifications, file transfers, and data population. We will demonstrate how to submit a pre-built template and leverage other's pre-built templates to simplify these processes, ensuring greater accuracy, efficiency, and reduced manual effort.

Here are all the people that will be part of the discussion: - Keith Posey (Host) - Sanya Hussain

Location: Check in the Braindate platform 10 minutes in advance to find the call link.

Let the group know if you’re running late or can’t make it through the Braindate platform.

Details: go to the Braindate platform

Did you know dozens of companies offer solutions that integrate with Blackbaud's Payments API to offer streamlined processing, transaction management and reconciliation to customers? Come learn what exists and be inspired about what's possible!

Donor reporting is essential to stewardship, but traditional processes are often manual, time-consuming, and difficult to scale. As donor expectations rise, institutions must move beyond static reports and embrace automation, efficiency, and personalization to strengthen engagement. In this session, leaders from Fort Lewis College will share how they transformed their donor reporting processes—reducing production time, increasing accuracy, and delivering dynamic, personalized reports at scale. By leveraging automation and streamlining workflows, they optimized how reports are generated, packaged, and distributed, significantly reducing the administrative burden on their teams. We’ll discuss how FLC moved from fragmented, labor-intensive reporting to a seamless, technology-driven approach that ensures donors receive timely, relevant, and meaningful updates on their impact. Learn how they tackled challenges such as integrating disparate data sources, improving report design and delivery, and creating a scalable model that adapts to donor needs. Join us for an inside look at how Fort Lewis College redefined donor reporting—cutting production time, enhancing donor experience, and making stewardship more strategic and sustainable.

Are you looking for a clear guide to rolling out multiple Blackbaud solutions in phases to ensure a seamless transition? This session presents a practical, phased approach to implementation, covering key milestones such as initial setup, data migration, user training, and full deployment. Attendees will walk away with actionable strategies to manage change, minimize disruptions, and maximize the impact of their Blackbaud solutions. Whether you’re in the early planning stages or refining your rollout strategy, this session will provide valuable insights to guide your transition.

In this three-part workshop, you will discover how to use Power Automate to extend Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT® by building a data integration and automation that "lives inside" your Blackbaud product for a seamless user experience. By the end of the three workshops, you'll have built an app that helps automate fundraiser requests for receiving credit on a gift. This includes handling approval steps and how to circumvent potential technical roadblocks that may arise when automating data health tasks. For this course, we will use a Raiser's Edge NXT developer environment, which will be provided to you. We design the course so that power users of other Blackbaud systems—Blackbaud Financial Edge NXT®, Blackbaud's education management products, Blackbaud Altru®, or Blackbaud CRM™—will learn transferrable skills.

Are you interested in building a SKY Add-in with C# and Angular but unsure how to host and deploy it? This session will show you the full process of developing and deploying an add-in on Amazon Web Services.

Unlock the power of automation with our hands-on skills lab where you'll learn how to create efficient Power Automate workflows to manage daily gift logs. Whether you need to email sorted logs by solicitor, faculty rep, or other criteria, this lab will equip you with the skills to automate these tasks seamlessly.

Generative AI is reshaping the technical landscape, and forward-thinking organizations must turn their attention to ideating, innovating, and experimenting with these tools to stay ahead of the curve. Join this session to explore ways to future-proof your talent by empowering them to harness AI.

Financial Edge NXT's SKY APIs for Account Receivables are hot off the presses. Let's walk through what's available now, chat about use cases, and brainstorm what you'd like to see in the future.

This presentation demonstrates how Visual Studio Code and Python can revolutionize your Raiser's Edge workflow without expensive plugins or specialized software. By leveraging Python's flexibility and Raiser's Edge NXT's existing keyboard shortcuts, you can transforms days of repetitive work into an automated process—proving that with basic coding knowledge, you can create powerful customizations without third-party plugins or additional expenses.

Join us for a review of how we create and maintain the SKY UX Design System internally and the benefits that are available for users and developers working with Blackbaud products.

