Jerry Needel is Chief of Product Innovation at Blackbaud, where he leads the company’s fintech products and innovation programs. He oversees Blackbaud Integrated Payments, Donation Forms, and Peer‑to‑Peer fundraising businesses.

In addition to fintech businesses, Jerry drives company‑wide innovation programs, including Blackbaud’s Social Good Startup Program, developer conferences, and Off the Grid hack weeks, with a focus on accelerating both the pace and perception of innovation across the organization.

Jerry found his passion for building and growing mission‑driven businesses while running his own charitable crowdfunding campaign, which raised $600,000 from 12,000 donors in just two weeks at an out‑of‑pocket cost of $35. He has since spent his career building and scaling fintech‑enabled vertical SaaS businesses that balance commercial growth with mission impact. His experience spans B2B and B2C payments, marketplaces, and transactional revenue models, with prior leadership roles including President & General Manager of JustGiving, Revenue and Partnerships at Indiegogo, and GM/COO roles within Nielsen and McKinsey’s social analytics businesses