Blackbaud has announced plans to end support for Raiser’s Edge 7, the version of its CRM used by thousands of nonprofits and education organizations.
The company has been accelerating towards the RE7 sunset for months and encouraging customers to migrate to its cloud offering, Raiser’s Edge NXT. But today’s announcement says support will end during the first half of 2027, meaning those organizations who are on RE7 should consider their options now to ensure a smooth transition.
What does the end of RE7 support mean?
Many Raiser’s Edge 7 users have on-premises instances of the software, meaning it won’t just switch off when Blackbaud stops supporting it. However, it will likely become more brittle over time with no additional capabilities. Without the platform pushing security patches, orgs may find their CRM increasingly vulnerable to cyberattacks and data breaches.
For NXT customers using the back-end database view, they will also need to transition their processes to the click-and-drag web view by the sunset deadline.
What is Blackbaud doing for RE7 customers?
On today’s product update, Raiser’s Edge Product Lead Bama Ramarathnam revealed Blackbaud’s plans to build out NXT towards a total web solution in concert with the RE7 sunset. NXT is designed to be more user-friendly, especially for major gift officers and leadership, who can easily understand a donor’s history without the need for deep analysis.
While NXT already has many of the same functions as RE7, database administrators and gift entry managers have long awaited critical workflows for query, standard reports, and batching. These are promised later this year. Also this year, Blackbaud plans to better integrate with Financial Edge NXT.
Through 2026, product managers plan to complete all advanced flows like import, export, membership, and “complete gift.” By the end of 2026, Blackbaud has announced that they will achieve parity with RE 7 as well as building additional functionality to support improved fundraising efficiency and strategy.
Then sometime in the first half of 2027, Blackbaud will transition all customers to the unified web view and disable access to database view. Blackbaud University has free and paid trainings to help users transition.
My organization is on RE7. What are my options?
2027 may seem like a long way away but CRM transitions frequently take 12 to 18 months, so it’s critical you are proactive. Start by carefully assessing your needs, researching the marketplace, and evaluating costs and available alternatives.
Option 1: Moving from RE7 to RE NXT
This will be the right choice for many nonprofits on Raiser’s Edge 7 because the interface and functionality will be similar. Organizations will also want to consider the enhancements not currently available in database view that could make RE NXT an even better solution for them moving forward, including the ability to extend their solution with the Microsoft Power Platform.
Moving to RE NXT provides ongoing security and maintenance support, and also empowers your fundraising teams with data-driven insights through Blackbaud’s SKY API. Organizations on NXT are positioned to harness the automations and AI-powered advancements enabled by Blackbaud’s strategic partnership with Microsoft and its expansive business intelligence ecosystem.
While the barriers to move from RE7 to NXT will be minor for most organizations, preparation is key. You should have a clear and detailed understanding of the source and destination systems as well as the structure, content, and applications of the data fields. See our Data Migration Guide for more.
Though the back end might be familiar, organizations should anticipate some changes in their business processes. And Heller can help with that!
Option 2: BB CRM, an enterprise solution
This platform is comprehensive, flexible, and innovative; and it is built to support every aspect of managing a nonprofit. BB CRM’s key features include a better ability to see the donor journey, integrated microservices, the capacity to leverage data for actionable insights like wealth tagging, automated and streamlined processes, program management, and marketing tools.
Option 3: Platform-based options Salesforce, Microsoft
These are tried and tested solutions with a suite of great capabilities and features for nonprofit teams. Nonprofits and education organizations who are looking to extend their capabilities will likely look to Salesforce and Microsoft.
Those coming from Raiser’s Edge—which was purpose-built for fundraisers—might also consider a rich set of customizations or a managed package like Kindsight ascend that turn platforms like Salesforce into fundraising powerhouses.
Option 4: Fundraising-only solutions
For those nonprofits who are mainly using Raiser’s Edge 7 for fundraising may move to a more modern purpose-built fundraising platform like Bloomerang, Neon CRM, Kindful, or Virtuous. These don’t have the full capabilities of a CRM and don’t tend to integrate both ways with other tools—but they might be a match for some orgs.
What are my next steps?
The transition from Raiser’s Edge 7 is a critical opportunity to enhance your nonprofit’s capabilities. Our CRM expert consulting services can guide you through this complex process, ensuring a smooth and successful transition.
Take these actions today:-
- 1. Assess your needs: Evaluate your current CRM usage and future requirements, making sure to consider how you might have to adjust your business processes.
- Explore your options: Research and compare CRM solutions.
- Plan your transition: Develop a detailed plan to move.
Schedule a consultation with one of our experts and learn how our team can help you navigate this transition with confidence and ease.
