Blackbaud's Nonprofit Fundraising Solution Wins Top Industry Honors; Nonprofit Professionals Select The Raiser's Edge as Number-One Donor/Member Software and Solution

Business Wire, August 18, 2004

CHARLESTON, S.C. -- Blackbaud (Nasdaq: BLKB), the leading provider of software and related services designed specifically for nonprofit organizations, announced today that its fundraising solution has won top honors in an annual survey of U.S. nonprofit professionals. The Raiser's Edge(TM) was chosen as Best Overall Software and Best Overall Solution in the 2004 Donor Member Software Survey conducted by Campbell Research.

A nonprofit technology leader

Blackbaud began serving the nonprofit industry 23 years ago, with a team of three working out of a one-room office above a hardware store on Long Island. Today, with more than 800 employees and 12,500 customers including the American Red Cross, the Mayo Foundation and the New York Philharmonic, Blackbaud is a technology leader in a market with an increasing need for its solutions. Charitable giving in the United States has more than doubled over the past 10 years, from $119 billion to $241 billion. In 2002, the last year for which full data is available, more than 10% of donations were raised by organizations that rely on The Raiser's Edge.

One nonprofit's story

The Catholic Health Initiatives Colorado Foundation, the largest and most complex integrated healthcare foundation in Colorado, solicits and administers donations in support of the network's hospitals and retirement home services. The organization, which provides centralized management for nearly twenty individual foundations in communities scattered across the country, needed a technology solution that would help standardize critical fundraising processes while keeping each foundation's information separate.

"There is nothing better than The Raiser's Edge for managing a development operation," said Jay Maloney, CFRE, president of the foundation and the 2004 Outstanding Fundraising Professional, an honor presented by the profession's leading association. "We run hundreds of projects each year - from individual mailings to major campaigns - and The Raiser's Edge is the core of everything we do. It helps us take a measured approach to the art of fundraising, personalizing our outreach while also digging deep into the data to find the truth about what's working."

"Blackbaud provides solutions that make fundraising smooth sailing. Whether you're talking about a large national organization or a community-based agency, nonprofits face the same challenge - raising money in a cost-effective way while improving the efficiency of their operations," said Robert J. Sywolski, chief executive officer of the Charleston, S.C.-based firm.

Blackbaud launched its fundraising solution in the mid-1980s as nonprofits embraced the need to develop relationships with individuals who could financially support their organizations. In addition to continually enhancing its fundraising solutions, Blackbaud introduced complementary offerings, providing nonprofits the tools they need to raise more money, improve operational efficiencies and make better management decisions.

"We have spent the last 23 years building our business by enhancing our suite of software products to arm our customers with the tools they need to work smarter. But at Blackbaud, we go beyond technology. We also offer strategic consulting services to provide our customers with the knowledge they need to best leverage our products for maximum impact," said Sywolski.

About the Campbell Award

The Campbell Award is presented annually by Campbell Research to the donor/member solution that receives the highest rating in an extensive industry wide survey. More than 1,500 nonprofit professionals participated in this year's survey, which evaluated over 50 software solutions on 18 factors including ease of use, data analysis capabilities, report flexibility and customer support.

"Since its inception, the Campbell Award is a symbol of the highest achievement in customer satisfaction and service," said Dirk Rinker, president of Campbell Research. "This year, Blackbaud's The Raiser's Edge solution earned exceptional marks for system scalability, reliability and the ease of data entry. These factors helped The Raiser's Edge surpass some strong competitors."

Recognized as a leader in producing quality marketing research, Campbell Research assists not-for-profit organizations and their constituents in uncovering insights that drive improved communication, fundraising, direct marketing and branding. For more information, go to www.campbell-research.com

About Blackbaud, Inc.

Blackbaud is the leading global provider of software and related services designed specifically for nonprofit organizations. More than 12,500 organizations - including the American Red Cross, Bowdoin College, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America, the Detroit Zoological Society, Episcopal High School, Help the Aged, the Mayo Foundation, the New York Philharmonic and United Way of America -- use Blackbaud products and consulting services for fundraising, financial management, business intelligence and school administration. Blackbaud's solutions include The Raiser's Edge(R), The Financial Edge(TM), The Education Edge(TM), The Information Edge(TM), WealthPoint(TM) and ProspectPoint(TM), as well as a wide range of consulting and educational services. Founded in 1981, Blackbaud is headquartered in Charleston, South Carolina, and has operations in Toronto, Ontario, Glasgow, Scotland, and Sydney, Australia. For more information, visit www.blackbaud.com.