How to Know if It’s Time for Your Nonprofit to Leave Luminate Online

You might have heard by now that that Blackbaud will be ending support for and shutting down Luminate CRM in 2022. Whether your nonprofit uses Luminate CRM or not, if you’re using the companion product Luminate Online, this news might have sparked a question in your mind:

Is it time to consider moving away from Luminate Online?

As you think about this question, here are three considerations:

1. What do you use Luminate Online for?
   Luminate Online was built around the concept of modules, so every nonprofit uses it a bit differently. Some common uses include one or more of the following:

• • hosting web pages
  • hosting online donation forms and/or surveys
  • powering peer-to-peer fundraising events and campaigns
  • managing email marketing
  • running advocacy campaigns

TIP: Remember that if you also use Luminate CRM, you’ll be losing the integration between the two systems once Luminate CRM goes away. Whatever CRM system you move to will need a new integration to Luminate Online.

2. What tool would you use to replace Luminate Online?

If you use Luminate Online for multiple purposes, it might feel daunting to consider replacing it with multiple solutions. But just consider that all-in-one solutions don’t have the same robust functionality in each module as solutions built for each particular purpose. In today’s market, you can use a combination of best-in-class point solutions that work well together and deliver better functionality without paying for a bunch of other features that you don’t need or use.

Heller Consulting has worked with these tools, including Luminate Online, for years, and we can help you to quickly narrow your selection down to three or four options based on how you are using Luminate Online today.

3. What data in Luminate Online do you need to keep?

When thinking about moving to a new system, you might be concerned about what data is in the current system and how you would get the data out. Be sure to talk to your account representative and identify the data you need to keep, such as email lists and segmentation data. Remember that you can export this information from Luminate Online so that you can continue to use it in your new system.

Take the next step

If Luminate Online no longer meets your needs, or if the sunsetting of Luminate CRM has you thinking that it might be time to re-consider your use of Luminate Online, the Heller Consulting team can help. We can work with you to evaluate your use of Luminate Online, choose the right solutions to meet your needs, identify opportunities for digital transformation, and build a tech strategy that serves you now and keeps you going strong no matter what the future brings.

Contact us today to get started

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About the Author

Jett Winders

Jett works collaboratively with nonprofits to map their business needs to CRM tools and functionality so that organizations can deliver their missions more effectively and raise money more efficiently.  With more than 15 years of fundraising experience, Jett has had... Read More