Blackbaud
A cloud software and services company serving nonprofit organizations, education institutions, foundations, and other social-impact sectors.
Last updated November 1, 2026
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Overview
Blackbaud is a United States-based enterprise software company whose products and services are designed primarily for nonprofit and other mission-driven organizations. Its customer base spans charitable organizations, independent schools and universities, foundations, healthcare institutions, religious organizations, corporations running employee-giving programs, and individual fundraising participants. The company combines cloud applications, data services, analytics, consulting, and related payment or engagement capabilities across fundraising, constituent relationship management, financial administration, marketing, website management, ticketing, education administration, and social-impact program management. The business originated in 1981, when founder Anthony Bakker developed a computerized billing system for the Nightingale-Bamford School in New York City. That early school-finance product became the foundation for a broader software business. Blackbaud's Student Billing system was later adapted into fundraising and donor-management software, eventually producing The Raiser's Edge, the company's best-known product family and a major platform in nonprofit fundraising. Over time, Blackbaud expanded beyond installed software through acquisitions and the development of hosted and cloud-based products. The company's portfolio has included Raiser's Edge NXT for fundraising and donor management, Blackbaud CRM for complex constituent and advancement operations, Financial Edge NXT for nonprofit fund accounting, Education Edge for school administration, Luminate products for digital fundraising and engagement, eTapestry for online donor management, Altru for arts and cultural organizations, and products associated with corporate giving, volunteering, grants management, and predictive analytics. Blackbaud also offers implementation, advisory, data, and professional services intended to help customers configure systems and improve fundraising or operational performance. Blackbaud moved from a small education-software supplier toward a broader nonprofit technology platform through acquisitions. Important transactions included Campagne Associates, Target Software, Target Analysis Group, and eTapestry in the 2000s; Kintera in 2008; Convio in 2012; MicroEdge in 2014; JustGiving in 2017; Reeher in 2018; YourCause in 2019; and EverFi in 2022. These deals broadened the company into online fundraising, peer-to-peer campaigns, foundation management, predictive modeling, corporate philanthropy, and education and social-impact technology. Blackbaud completed its initial public offering in 2004 and trades on the Nasdaq under the ticker BLKB. Mike Gianoni became president and chief executive officer in 2013 and has led the company through an increased emphasis on cloud delivery, platform integration, data services, and solutions for organizations pursuing measurable social impact. In 2021, Blackbaud adopted a remote-first employee model and closed its regional offices while retaining its Charleston headquarters. Blackbaud's corporate identity is closely tied to the nonprofit sector: its positioning emphasizes specialized workflows, sector-specific data, fundraising expertise, compliance, and technology intended to help organizations increase mission impact. The company has also operated employee and corporate philanthropy programs, including paid volunteer time and grants supporting employee-selected charities. Its 2020 ransomware incident and subsequent regulatory and legal settlements became a significant part of the company's public record, prompting expanded attention to security, data retention, breach notification, and governance.
