Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT vs Glue Up

DonorPerfect

Givebutter

Neon CRM

DonorPerfect helps nonprofits of every size streamline fundraising and centralize donor data in one flexible, all-in-one platform.
A CRM that empowers teams to collaborate, stay organized, and make data-driven decisions from anywhere, so your mission keeps moving forward.

Givebutter is a cloud-based, all-in-one fundraising platform for student organizations, sports teams, companies, and nonprofits which offers a range of tools for collecting donations online, running social peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns, selling tickets to fundraising events, and more

Neon CRM is the modern choice for small and midsize nonprofits. Gain a 360° view of your supporters by unifying your tools and data, allowing you to automate outreach, reclaim your time, and build the personal connections that drive real, sustainable growth. 

President and CEO

The customer service wasn't great and the company didn't work with me on the contract I inherited from the previous administration of our organization.

Development Coordinator

Additionally, the support system is really lacking.

Our assigned Blackbaud customer success manager seems to change every 6 months - sometimes more than that.

Raiser’s Edge is a cloud based fundraising and relationship management system with built-in analytics tool

Access Controls/Permissions

Accounting

ACH Payment Processing

Ad hoc Reporting

Alerts/Notifications

Alumni Management

Approval Process Control

Attendance Management

Auction Management

Campaign Analytics

Campaign Management

Campaign Planning

Campaign Segmentation

Collaboration Tools

Communication Management

Contact Database

Contact Management

Contribution Tracking

Credit Card Processing

Customer Database

Customizable Fields

Customizable Forms

Customizable Reports

Customizable Templates

Dashboard

Data Import/Export

Document Storage

Donation Tracking

Donor Discovery

Donor Management

Drag & Drop

Dues Management

Electronic Payments

Email Management

Email Marketing

Email Reminders

Email Templates

Email Tracking

Event Management

Event Scheduling

Event Ticketing

Forms Management

For Nonprofits

Fundraising Management

Gantt/Timeline View

Gift Matching Management

Goal Setting/Tracking

Grant Management

Interaction Tracking

Lead Management

Member Database

Membership Management

Mobile Access

Mobile Giving

Online Forms

Online Giving

Payment Processing

Personalization

Pledge Management

Project Planning/Scheduling

Real-Time Analytics

Real-Time Notifications

Real-Time Reporting

Receipt Management

Recurring Giving

Recurring/Subscription Billing

Registration Management

Reminders

Reporting/Analytics

Reporting/Project Tracking

Reporting & Statistics

Sales Pipeline Management

Social Media Integration

Summary Reports

Task Management

Task Scheduling

Third-Party Integrations

Volunteer Management

Web Forms

Website Integration

Workflow Management

Some users report that bundled features offer good value and justify the price, but many reviewers indicate the product is expensive, with high costs for extras. Users say the pricing structure is confusing and ongoing increases are a drawback.

Value for money

By industry, Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT reviewers are most commonly professionals in hospital & health care (19%). The most frequent use case cited is nonprofit CRM (48% of reviewers).

Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT

Web-based

Bloomerang

Funraise

Hivebrite

Basic

High and complex pricing structure

81% of reviewers feel negative about pricing, frequently mentioning that the product and its modules are expensive compared to alternatives. Users report that additional features and services often come with extra costs, making it difficult for smaller organizations to afford upgrades. Reviewers say the pricing model is confusing, with custom quotes and increasing annual fees. They express frustration with the cumulative costs of add-ons and maintenance, and some feel pressured by upselling or complicated billing processes.

Performance and usability frustrations

64% of reviewers feel negative about bugs and issues, describing the system as sometimes slow, clunky, or prone to glitches. Users report delays when processing multiple records, frequent freezing, and technical difficulties that disrupt workflow. Reviewers say the transition between old and new platforms creates confusion and inefficiency, and they find setup and configuration challenging. They also mention that some basic functions are unintuitive, and troubleshooting can be time-consuming due to inconsistent documentation or support.