Understand what you can do to extend your Blackbaud solutions with AI.

In this session, we'll breakdown technical email topics that impact email deliverability and showcase what Blackbaud's operations team does to ensure high email deliverability to teach customer DNS administrators, and IT staff the best practices they can follow for their organization's outgoing emails.

Here are all the people that will be part of the discussion: - Angela Sailer (Host)

Location: Check in the Braindate platform 10 minutes in advance to find the call link.

Let the group know if you’re running late or can’t make it through the Braindate platform.

Details: go to the Braindate platform

Explore how Blackbaud and Pledge partnered with the California Community Foundation to raise millions of dollars for fire relief and help thousands of LA families during their time of need.

Want to do more with your Blackbaud solutions? This session will provide you with the knowledge and tools to maximize the potential of your Blackbaud solutions through the Marketplace. You’ll come away with an understanding of what the Marketplace is and learn how to find the partners and tools you need. Don't miss this opportunity to elevate your capabilities and drive greater impact with Blackbaud!

With digitization, cloud migration and a flood of AI-related tools emerging onto the scene, tech skills gaps are widening. Technology and IT departments must balance modernizing infrastructure, implementing emerging technologies like AI and strengthening digital security — often with limited resources. The pressure to accomplish more with existing teams can lead to technical compromises that create additional challenges down the road. In this presentation from Robert Half drawing on the 2025 Building Future-Forward Tech Teams report, we’ll explore the potential impacts of these skills gaps, as well as strategies for overcoming them and building future-focused tech teams.

Join Blackbaud Chief Technology and Products Officers as they share the vision of the six waves of innovation underway at Blackbaud and our products teams will discuss the ways Blackbaud is enabling developers to go even further.

In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, organizations must harness AI not just as a tool, but as a catalyst for intelligent, responsible innovation. In this session, Shelby Tallent will explore how leaders can foster a culture where AI empowers teams, drives ethical innovation, and unlocks new opportunities. Whether you’re just starting your AI journey or scaling existing initiatives, this session will provide practical insights to help your organization innovate smarter, faster, and more responsibly

Learn from real-life examples of integrating SKY API® with Google Sheets, so you can successfully handle your flow of advanced lists.

You may already know how to use official connectors in your Power Automate flows. But have you ever wondered if there's another system that you wish had a Power Automate connector? What if you could make your own? This session will introduce you to the essentials of custom connectors, help you identify good candidates, guide you on how to begin, and share some useful tips and tricks.

Explore how to allow report viewers to select the period compared year-over-year: latest gift date, the end of any month, or full year results. This Skills Lab will cover calculation groups and specialized visualizations: Gauge, Bullet Chart, and KPI.

Discover what to consider when using Query API in Power Automate: including limits on CSV output, when to use query over other endpoints, how to decide between CSV and JSON outputs, when to use ad-hoc query and more!

Are you looking to leverage Microsoft Power Platform to save time, reduce errors, and improve efficiency in your development office? Join Nicole Holt as she shares her journey of automating routine tasks using Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT®, Microsoft Power Automate, and Microsoft Office apps. Nicole's experience with Power Platform integrations has not only transformed her approach to work but also expanded her team's ability to focus on higher-value tasks. This session will motivate and equip you with the knowledge to start or enhance your own automation journey.

Learn how to access Blackbaud CRM data hosted by Blackbaud’s Cloud Operations from Power BI.

One of the key goals for the SKY UX design system over the next few years is to align the visual style across Blackbaud products. Join this session to learn more about what changes are in store for SKY UX and how you will see those changes within the product.

In this hands-on session, you'll bring your own Power BI report published in the Power BI service (prerequisite) and learn how to build an application to display that report in your Raiser's Edge NXT or Financial Edge NXT environment.