History
Blackbaud began in 1981 when Anthony Bakker created a computerized billing system for the Nightingale-Bamford School in Manhattan. The initial product, Student Billing, was designed for private schools and handled accounts receivable. As the customer base expanded, Bakker left banking and incorporated Blackbaud Microsystems in 1982. The company later adapted the underlying technology to nonprofit fundraising, creating The Raiser's Edge, which became its flagship fundraising database and a central part of its identity. By 1989, Blackbaud had approximately 75 employees and relocated from New York City to Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, seeking lower operating costs and benefiting from a business loan. Some employees remained in New York in support and training roles. Growth soon required another move, and the company relocated to North Charleston in 1992. In the mid-1990s, Blackbaud converted its software from MS-DOS to Windows 95. The transition was associated with substantial sales growth and was accompanied by acquisitions of several competitors, including ACOMS, Master Systems, and Master Software. The Master Software transaction significantly expanded the company's customer base. Blackbaud broadened its distribution model in 1998 by using value-added resellers. Robert Sywolski became chief executive in 2000, and the company completed its initial public offering in 2004. Marc Chardon succeeded Sywolski in 2005. During the following years, Blackbaud used acquisitions to add online donor management, nonprofit data analysis, database technology, and digital fundraising capabilities. Campagne Associates was acquired in 2006, followed by Target Software and Target Analysis Group in 2007, and eTapestry later in 2007. Kintera was acquired in 2008, adding online fundraising and peer-to-peer engagement capabilities. In 2012, Blackbaud acquired Convio, strengthening its online marketing, advocacy, and digital fundraising portfolio. Chardon announced his departure in 2013, and Anthony Boor served as interim chief executive before Mike Gianoni became president and CEO in November of that year. Blackbaud then continued its expansion into foundation management, higher-education advancement, corporate philanthropy, and social-impact technology. It acquired MicroEdge in 2014, JustGiving in 2017, Reeher in 2018, and YourCause in 2019. These transactions extended the business from traditional fundraising databases into grantmaking, predictive analytics, consumer-facing fundraising, corporate giving, and volunteer-management workflows. Blackbaud's operating model increasingly emphasized cloud delivery and integrated platforms. Raiser's Edge NXT and Financial Edge NXT represent cloud-oriented successors or complements to established products, while Blackbaud CRM, Luminate, and related offerings serve organizations with more complex constituent, marketing, and fundraising requirements. In 2021, the company adopted a remote-first approach and closed its regional offices while maintaining its Charleston headquarters. In 2022, it acquired EverFi for $750 million, adding a substantial education and social-impact technology business. The most consequential challenge in Blackbaud's recent history was a ransomware attack discovered in 2020. The attacker accessed customer data, and Blackbaud paid a ransom after receiving what it described as credible confirmation that the information had been deleted. The company later faced criticism over the timing and content of its disclosures, the lack of independent verification of deletion, and the scope of information accessed. Regulatory and legal consequences followed, including a 2023 SEC penalty, a multistate settlement in 2023, and a Federal Trade Commission settlement announced in 2024. These actions required improvements in disclosure controls, security, data retention, encryption, training, and compliance oversight. Blackbaud remains an active public company focused on software and services for nonprofit, education, philanthropic, and broader social-impact organizations.
- 2024
FTC data-security settlement
[4]The FTC settlement required improved data-security and personal-information retention practices.
- 2023
SEC cybersecurity disclosure penalty
[2]The SEC imposed a $3 million penalty relating to disclosures about sensitive data accessed in the 2020 attack.
- 2022
EverFi acquisition
[1]Blackbaud acquired EverFi for $750 million, broadening its education and social-impact technology portfolio.
- 2021
Remote-first operating model
[1]Blackbaud adopted a remote-first approach and closed its regional offices while retaining its Charleston headquarters.
- 2020
Ransomware attack
[1]A ransomware attack compromised customer data and triggered subsequent regulatory, legal, and governance scrutiny.
- 2019
YourCause acquisition
[1]Blackbaud acquired YourCause, extending its corporate giving and employee-volunteering software.
- 2018
Reeher acquisition
[1]The acquisition added predictive modeling technology for colleges and universities.
- 2017
JustGiving acquisition
[1]Blackbaud completed its acquisition of JustGiving, expanding into consumer-led fundraising and charitable giving.
- 2014
MicroEdge acquisition
[1]Blackbaud acquired MicroEdge, a foundation-management software provider serving approximately 2,000 customers.
- 2013
Mike Gianoni becomes CEO
[1]Mike Gianoni was named president and CEO after Marc Chardon's departure and Anthony Boor's interim tenure.
Products and positioning
A specialized cloud software platform for nonprofits and other mission-driven organizations, combining fundraising, financial, constituent, engagement, analytics, and social-impact capabilities.
Fundraising CRM
Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT
A cloud-based fundraising and constituent-management platform for nonprofit organizations. It supports donor records, gift processing, relationship management, fundraising workflows, reporting, and engagement activities. Raiser's Edge NXT evolved from the company's long-established Raiser's Edge database and is one of Blackbaud's core products for organizations seeking a specialized nonprofit CRM.
