Responding to customer demand, Blackbaud, Inc. (NASDAQ: BLKB) has formed a new interactive division to focus exclusively on Internet solutions and services for nonprofits. Blackbaud Interactive will offer customers a way to partner with a dedicated client manager on a retainer basis with its new OnCall Services.
“A common trend we hear from thousands of customers is that there is a growing desire to build a sense of community among their supporters and an increasing adoption of multi-channeled fundraising strategies,” said Marc Chardon, Blackbaud’s chief executive officer. “To cultivate donors effectively today, nonprofits are seeking innovative web strategies to personalize the online experience and communicate with current and potential supporters in new and more meaningful ways,”
The new division brings together several existing teams that currently partner with customers on strategy, design, training and website management. Shaw Drummond, who joined Blackbaud as chief information officer in 2003, will lead the team as vice president and general manager. He previously managed a period of rapid growth for the company’s OnDemand hosting services which will serve as a foundation for its next generation of solutions.
The company also begins offering an exclusive SaaS version of its Web site management solution, Blackbaud® NetCommunity™ Universal, specifically designed for nonprofits that now offers reporting on key performance indicators (KPIs).
“Whether an organization is managing an interactive website, or a specific email campaign, Blackbaud NetCommunity Universal reports on critical data in ways that ensure organizations can most effectively reach more supporters, raise more money, and easily track progress of on-line initiatives,” said Steve MacLaughlin, Blackbaud’s director of Internet solutions.
