Getting Started with Action Strategies

Action strategies are powered by generative AI. Your organization admin must enable generative AI features before anyone can use them.

1. Sign in to Blackbaud and select Admin from the solution menu.

2. Select Settings, Blackbaud AI.

3. Select Enable generative AI features. The opt-in takes effect immediately across all products.

If your organization doesn't opt in, it remains opted out by default and fundraisers won't see action strategies.

For full details, see Opt In to Generative AI Features Globally.

Fundraisers need three layers of access to use action strategies. Verify each one is in place:

Confirm Work Center access

1. In Security, select Role management.

2. Open the fundraiser's assigned role.

3. Under Work tasks, confirm and at least one View permission.

Confirm constituent action permissions

1. In Security, select Role management.

2. Open the fundraiser's assigned role.

3. Under Lists tasks, confirm Actions — View is selected.

Confirm Chat with Blackbaud AI permission

1. In Security, select Role management.

2. Under Artificial intelligence roles, open the role assigned to your fundraisers (or create one if none exists).

3. Under Blackbaud AI – Chat tasks, confirm Chat with Blackbaud AI is selected.

4. If you created a new role, navigate to User management and assign the role to each fundraiser who needs access.

If these permissions are already in place — for example, if your team uses Chat for Blackbaud AI and manages actions in Work Center — no additional setup is needed.

For details on AI permissions, see Manage Security Permissions for Blackbaud AI – Chat.

Fundraisers can always access action strategies from Work Center, but the My actions tile on their Home page provides a direct Action strategies button that links straight to the preparation view. This step is optional — if your fundraisers already have the tile or primarily use Work Center, you can skip it.

We recommend deploying the tile so fundraisers see the action strategies shortcut as part of their daily landing experience.

Option A: Use the pre-built Sample Fundraiser layout

The Sample Fundraiser layout already includes the My Actions tile as its first tile. If your fundraisers don't have a custom layout assigned:

1. From the Home page, select Manage.

2. Select Update Home pages for users.

3. Search for and select the user you want to update.
   

4. Select Replace with a Home page layout.

5. Search for and select the Sample Fundraiser layout.

6. Select Update.

Option B: Add the tile to an existing custom layout

If your fundraisers already use a custom layout:

1. From the Home page, select Manage.

3. Select Update Home pages for users.

3. Search for and select the user you want to update.
   

4. Select Update existing layout with additional tiles.

5. Search for and select My actions.

6. Select Update.

Once the tile is deployed, fundraisers will see their upcoming actions and a Prepare for actions button on the tile that navigates directly to the preparation experience.

For details on managing layouts, see Manage Home Page Layouts.

Once generative AI is enabled and permissions are confirmed, action strategies appear automatically for fundraisers with upcoming actions. Before they encounter them, take a few minutes to explain what to expect:

• What action strategies provide: A personalized preparation guide for each upcoming action — surfacing recent gifts, constituent highlights, communication preferences, and related opportunities so the fundraiser doesn't need to research before outreach.

• How recommendations work: Each strategy includes a recommendation to proceed, pause, or cancel. A pause means new context was detected — such as a recent gift or opportunity change — that might warrant adjusting timing. A cancel means the system identified a reason the outreach should not occur (e.g., opted-out communication channel, active solicitation code, or deceased status).

• Generated content: Fundraisers can generate talking points, conversation starters, or email drafts depending on the action type. These are starting points to adjust to their voice and the relationship — not scripts to follow verbatim.

• What strategies don't do: Strategies don't override governance rules or take action on behalf of the fundraiser. They amplify judgment — the fundraiser remains in control of timing, approach, and relationships.

Training: Watch this short video to discover Action Strategies, an AI-powered feature that embeds directly into your daily workflow and helps you prepare for donor interactions.

Action strategies are designed for daily use — review them before each call, email, or meeting to approach every conversation with full context.

Navigate to action strategies:

• From Work Center, select Prepare for actions in the Actions tile.

• From the Home page, select Prepare for actions in the My actions tile.

Work through your queue:

• Start with actions that are due today or coming soon — the queue prioritiizes what matters most right now.

• Review the recommendation. If it says proceed, you're clear to act. If it says pause, check the highlighted signals to decide whether to adjust your approach or timing.

• Generate content (talking points, agendas, or email drafts) if you want a starting point for the outreach, then adjust to match your voice and the donor relationship.

• Complete the action within the experience when possible to reduce context switching.

For the full reference, see Action Strategies.