Financial management
Blackbaud Financial Edge NXT
A cloud-based fund accounting and financial management system designed for nonprofit organizations. It addresses nonprofit-specific financial workflows, including fund structures, budgeting, reporting, and financial oversight, and is positioned as a complement to Blackbaud's fundraising and constituent platforms.
Constituent relationship management
Blackbaud CRM
An enterprise CRM platform for larger or more operationally complex nonprofits and institutions. It brings together constituent information, fundraising, membership, engagement, and analytical workflows for organizations that require extensive configuration and integration across advancement or development operations.
Digital fundraising and engagement
Blackbaud Luminate Online
A suite for online fundraising, digital campaigns, advocacy, email engagement, and nonprofit web activity. It supports organizations running internet-based appeals and constituent communications, including campaign-oriented programs that connect digital outreach with fundraising databases and reporting.
Online donor management
Blackbaud eTapestry
An online donor-management product aimed at nonprofit organizations that need hosted tools for constituent records, gifts, communications, and fundraising administration. It became part of Blackbaud's portfolio through the company's 2007 acquisition of eTapestry.
Peer-to-peer fundraising
Blackbaud JustGiving
A consumer-facing fundraising and charitable-giving platform acquired by Blackbaud in 2017. JustGiving enables individuals and groups to create fundraising pages and campaigns, allowing charities to participate in digitally mediated and peer-to-peer giving activity.
Nonprofit accounting
Blackbaud Financial Edge
A nonprofit financial and fund-accounting product line that preceded or complements the NXT cloud offering. It is designed around nonprofit accounting requirements and financial reporting rather than general-purpose commercial enterprise accounting.
Education administration
Blackbaud Education Edge
Software associated with school administration and education operations. Its inclusion in Blackbaud's historical portfolio reflects the company's origins in private-school billing and its continuing focus on education institutions alongside nonprofit customers.
Controversies
2024
FTC data-retention and security settlement
The FTC announced an order requiring Blackbaud to improve information-security controls, establish a data-retention policy, and delete personal information that is not needed for business or legal purposes.
2023
SEC cybersecurity disclosure enforcement
The SEC fined Blackbaud $3 million over alleged failures to accurately disclose the scope of sensitive customer information accessed in the 2020 cyberattack.
2023
Multistate data-breach settlement
Blackbaud agreed to a $49.5 million settlement with 49 states and the District of Columbia concerning the 2020 breach. The settlement imposed additional security, notification, training, encryption, and compliance obligations.
2021
Alina Lodge notifies patients of data exposure
Alina Lodge notified 2,565 patients that their data was compromised in the 2020 Blackbaud incident. The data may have included personal and treatment information. Patients were to receive free credit monitoring and identity protection services.
2021
Court allows claims against Blackbaud to proceed
In litigation following a 2020 ransomware data breach, a federal judge refused to dismiss all claims against Blackbaud, including claims under the California Consumer Privacy Act and claims alleging deceptive and unfair trade practices; the judge dismissed several other state statutory claims.
2020
Ransomware attack and customer-data exposure
A ransomware attack resulted in unauthorized access to customer data affecting more than 13,000 customers, including universities and charities in several countries. Blackbaud paid a ransom after receiving purported confirmation of deletion, but did not independently verify that the stolen information had been destroyed. The company was criticized over disclosure timing and later acknowledged that more sensitive information had been accessed than initially indicated.
2020
UMass Memorial notifies patients of Blackbaud data breach
UMass Memorial announced that a security breach at its vendor Blackbaud may have involved a backup of the hospital's donor and fundraising database. The hospital said the incident did not affect all patient information and did not involve access to medical systems or electronic health records.
2020
Northern Light Health discloses potential patient data theft
Northern Light Health stated that some patient information might have been stolen by hackers during a ransomware attack on Blackbaud. According to the notice, the potentially affected information included patient identifying and treatment details, while no credit card or bank account information was accessed. The disclosure described the incident as a possible theft of patient data connected to the Blackbaud ransomware attack and identified the categories of information that could have been involved.