In this hands-on session, we’ll dive into how data is structured in Raiser's Edge NXT and how that structure impacts your ability to work with it in Power Automate. You'll learn why retrieving data often requires more steps than expected due to the database’s multi-layered organization. We’ll cover key concepts of the Raiser's Edge NXT database architecture, helping you understand how to navigate through data layers and build more efficient flows. By the end, you'll have the knowledge to confidently start building automations, knowing how to work with Raiser's Edge NXT data effectively in Power Automate.

In this session, we'll explore how to use Power Automate queries to create tailored notifications that support your organization's donor stewardship efforts. Learn about notifications for major gifts and upcoming tasks to keep your team on track, a declined recurring gift workflow designed to notify donors when a recurring donation fails—enabling your organization to recover contributions and minimize lost revenue, and how to use Giving Statements with branded e-mails using Power Automate. While the focus will be on email notifications, we'll also share tips for setting up alerts via Google Chat and SMS for added flexibility.

Join in on a Project Share with Blackbaud expert, Ashley Moose. Take an idea and map out what it will take to make that idea work or build a Power Automate Flow from scratch and connect it to other API connectors outside of the Blackbaud environment. Transform your ideas into reality.

Unlike Power BI reports, which dive deep into data with multi-page analysis, a Power BI dashboard brings everything together into an interactive snapshot—giving you a unified view of key metrics at a glance. If you are managing multiple reports, a dashboard can streamline insights into a single, powerful display. In this session, you will discover what a Power BI dashboard is, when to use it, how to build one, and see an example in action.

Have you ever sent an email to major givers that wasn't really a mass marketing email but also wasn't really an ask yet? See how Canadian Red Cross's corporate team has tracked this step during response times using Power Automate and a simple table form in a ticket request, ensuring outreach is tracked easily in the CRM. This beginner-friendly solution promotes user engagement while keeping the process efficient and accessible, making it an ideal approach for teams new to low-code tools.

Copilot Prompting is both an art and a science. Join us for a hands-on session where you'll learn tips and best practices for building your M365 Copilot Chat prompting skills. You will leave feeling empowered to keep building your Copilot prompting powers!

This course will build on the basics introduced in Microsoft: Power Automate - Overview and Templates. Are you ready to take your Power Automate knowledge to the next level? Come learn how to make your automations powerful with valuable tools that will allow you to further customize flows the connect with Raiser’s Edge NXT, Financial Edge NXT and other Blackbaud SKY API enabled solutions. In this session, you will build a basic flow from blank based on the Raiser's Edge Power Automate connector. Learn how to apply Number and Date Formatting to improve the appearance of your output. Use hyperlinks in your output to directly access Constituent and Gift records. Learn how arrays (variables) can be used to retrieve multiple values such as a list of Split Gifts. Learning Objectives: • Build a Power Automate flow from blank (scratch) • Add hyperlinks to email output to access records directly in Raiser’s Edge • Format date and number fields for improved output appearance • Use string variables to store data for later use • Use array variables to access fields that could contain multiple values

A review of the steps The University of Houston Advancement and Alumni Division took to embed Power BI onto Blackbaud CRM™ in a hosted environment.

Dive into the world of data visualization with our beginner-friendly skills lab at bbdevdays! This session is designed to help participants create their first Power BI visualization with minimal DAX coding, leveraging the powerful functions within Power BI.

What do you do when you need to automate a business process using Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT®, but can't find an existing template to use? In this session, we'll explore organization-specific issues Opportunity International has encountered, and what custom automations they designed to tackle them.

Learn how to create your own custom tile on a Constituent record within Raiser's Edge NXT to display focused giving details. We will walk through two examples, one highlighting a Constituent's 3-year annual fund giving summary and another reviewing their total giving to a comprehensive campaign, and the steps to tackle these cases using Query API.

New tech development, new products, new solutions---new, new, new. All changes are done with good intentions, but teams can start to become weary if they're not handled well. In this interactive session, we'll discuss the principles and best practices of the field of change management to offer some approaches and techniques to use as you announce change to your teams and colleagues and support their path through it.