Challenging and limited reporting tools

37% of reviewers feel negative about reporting, noting that generating custom reports and queries is complicated and often requires specialized knowledge. Users say the standard reports lack flexibility, and the reporting interface can be confusing or unintuitive. Reviewers report difficulties in extracting specific data, limited customization options, and a need for additional training or support to create meaningful reports. They find the process cumbersome, especially for organizations without dedicated technical staff.

Inconsistent and slow customer support

Administrative Assistant

Their customer service is some of the worst I have ever endured and you will have 5+ people contact about the same issue.

38% of reviewers feel negative about customer support, citing long wait times, unresponsive service, and difficulty reaching knowledgeable staff. Users report that support often directs them to self-help resources rather than providing direct assistance. Reviewers say unresolved issues can linger for extended periods, and they experience frustration with being transferred between representatives. They also mention aggressive sales tactics and hidden costs, leading to dissatisfaction with the overall support experience.

Flexible mobile accessibility

92% of reviewers feel positive about mobile access, reporting that the cloud-based system allows them to view and update donor information from any device with internet access. Users say this flexibility is especially valuable for frontline fundraisers and staff who need to access records on the go. Reviewers appreciate the intuitive, mobile-responsive interface, which works well on phones, tablets, and laptops. They find it easy to log actions and stay informed while traveling or meeting with donors outside the office.

Robust donor relationship tracking

Associate Director of Development 

It's a great way to track analytics for fundraising activities, gifts received and manage donor portfolio.

92% of reviewers feel positive about donor management, emphasizing the platform’s ability to track giving history, pledges, and interactions. Users say it enables comprehensive stewardship, from initial contact to donation acknowledgment, and supports strategic decision-making with integrated analytics. Reviewers find it effective for managing large donor bases, customizing donor portfolios, and integrating with other tools. They appreciate the intuitive interface for documenting donor activities and note that the system helps build stronger relationships and improve fundraising outcomes.

Comprehensive donor data management

100% of reviewers feel positive about the donor database, highlighting its versatility in storing extensive donor profiles, donation histories, and relationship data. Users appreciate being able to segment donors, access detailed records instantly, and generate robust reports for targeted outreach. They say the system’s customizable fields and reporting tools make it easy to track donor engagement and personalize communications. Reviewers indicate that the database supports efficient portfolio management and donor lifecycle tracking, helping teams focus on building relationships rather than manual data entry.

Streamlined fundraising operations

Development Director

The cloud-based platform makes it easy to access data anytime, anywhere, and the dashboards give a clear, real-time snapshot of fundraising progress.

96% of reviewers feel positive about the fundraising capabilities, noting that the platform provides essential tools for campaign management, analytics, and donor engagement. Users report that real-time dashboards, automated reminders, and easy access to data help guide fundraising strategies and track progress. Reviewers appreciate the cloud-based accessibility, which allows fundraisers to coordinate efforts and visualize outcomes from anywhere. They say the software supports both simple and sophisticated fundraising programs, making it valuable for organizations aiming to grow their development efforts.

Versatile and evolving feature set

92% of reviewers feel positive about the product’s features, citing its versatility and the wide range of modules available. Users appreciate the ability to tailor the system to organizational needs, noting that new features and enhancements are released regularly. Reviewers say the platform offers robust functionality for different fundraising and donor management tasks, and they value the continuous development and responsiveness to user feedback. They find the system’s capabilities comprehensive, supporting everything from analytics to document management.

Assistant Director of Annual Giving

The ability to create personal and departmental dashboard reports on the fly is great for on-the-go data access, and to create large, data-intensive reports for forecasting and drilling down into each campaign.  

Donor Engagement Officer

The "NXT" web interface is modern and makes day-to-day tasks like checking donor records or tracking gift officer progress much easier, especially on the go.

What they don't explain very well is that the web-based view of the database only allows for minimal functions that database users are used to, and that the old database-view would still be necessary to do important tasks, such as running detailed reports, use Online-Express, batch gift entry, etc.

Raiser’s Edge NXT is a heavy-duty tool that is excellent for managing complex donor relationships and high-volume fundraising.

Reporting: While the data is deep, pulling a simple, clean report for a board meeting is surprisingly difficult without exporting everything to Excel first.

