The ENGAGE Blog by Blackbaud

Last year I moved into a new house, and my new utility provider asked for a voided check. I stood there thinking, we still do this? I mailed a piece of paper with my bank account and routing number printed right on it, to a company I’d never met, so they could set up automated billing. It’s a small moment, but it says something about nonprofit finance right now. A lot of the ...

When funders ask grantees for financial reports, the goal is usually straightforward. They want to understand how resources are being managed. But too often, the process creates something else: administrative burden.

That burden matters, especially now. Many funders and nonprofit leaders are familiar with the strains facing the sector, such as increasing demand for ...

Every gardener knows that healthy growth requires occasional pruning. Left alone, a thriving tree will keep growing new branches. Some stretch in useful directions. Others drape over your roof, causing unnecessary risk.

A chart of accounts evolves in much the same way.

Over the years, you add new programs, grants, funding sources, and departments. New acco...

Artificial intelligence is no longer a future-facing experiment for the social impact sector. According to the Blackbaud Institute’s Bridging the AI Effectiveness Gap report, 85% of social impact professionals are already using AI at work. The chal...

The distance between having an idea and delivering a technology solution is shrinking. Here’s what that means for mission-driven organizations.

For years, innovation inside nonprofits and educational institutions followed a familiar pattern. A need would emerge, a request would be submitted to IT, a project would be prioritized, resources would be allocated...