Discover how to use powerful tools in Luminate Online® like built-in reporting, constituent groups, topical interests, and queries, so you can customize your user journey, work with outside systems, and more. Best of all, you don't have to be an expert coder to use them.

Fund, Fundraiser, Soft Credit—suddenly simple fields in Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT® are causing havoc when you try to include them in your flow. What gives? In this session, we'll explore the options for handling data that comes through as an array, whether you treat it as a single value or need to list them all.

Learn how we developed a Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT® event registration integration using SKY API. Discover the best practices we employed along with some workarounds by diving deep into not only the Events API, but also the Constituent API. We used these APIs to develop a matching interface that allows event registrars to match each attendee coming to an event with their constituent or non-constituent record in Raiser's Edge NXT.

With the Power of Query, send an email or Microsoft Teams alert whenever a sales order meets specific criteria. Did a ticket email bounce? Send an alert. Is a gift membership missing contact info? Send an email.

In this session, the basics of automating Altru ®including how to:

• Call the Altru® Query API to obtain order details
• Filter the returned ODATA
• Convert the query results into an HTML table (with clickable links!)
• Send an email and/or Teams message

End point used: Altru® Analysis > "List adhoc query entries"

Connectors Used: BB SKY Add-ins (Required), Mail/Outlook (Optional), Microsoft Teams (Optional), Office 365 Users (Optional), Power Automate Management (Optional)

Coding Level: Light function use for building the HTML table and advanced filtering of results

Learn to use AI to implement a Constituent matching algorithm that reduces duplicates and ensure accurate syncing into Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT®.

Join Warren Sherliker, CEO of SmartTHING and a Blackbaud expert for over 20 years, and discover SmartSYNC, the powerful yet remarkably low-cost platform designed to connect your apps with Blackbaud Solutions seamlessly.

SmartSYNC is a tool that has already integrated hundreds of applications with Blackbaud solutions. We have partnered to build those integrations. Now, you can also partner with us to unlock a world of possibilities with SmartSYNC! SmartSYNC can handle the complexities of Blackbaud integration, freeing you to focus on your core app. Leverage our robust API and deep Blackbaud understanding to offer seamless connectivity to your users, expanding your reach with minimal development effort.

Nonprofits and developers alike will discover how SmartSYNC's integration tools and powerful automation will transform their worlds. Join us to explore connecting your systems and boosting your impact with SmartSYNC!

In this short session, learn about the Blackbaud Product Discovery program—what it is, the type of research and discovery projects conducted, the things you can expect to be invited to, and how Blackbaud Product Discovery participants have influenced what you see in Blackbaud products today. After we review the program, we'd be happy to answer any questions you have.

Learn from a Givbee case-study of transforming giving. From linking to forms in text messages to a more streamlined experience using the Payments API, discover the what, why, and how.

Supporting the Liam Foundation, Volunteers will create colorful cards adorned with folded pink ribbons, positive messages, and hand-drawn images to motivate and give emotional support to LGBTQIA+ older adults. These heartfelt cards will act as a source of comfort and encouragement during their journey.

Benefiting HealthRight International, volunteers will make fact cards on the lives of influential LGBTQ+ figures who have made unique contributions to the community and led the Pride movement. These cards, with short, engaging bios and appealing visuals, will celebrate how these pioneers have made a difference and inspire young readers to make a difference.

Red Arc has embedded agentic AI into our internal systems to transform support, triage, and delivery—freeing up our team to focus on what matters most: people. In this session, we’ll share practical examples and principles any organization can adapt—nonprofit or not—to work smarter, stay human-centered, and serve with more impact.

Join us for a live demo showcasing how AI-powered stewardship integrates seamlessly with Blackbaud Luminate Online and Raiser's Edge NXT. See how Steward AI instantly provides personalized giving history, highlights gift impact, recommends tailored giving opportunities, and facilitates effortless donor profile updates. Discover how this technology can serve as a virtual gift officer, enabling your nonprofit to effectively steward small-dollar donors at scale.