It’s user-friendly, accessible from anywhere, and offers valuable insights that help guide our development efforts. While the cost can be a challenge, the tools and support it provides have truly elevated our fundraising operations.

Donor relations and Database coordinator

When you make the migration, not all the data is migrated correctly, and for a lot of things you need to be doing in the database view and others are only possible on the webview.

The "Hybrid" Setup: It’s frustrating that the system is split between the modern Web View and the old Database View.

I especially appreciate how seamlessly it tracks giving history and donor engagement, helping us make more informed, strategic decisions.

Hidden Costs: It’s already expensive, but many essential features and integrations feel like "add-ons" that cost extra.

Creating and using queries and detailed reports is something that you learn overtime and with lots of practice.

It is difficult to maintain multiple different schedules In The platform (ex: one for middle school and one for high school)

Grant Systems and Development Coordinator

The location that I worked, based upon my observations did not use it in a manner that maximized all of its capabilities.

Director of Communications

This program is literally so complex, you have to take tests in order to take training for certain aspects of the program. And the costs are exorbitant - especially when you consider this platform is for non-profits/charities.

Event planner

It has a lot of features and abilities if you use them all. But you have to definitely have complete information for it to be useful.   Once you have your info up to date it is great.

I have used quite a few different donor management platforms, this is a robust but user friendly software.

Marketing and Recruitment Director

Useful for tracking donors for fundraising purposes and managing gifts.

Can integrate with enrollment system to track alumni and parents of alumni.  

I quite disliked this program. While it did offer a lot of functionality, I ultimately suggested we go with a different charity CRM platform, that more people in our organization would be able to use

We have had a great transition from power school to blackbaud as a Student information system.

Donor Officer

Because it's so complex, it can feel daunting to use without equally complex training.

User friendly after I learned the system.

As someone who considers themselves to be fairly technologically proficient, I found the back end of this program very complicated.

Digital communications technology specialist

It’s only  about 60% currently with the features from RE.

Assoc. Director, Alumni Relations

For example - what each user needs to see in the search results or top display bar varies by position and function.

Donor Relations Manager

It could be that it's user error for our database services, but the outputs are not as advanced as I thought they would be for a product that's supposed to be what "everyone" uses.  

Overall, I have experienced notable success using this tool.

Director of Grants Development

We had a back-and-forth with RE via the BBB, at which time they stopped contacting us realizing they had no basis for their demands.

Church Culture Consultant

What I do know it that when I started my own non profit, Blackbaud did not even make the "to be considered" list for my organization.

Database Coordinator

For any detailed reporting using OR or NOT, custom attributes, or gift amounts requires one to go back into database view to use queries/exports/canned reports.

Prospect Research Analyst

Some reporting and query functions are difficult to navigate

Director of Special Events

Although I do not use NXT often due to my job requirements, I find much easier to use rather than the original Raiser's Edge platform.

First of all, we did not have a a way to link relationships.

Very aggressive sales endeavors and dare I say devious re-subscription processes.

It is more modern looking and has easy to use WYSIWYG is simple and comprehensive.

Technical Support Analyst

It does exactly what you'd expect it to - it allows you to accurately and correctly manage and set up donors/fundraising.

Unless you enter a name specifically as it is entered, it is hard to find.

We tried to unsubscribe, but they said we were bound by a contract.

I want to get training through Blackbaud University but you have to pay to learn anything.  

After not using the site for a while, I am able to pick up without much issue.

Finance Director

Functionality, donor records were robust able to enter split gifts.

Continuing Education Programs Administator

Dynamic data collection, tracking, and reporting make it easy to share and collaborate with co-workers, simplifying processes and ensuring that everyone can do their respective jobs more efficiently.

Raiser's Edge NXT has so much potential and is a worthwhile product as long as you have a team that's comfortable using both web and database view.

Director of Development

I think that they should offer more one-one-one or group training as a part of a contract, as their other training is quite expensive.

Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT vs Glue Up Comparison (2026)

Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT

Glue Up

Overview

Video & Screenshots

Pricing

User reviews

Key features

Integrations

Alternatives