Seminars explain Blackbaud's acquisition of AppealMaster
Howard Lake | 1 November 2002 | News
Users of New Generation Consultancy’s AppealMaster software have attended a series of seminars to hear details of the software’s acquisition by Blackbaud Inc, producers of The Raiser’s Edge.
The acquisition of AppealMaster by Blackbaud has caused concern among some users of the UK-based fundraising software. To address these concerns, a series of free day-long seminars have been held throughout the UK to discuss the acquisition, outline the conversion process, and introduce the new version of The Raiser’s Edge. Nearly 450 users attended, representing “the vast majority of AppealMaster cleitns” according to Blackbaud.
Paul Steadman, now managing Director of the AppealMaster Division of Blackbaud, explained the reasons for the acquisition: “NGC was committed to developing the next version of the AppealMaster product for our clients, but when we reviewed the user requirements, we determined that time, resources and costs required to bring it to market would have been prohibitive for us and our clients.”
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That situation prompted NGC to search for a partner that could deliver a next-generation product to its clients in the near-term. “After evaluating the other UK vendors in the market, we concluded that none of them had the resources, experience or client-base to ensure long-term stability for our clients. The last thing we wanted to do was develop a relationship with another vendor who might find themselves in the same situation as us a year or two down the road. When we looked outside of the UK, Blackbaud, with 20 years experience and a client base of more than 12,000, was the obvious choice for a partner.”
Steadman went on to clarify a number of points:
- There is no urgency to upgrade to The Raiser’s Edge as AppealMaster will continue to be supported for the next few years. When the decision is made to discontinue support for AppealMaster, clients will be given at least 12 months notice.
- The costs of converting to The Raiser’s Edge were outlined. The replacement of the AppealMaster software with The Raiser’s Edge is free. Costs for implementation services vary according to organisation size.
Brad May, Blackbaud’s Director of Technical Services, began the seminar with a presentation about Blackbaud, the organisation. Many attendees were surprised to learn that the average number of users per client was only 3.5 and that more than 60% of all clients worldwide had 4 users or less.
Steadman and May then gave users a chance to see the latest version of The Raiser’s Edge. Some of AppealMaster’s features are already available in this new version.
May went on to outline the components of the implementation package that has been developed for AppealMaster clients. The four-pronged approach is based on Blackbaud’s experience with similar integration projects and is essential for a successful implementation and includes consultancy, training, data conversion and installation.
Since the meetings, some clients have already begun converting to The Raiser’s Edge, and a representative sample of sites have been successfully installed and the procedures enhanced to reflect the experience gained.
Starting in January 2003, Paul Steadman will be leading an initiative to review the user interface and functionality of The Raiser’s Edge with the aim of maximising the ease of use, efficiency enhancing features and incorporation of Web-based functionality.
For more information about the financial terms, group conversion options and the focus groups, please contact Paul Steadman.
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.