Are you tired of wrestling with manual data exports and struggling to keep your institutional data accessible and dashboards up-to-date? Imagine eliminating hours of tedious data extraction, freeing up your staff to focus on meaningful analysis instead of repetitive copy-and-paste tasks. Blackbaud’s Query API for Raiser's Edge NXT and Financial Edge NXT is your ultimate solution to transforming data management from a cumbersome chore to an automated, efficient process. In this session, attendees will explore the data flow of the Query API and uncover its potential for extracting critical data. From pulling detailed constituent records or retrieving gift information to general ledger information or accounts payable details, you'll learn about the possibilities that are possible when programmatically accessing the information that drives your organization's decision-making. Nick will walk users through the multiple endpoints needed to make this syncing a real possibility and discuss the ways that users can get started utilizing Google Apps Script.

This is your opportunity to engage with our Blackbaud CRM developers and gain insights into "how things work". Blackbaud CRM customers get your questions ready for our expert panel!

Your resident Power Automate experts are here to answer your questions! They'll bring their best tips and tricks to share with you, too!

Join a senior architect for a behind-the-scenes look at the inner workings of the Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT® and Financial Edge NXT® Query feature. This session will cover the history of the Query architecture including the new Web View experience and what the future holds for its architecture.

In a world of backlog tickets, context switching, and shifting priorities, even the most ambitious developers can feel their creativity throttled. In this inspiring and practical keynote, Psychology Today columnist and author Jeffrey Davis unpacks the surprising science behind creative insight to show how developers can spark breakthroughs, even on deadline.

This session will demonstrate how St. Albans School and Emma Willard School have connected Advanced Lists from Education Management with Google Sheets using SKY API®.

Discover how we used the Payments API to offer Blackbaud Integrated Payments as a payment option in our solution, Advancement Form. Learn step-by-step the best practices we employed and the hiccups we encountered.

Techniques for creating Blackbaud lists using Large Language Model (LLM) AIs. Explores the benefits and challenges of using natural language to define list schemas.

This demo will showcase the development of an on-demand Give-Get report designed for a nonprofit board's governance committee. The report provides year-to-date participation details for each board member. The process involves consolidating data from multiple sources, including a Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT® constituent list, a database query, and two separate Raiser's Edge NXT gift lists. Once the data is gathered, it is processed through a Word Merge file to generate individual reports. Each board member's report is then reviewed and sent to staff members for distribution.

Join this session for a live demo of SKY Add-ins® on the Blackbaud Grantmaking Dashboard and records pages to help you visualize the possibilities!

Ever wanted to enhance your Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT® experience with an add-in but worried you don't have the time? Well, come to this session and build a public forms add-in in 15 minutes or less! The best part, it is all free!

Join us for an insightful webinar where we delve into the world of OData (Open Data Protocol) and explore its powerful integration with Blackbaud Altru. Customer Success Manager, Rosita Bradham, and Tina Edwards from the Akron Zoo will guide you through the essentials of OData and demonstrate how it can revolutionize your data management practices. This webinar is ideal for users involved in data management, reporting, and analytics. If you are looking to enhance your organization's data capabilities, this session will provide valuable insights and practical knowledge. Understanding the fundamentals of OData and its role in modern data management. Learn the fundamentals of OData and Altru, explore real-world examples of how they can improve data accessibility and reporting, and gain practical tips for using them to enhance your organization's data strategy.

Discover how the University of Manitoba leveraged the Microsoft Power Platform to automate the creation of prospect research profiles, significantly reducing manual labor and increasing efficiency. This session will provide a detailed walkthrough of the automation process, from initial setup to final implementation, showcasing the practical application of Power Automate and the SKY API®. Ideal for developers, IT professionals, and anyone involved in managing or implementing automation projects within their organization. his session will provide a comprehensive overview of the project, including:

Project Overview: An introduction to the need for automation in prospect research and the goals of the project.

Technical Setup: A step-by-step guide to setting up the automation using Power Automate and SKY API®, including selecting templates and configuring workflows. Implementation Challenges: A discussion of the challenges faced during implementation and how they were overcome.