2020
NorthShore disclosed potential exposure of personal information
NorthShore University HealthSystem said that the personal information of about 348,000 people may have been exposed in a breach involving its vendor Blackbaud. Blackbaud said the breach resulted from a ransomware attack and that some data was accessed by a cybercriminal. The disclosure is recorded as a controversy note concerning Blackbaud, based on the event summary and source reporting.
2020
OSF HealthCare notifies patients of vendor data incident
OSF HealthCare stated that an unauthorized individual accessed Blackbaud's systems between February 7 and May 20, 2020, and may have acquired backup copies of customer databases, including one used by OSF for fundraising. OSF said its review found some patient information in the affected database. It also stated that the incident did not involve access to its medical systems or electronic health records.
Marketing campaigns
- 2013Business Doing Good
United States
Blackbaud launched Business Doing Good as an information resource intended to help small and medium-sized businesses develop corporate philanthropy programs.
Outcome. The initiative extended Blackbaud's corporate citizenship message beyond its own employee programs and nonprofit customer base.
- Volunteer for Vacation
Company-wide
An employee philanthropy program providing paid vacation time for employees who participate in volunteer community service.
Outcome. The program made employee volunteering part of Blackbaud's internal corporate citizenship approach.
- Reward Your Passion
Company-wide
An employee grant initiative through which staff can seek company-funded support for charities of their choice.
Outcome. The program directed corporate giving toward employee-selected charitable organizations.
Brand decisions
2025
Fundraising connector partnership with AnthropicProduct launchBackground
Nonprofit organizations are increasingly exploring generative AI for fundraising and operational work.
Action taken
Blackbaud announced a partnership with Anthropic to provide a fundraising connector for Claude for Nonprofits.
Aftermath
The initiative positioned Blackbaud's fundraising data and workflows for integration with emerging AI-assisted nonprofit tools.
2022
Acquisition of EverFiM&ABackground
Blackbaud aimed to broaden its presence in education and social-impact technology.
Action taken
Blackbaud acquired EverFi for $750 million.
Aftermath
The transaction expanded Blackbaud's portfolio beyond fundraising and nonprofit operations into education and impact-oriented digital learning.
Purchase price. $750 million (2022)
2021
Remote-first operating modelStrategyBackground
The company reassessed its workplace and office structure during a period of wider changes in knowledge-work practices.
Action taken
Blackbaud adopted a remote-first approach and closed its regional offices while retaining its Charleston headquarters.
Aftermath
The decision changed the company's workplace model and geographic operating footprint.
2017
Acquisition of JustGivingM&ABackground
Blackbaud sought to extend its nonprofit technology portfolio toward consumer-led fundraising and online charitable giving.
Action taken
The company acquired JustGiving for £95 million, reported as approximately $127.4 million at the time.
Aftermath
JustGiving added a large digital and peer-to-peer fundraising channel to Blackbaud's nonprofit ecosystem.
Purchase price. £95 million, approximately $127.4 million (October 2017)
2004
Initial public offeringStrategyBackground
After more than two decades of private operation and expansion in nonprofit and education software, Blackbaud pursued access to public equity markets.
Action taken
Blackbaud completed its initial public offering and began trading as a public company.
Aftermath
The listing supported the company's public-market identity and subsequent acquisition-led expansion.
1994
Conversion from MS-DOS to Windows 95StrategyBackground
Blackbaud's earlier products were built for MS-DOS, while the personal-computing market was moving toward Windows-based software.
Action taken
The company converted its software to Windows 95 and continued developing products for the expanding Windows market.
Aftermath
The transition was followed by reported sales growth and helped support further acquisitions and customer expansion.
Recent events
Reported
Change and Blackbaud announce partnership for customer-facing giving experiences[16]
Change and Blackbaud announced a partnership to provide companies with customer-facing giving experiences, including charitable campaigns at point of sale, donation matching, and donation options in loyalty programs.
Reported
Blackbaud acquired EVERFI[17]
Blackbaud announced that it had acquired EVERFI in a cash-and-stock transaction for approximately $750 million, subject to customary adjustments.
