What's Recent in 2026

January 7, 2026

Organisation admins can now enable all current and future generative AI features powered by Blackbaud AI with one global setting — giving your organisation centralized control, clear compliance, and future-ready access to AI-powered tools that boost productivity and personalization.

If you don’t opt in, your organization remains opted out by default.

Learn more, including how to enable Generative AI features.

January 27, 2026

We’re excited to introduce Chat for Blackbaud AI, powered by generative AI. This feature is designed to save you time, improve donor engagement, and make smarter, data-driven decisions — all within Raiser's Edge NXT. With AI-powered assistance, you can focus on what matters most: building stronger relationships and driving your mission forward. Instead of manually searching for answers, simply ask the AI to draft content, suggest creative ideas, or provide actionable insights based on your data and best practices.

Think of it as having a helpful assistant:

• You provide a prompt or question.

• The system uses AI to generate a draft, suggestion, or summary.

You don’t need any AI technical knowledge to use this tool. Just type what you need, and the system will do the heavy lifting — saving you time and helping you focus on what matters most.

Tip: Do you have more questions about Blackbaud AI? Visit the Blackbaud Trust Center to view FAQs about Blackbaud AI.

How Can This Help You?

Here are some examples of what you can do with these new features:

• Draft an email or message: 

  Example “Write a thank-you email to donors.”

  Bonus! Give the chat some feedback about a detail you want added.

• Generate ideas:

  Example "Suggest three creative ideas for a year-end fundraising campaign."

• Get quick answers about your constituents:

  Example “Summarize key details about [constituent name] for my next meeting.”

• Ask questions about fundraising best practices:

  Examples “What are some best practices for re-engaging lapsed donors?” or “What follow-up actions are recommended after a donor meeting?”

• Assist with fundraiser goals:

  Examples “Show me my top prospects for major gifts this quarter.” or “Show me a list of constituents to contact this week.”

• Ask about fundraising goals:

  Example “Show me a total of all gifts received for the [campaign name] campaign.”

  Tip: Some answers may include a link so you can see how Chat for Blackbaud AI answered the question. For this one, you can select View list to confirm the information.

• Ask product help questions:

  Example “How do I customise the Home page?”

And this is only the beginning — AI can assist with many more tasks as you explore.

Tip: Keep the chat open as you navigate Raiser's Edge NXT. When new information is available, the chat will update automatically with summaries. For quick inspiration, try the suggested prompts to see what AI can do for you.

Tips for Better Results

• Be clear and specific in your prompts.

• Include context like donor name or campaign.

• Review and customize the AI-generated content before sending or publishing.

• Refine responses by asking follow-up questions.

• Use it as a starting point — your expertise makes it great!

Why It Matters

Chat for Blackbaud AI helps you:

• Save time by reducing manual research and drafting.

• Stay focused on strategy instead of repetitive tasks.

• Improve donor engagement with personalised content. Work confidently knowing you can edit and refine AI-generated content to match your tone and goals.

How to get started

1. Enable generative AI features – Before you can use Chat for Blackbaud AI, your organization admin must opt in to generative AI features in your Blackbaud environment. Once enabled, the authorization applies to all current and future generative AI features across your Blackbaud products. For details, see Opt In to Generative AI Features Globally help. If you don’t opt in, your organization remains opted out by default.

2. Set permissions – Solution admins must assign the Artificial intelligence role to users who need access to chat.

3. Open the chat – In Raiser's Edge NXT, select the Chat for Blackbaud AI sparkle icon from the top navigation.

4. Review the Quick Start guide – Learn how to write effective prompts, refine responses, and get better results with our step-by-step tutorial.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is my data secure? 

Yes! Your data remains secure. We follow industry-standard security measures to protect your information. Access to unapproved tools is restricted, and approved tools are vetted for privacy and compliance. AI responses are customized based on your organization’s data and respect your configured security permissions. For more details, see our Blackbaud AI Terms of Use.

Do I need technical skills? 

No. Just type your prompt and let the system handle the rest!

What if AI can't answer my question?

We’re always working to make Chat for Blackbaud AI more useful based on your needs. Your feedback helps us improve the experience and build tools that support your work. You can provide feedback in two ways:

• Select the thumbs up and thumbs down icons in the Blackbaud AI – Chat and add details.

• Submit suggestions and vote on ideas in the Raiser's Edge NXT Idea Bank under the Blackbaud AI - Chat category.

February 24, 2026

You can now filter Opportunity lists by Gift type, making it easier to see whether an opportunity is expected to result in pledges, gifts in kind, or other gift types. From Portfolio, Opportunity lists, open a list and select Filters. Under Opportunity details, choose Gift type and apply the filter.

You can also add Gift type as a column to quickly scan and compare opportunities at a glance. This helps you prioritise follow‑up without opening individual records. Select Columns, Opportunity details, choose Gift type, and apply the change.

Tip: Gift type information is sourced from the opportunity record and reflects the value shown on the Details tile.

January 27, 2026

The Gift list now includes a new Next installment date filter and column that enables more precise segmentation of pledges based on the due date of the next installment with an outstanding balance. This enhancement helps you quickly identify donors with upcoming or overdue payments, improving follow‑up and stewardship workflows. Because this date reflects the next unpaid installment, it may appear in the past when a pledge is overdue. In addition, Blackbaud AI Chat now supports questions related to the next installment date for pledges, making it easier to surface this information without navigating the interface.

Ask Blackbaud AI: Who has pledges due this month from my portfolio?

January 7, 2026

In response to your feedback, we’ve added a new way to customize how constituent names appear in Standard reports. Previously, you could only choose Individual’s name or Individual’s record as the name source. Now, you can select From configuration for even greater flexibility. This enhancement allows you to apply any name format defined in Configuration, Addressees/Salutations in database view. For example, you can include a constituent’s ID in the name format — helping you tailor reports to your organization’s needs. When you add or edit a Standard report, on the Formats tab, under Constituent, select From configuration and choose a name format from your configuration settings. This update gives you more control over how names display in reports, ensuring consistency and alignment with your organization’s standards.