Outcomes and Benefits: An analysis of the outcomes, including time savings, increased efficiency, and improved data accuracy.

Future Plans: Insights into future plans for expanding the automation and potential applications in other areas.

Discover how the University of Manitoba is using automation to enhance Annual Giving fundraising through dynamic segmentation assignments using SQL and Blackbaud APIs. While Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT® offers donor lifecycle tags, our team needed a more tailored approach to match our unique donor engagement strategies. In this session, we'll explore how we use SQL stored procedures to evaluate and update constituent segmentation in Raiser's Edge NXT on a weekly basis. Our method reviews existing segmentation, applies business rules, and determines whether segment assignments should be added or changed. By using Blackbaud’s API in Microsoft Power Automate, these updates are executed automatically, ensuring real-time precision and efficiency. This automation has streamlined our segmentation process, improved accuracy through frequent reevaluations, and boosted donor retention. Join us to gain technical insights and practical strategies for optimizing your Annual Giving program through data-driven automation.

Discover how Blackbaud CRM's read-only database access empowers your organization to unlock valuable insights. Hosted customers gain industry-leading access to a read-only, live copy of data. Configure access on your terms and use third-party tools like Power BI, Tableau, or other data visualization platforms to maximize your business outcomes.

Maximize revenue and boost conversions in your application with an upgraded checkout experience! The Payments team will share the latest version of checkout that includes new presentation options (inline fields!), new payment methods (Google Pay!) and features to help save on processing fees. Learn how to sign up for early access and upgrade your payments experience!

This will be an engaging and interactive session on process mapping, designed to enhance your understanding and skills. In this session, you will learn the fundamentals of process mapping, including its importance in identifying inefficiencies, streamlining interactions with internal and external audiences, and improving overall productivity. Participants will have the opportunity to start creating their own process map, applying the knowledge gained during the session to a process in your organization. This hands-on approach will allow you to visualize and analyze processes within your organization, identify areas for improvement, and develop actionable strategies to optimize workflows. Whether you are new to process mapping or looking to refine your existing skills, this session offers valuable insights and practical experience. By the end of the session, you will have a clear understanding of how to create effective process maps and the confidence to implement them in your work environment. Don't miss this chance to enhance your process mapping skills and drive efficiency in your organization.

The SKY API® is a powerful tool for extracting data to tell stories, creating roster synchronizations to other systems, and improving school workflows. However, if you don't have a background in coding, the Blackbaud “Getting Started” guide may leave you with more questions than answers. Join me as I walk through the basics of “getting in the [SKY API®] door.” This session will focus on the essentials of getting started, using Google Apps Script as the programming language. We’ll review some basic terminology and code snippets that you can leverage to connect to your own Blackbaud setup. This session is perfect for beginners, non-developers, or anyone interest in learning more about Apps Script.

Join us for an in-depth technical walkthrough of the capabilities of new/upcoming GrantConnect SKY APIs. Be ready with your suggestions and feedback as we join the Blackbaud SKY API family!

Discover the transformative power of automation in prospect identification at bbdevdays! This session will guide you through using Power Automate to create Linkage-Interest-Ability (LAI) scores, enabling organizations to identify potential donors based on comprehensive data analysis.

Do you need to move data from external platforms with an Open API to Raiser's Edge NXT but don't have the budget for integration software or custom-built solutions? No problem! Use the power of webhooks, custom connectors, and Power Automate to get the job done!

If you’re finding it difficult to create the measures or visualizations you want it’s more likely to be an issue with your data model than a shortcoming in your DAX skills! This session will outline starting principles of good data modelling with practical examples and signposting for further learning. We’ll also touch on the value/challenges of using a single golden dataset for multiple reports.

Discover a variety of tips and tricks for effectively using and managing Microsoft Word and Excel, email content, and HTML with Power Automate.