- Unconfirmed
Court allows claims against Blackbaud to proceed[11]
In litigation following a 2020 ransomware data breach, a federal judge refused to dismiss all claims against Blackbaud, including claims under the California Consumer Privacy Act and claims alleging deceptive and unfair trade practices; the judge dismissed several other state statutory claims.
Reported
Alina Lodge notifies patients of data exposure[10]
Alina Lodge notified 2,565 patients that their data was compromised in the 2020 Blackbaud incident. The data may have included personal and treatment information. Patients were to receive free credit monitoring and identity protection services.
Reported
Omatic announces Salesforce Marketing Cloud and Blackbaud integration[18]
Omatic announced a new bidirectional integration solution connecting Salesforce Marketing Cloud with specified Blackbaud products.
Reported
Blackbaud appoints Chris Singh SVP of Customer Success[19]
Blackbaud announced the appointment of Chris Singh as senior vice president of Customer Success, where he will oversee global customer success functions.
Reported
MaestroSoft joins Blackbaud Partner Network[20]
MaestroSoft announced that it joined the Blackbaud Partner Network as a Blackbaud Independent Software Vendor Partner, enabling integration between MaestroSoft fundraising solutions and Blackbaud products.
Reported
Blackbaud unable to hold earnings call because of network outage[21]
Blackbaud announced that it could not hold its third-quarter results conference call at the originally scheduled time because a network outage was affecting the conference-call provider. The company said it would reschedule if the issue was not resolved by 9:00 a.m. ET.
OSF HealthCare notifies patients of vendor data incident[9]
OSF HealthCare said an unauthorized individual accessed Blackbaud's systems between February 7 and May 20, 2020, and may have acquired backup copies of customer databases, including one used by OSF for fundraising. OSF said its review found some patient information in the affected database; it also stated that the incident did not involve access to its medical systems or electronic health records.
Reported
Northern Light Health discloses potential patient data theft[7]
Northern Light Health said some patient information might have been stolen by hackers during a ransomware attack on Blackbaud. The potentially affected information included patient identifying and treatment details; the notice said no credit card or bank account information was accessed.
Sources23 sources
- 1Blackbauden.wikipedia.org
- 2SEC Charges Blackbaud for Misleading Cybersecurity Disclosuressec.gov
- 3Attorneys General Announce $49.5 Million Settlement with Blackbaud over Data Breachatg.wa.gov
- 4FTC Finalizes Order Requiring Blackbaud to Improve Data Security Practicesftc.gov
- 5Blackbaud Investor Relationsinvestor.blackbaud.com
- 6UMass Memorial notifies patients of Blackbaud data breachtelegram.com
- 7Northern Light Health discloses potential patient data theftcentralmaine.com
- 8NorthShore disclosed potential exposure of personal informationchicagotribune.com
- 9OSF HealthCare notifies patients of vendor data incidentdailypress.net
- 10Alina Lodge notifies patients of data exposurescworld.com
- 11Court allows claims against Blackbaud to proceednatlawreview.com
- 12Blackbaud discloses ransomware attack and theft of client datawbur.org
- 13Blackbaud breach exposed patient information held by OSF HealthCarechicago.suntimes.com
- 14Nuvance Health discloses third-party data breachpoughkeepsiejournal.com
- 15Blackbaud ransomware attack and data removalgovtech.com
- 16Change与Blackbaud宣布合作提供面向客户的捐赠体验prnewswire.com
- 17Blackbaud 收购 EVERFIprnewswire.com
- 18Omatic宣布推出Salesforce Marketing Cloud与Blackbaud集成方案prweb.com
- 19Blackbaud 任命 Chris Singh 为客户成功高级副总裁prnewswire.com
- 20MaestroSoft加入Blackbaud合作伙伴网络prweb.com
- 21Blackbaud因网络中断未能按原定时间举行业绩电话会议prnewswire.com
- 22Blackbaud与CECP宣布创新合作prnewswire.com
- 23Cloud Software Giant Blackbaud Acquires SaaS Provider EverFi -- THE Journalthejournal.com
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