What's new (service pack 40)

Check out the new features and enhancements for Blackbaud CRM.

Tip: Want to review this offline? Use your internet browser's print function to save this topic as PDF file.

Blackbaud CRM

Review the following configuration details:

  • To search for a constituent by Name or Lookup ID, the constituent search form must have Email address enabled as a search parameter.

    Primary email addresses are used keys to match constituents across systems.

    If multiple constituents are associated with the same primary email address, then an error will occur. The error will also be logged.

  • This integration no longer uses the legacy REST API.

    Currently, however, it remains in Blackbaud CRM. This will be removed when this API service is fully decommissioned and removed from the application.

  • To configure the integration, set up the Award Management Export API URL and token. No additional action is necessary.

  • The export API uses a firewall to block access by IP addresses.

    Meanwhile, a universal allow list accepts traffic from any ZScaler data center. This affects the entire application.

    • For organizations hosted by Blackbaud, all traffic from Blackbaud CRM originates from a ZScaler data center.

      This enables organizations hosted by Blackbaud to run this integration with no additional firewall configuration.

    • However, for self-hosted organizations, this firewall blocks traffic from Blackbaud CRM.

      Use the export to manually add entries to the allow list for your specific instance of Award Management. These will only affect your instance.

      You must add your IP addresses to the allow list to enable the integration to work.

Tip: The integration for Award Management was first introduced with service pack 22. For full details on this integration, see Award Management in the online help.

This update fixes multiple defects and issues. For details, review the patch notes for service pack 40.

Blackbaud CRM Lumminate Online Connector

You can now run a global change to delete previously synced records for:

  • email campaigns,

  • deliveries,

  • messages,

  • and recipients

from Blackbaud CRM.

Previously, a database administrator (DBA) had to run setup scripts for the upgrade process.

With this update, you no longer need to run the Structured Query Language (SQL) scripts.

Instead, run the new "Luminate Connector Setup Process" from within Blackbaud CRM. For details, see the instructions for installing the connector.

Blackbaud Cloud Operations

Organizations hosted by Blackbaud Cloud Operations can use our new service to directly request database backups and access relevant information.

Benefits:

  • Saves time and increases autonomy. The new self-service tool reduces the need to file customer support tickets.

  • Enables you to specify a date and time (from the previous seven days) for your backup.

  • Improves security.

  • View a history of backups and requests in progress.

  • Copy the SAS URI and download your TDE certificate bundle.

Organization administrators can access the tool now. To grant access to other users, enable permission with the Backup requests – Backup Administrators permissions role.

To find the tool, go to Blackbaud CRM's Cloud Portal and select Backups.

For instructions, see Request a backup. This service is not dependent on a service pack. You can use it even if you aren't yet on the most recent service pack.

Blackbaud Internet Solutions (BBIS)

APIs related to payment methods that are not Blackbaud Checkout were removed from Blackbaud Internet Solutions.

This update fixes multiple defects and issues. For details, review the patch notes for service pack 40.

Donation Forms

If you also use Blackbaud Donation Forms, see What's new in the help center for Online Giving to stay informed about the latest new features and enhancements.

To help maintain consistent records in Online Giving, updates made to a constituent's contact information in Blackbaud CRM will now automatically sync to their recurring gift plan when the scheduled payment processes. These updates in Blackbaud CRM may include:

  • Changing the constituent associated with the plan

  • Updating the constituent's contact details

  • Merging constituent records

To learn how Online Giving connects to your CRM, see Get Started with Online Giving for Blackbaud CRM .

To make it easier to review the permissions associated with a role for a user, admins can now view the details in context. If a user doesn't have access to all tasks and permissions associated with a role, admins can select the role from the user's profile or from the Users page to see the tasks and permissions assigned to the user.

For more information, see View user access for a specific role and View user role details.

Now, you can pass a designation and an appeal through the webpage URL where a Standard Donation Form is embedded or an Optimized Donation Form launches from. Previously, you could only pass these parameters through a form's Blackbaud-hosted URL and an Optimized Donation Form's hyperlink and button. For more information, see Add Parameters to Webpage URLs.

To encourage donors to share their support of your organization with their friends, you can enable social sharing for Optimized Donation Forms. Social sharing options will appear to donors when the form launches from a hyperlink or button using the Optimized Loader Script on your website.

From Online Giving, Overview, create or edit an Optimized Donation Form. Next, from Confirmations, select Display social sharing options under Social sharing. To learn about social sharing and how to use the Optimized Loader Script, see Enable social sharing and Publish an Optimized Donation Form.

To simplify organizational role identification, admins can now specify job titles when they add or edit users. For more information, see Users.

To make managing user access easier, admins can now limit user access to a specific time frame by setting an access expiration date for a user. After a user's expiration date, that user becomes inactive and can no longer access the Blackbaud solutions and features that admins manage on the Users page in Security. For more information, seeAdd userAdd user and Edit user roles.

To reflect the total amount of a specific fundraising effort in an Optimized Donation Form's goal meter, you can add gifts, such as cash and checks, received outside the form.

From Online Giving, Overview, edit an Optimized Donation Form that has a goal meter in its branding card. Under Donation, Goal meter, enter the offline gift amount. For more information see, Branding Cards and Optimized Donation Forms.

Now, you can create batch distribution rules that determine which Blackbaud CRM batch automatically receives a gift from Optimized and Standard Donation Forms. You can base a rule on an appeal, donation forms, designations, or cards and wallets. To create a rule, select Batch distribution rules from Settings in Online Giving. To learn more about how to set up rules, see Batch Distribution Rules.

To show the impact of your recurring gift plans, view the Total raised from plans from Contributions. The chart displays the amount raised across all recurring gift plans and the amount raised from all types of payments. For more information, see Contributions.

To show the impact of your organization's recurring gift plans, you can view the Recurring gift plan forecast chart in Contributions. It displays past performance, future projections, and potential revenue across active plans and includes a recommended set of action when plans meet specific criteria, such as contacting donors when their plans are paused past 90 days. To learn more about the chart see, Recurring Gift Plan Forecast

To ensure accurate reporting in Blackbaud CRM and Altru, if you try to skip the last payment of a recurring gift plan before its end date, you now have the option to terminate the plan. To learn how to skip payments, see Pause, Resume, or End Recurring Gift Payments.

Now you can add gifts received via cash or check to a goal meter in website components to reflect the total amount received for a giving event. From a goal meter in website components, under Source, enter the total number and amount received for offline gifts. For more information, see Goal Meter.

To help you manage recurring gift plans, now you can view plans ending in 90 days, enabling you to contact donors for an extension. For plans that meet this criteria, select the prompt Contact donors with recurring gift plans that end in 90 days under Needs Attention in Contributions. To learn how to update these plans, seeRecurring Gift Plans Ending in 90 Days.

Remember, you need to be on the most recent service pack of Blackbaud CRM in order to receive these features from Blackbaud Donation Forms (Online Giving).

Tip: Looking for previous service packs? Find them in What's Recent. Looking for a schedule for upcoming service pack releases? We can't promise when a future update will be available, but they typically occur approximately once per quarter.