Google’s Looker Studio lets you to tell powerful data stories to support informed data-driven decisions. Now, imagine a world where you can instantly integrate real-time Blackbaud data directly into Looker Studio dashboards without the intermediary spreadsheets! This world exists, but getting there can feel like navigating an obstacle course with an unreadable map. Often, the alternatives include manually pulling CSV files from Blackbaud lists and pasting them into a Google Sheet (which results in stale data) or using scripting to automate the data pulls from the SKY API® into a Google Sheet (which keeps the data fresh, but requires an extra step and expertise). Google offers documentation on creating your own Custom Connector to achieve this integration. Join me as I share the resources available to make this happen, along with a proof of concept project to spark your inspiration. While implementing this solution requires some solid coding skills, this session is open to anyone who is looking to learn and connect with like-minded folks.

In this session, we'll explore how to integrate React applications with Blackbaud CRM™ and Blackbaud Internet Solutions™ to create modern, dynamic web experiences. Learn how to use both solutions' data to build custom applications that go beyond the out-of-the-box CMS functionality. We'll cover key challenges, API interactions, authentication methods, and effective solutions for syncing data across platforms—empowering developers to build scalable, user-friendly applications for nonprofits.

Power Automate is packed with built-in actions that allow you to process, organize, and dynamically extract information from your data throughout flows. In this hands-on Skills Lab, we’ll focus on core actions within the Data Operations connector. You'll learn how to efficiently structure, filter, and work with dynamic content, simplify complex workflows, and extract valuable data from arrays. Whether you're creating a simple flow or building advanced automations, mastering these essential actions will elevate your Power Automate skills to the next level!

As Luminate Online® adopts the new Checkout functionality, its APIs have been updated as well. Check out this technical deep dive into the new requirements and new functionality offered by these API changes.

In this session, learn how to clean up dirty data, ensure consistency, and use available fields before creating new ones.

Cleaning Up Dirty Data: Discuss the importance of identifying and rectifying inaccuracies, inconsistencies, and errors in data to ensure reliable and accurate analysis.

Ensuring Consistency: Highlight the need for maintaining uniformity in data entry and management practices to avoid discrepancies and enhance data integrity.

Using Available Fields Before Creating New Ones: Emphasize the benefits of leveraging existing data fields to their fullest potential before resorting to creating new ones, which can complicate data management.

In this session, participants using Blackbaud Luminate Online®, ImportOmatic, and Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT® will learn to leverage the under-used Title 2 feature for automating welcome emails for new members.

See how Orah enhances Blackbaud's capabilities by providing independent schools with real-time student location tracking and streamlined emergency response. Other school safety platforms only activate after a crisis hits, Orah integrates with Blackbaud to give you real-time visibility before, during, and after—because it’s built on live attendance data, not static records. This ensures staff can account for every student quickly during emergencies. Join us to explore how this integration empowers schools to respond swiftly and confidently when it matters most. This demo session will explore the technical details of integrating Orah with Blackbaud, show you how to achieve real-time student location visibility at your school, and how this data improves student safety and operational efficiency.

Learn to use a Power Automate workflow for payroll deductions.

Follow-through is the key to turning potential into results. This event focuses on empowering your team to stay on top of their opportunity pipeline by leveraging actionable insights. Discover how Power BI reports can help identify when opportunities are inactivated and why, giving you the tools to act decisively and drive progress.

In this session, we'll guide you through the full process of integrating the SKY API® OAuth authentication process with Blackbaud CRM. From user login to refreshing tokens and managing access tokens, you'll learn how to securely authenticate users and maintain continuous data access. We'll cover best practices for implementing OAuth flows in custom applications, handling token expiration, and connecting SKY API® with CRM data, offering a blueprint for seamless and secure Blackbaud API integrations.

Pair Power Automate flows with SharePoint to simplify your routine imports.

Don't miss the closing celebration! We'll recap the best of bbdevdays and announce the hackathon award winners. We will also announce the top rated sessions based on your feedback -- those speakers win Golden tickets to present at bbcon in Philadelphia!