Salesforce vs. Blackbaud

CRM Resources Salesforce vs. Blackbaud

Salesforce vs. Blackbaud CRM

'We compare features, integrations, and more of Salesforce and Blackbaud CRM.'

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Salesforce and Blackbaud are both world-renowned CRM software vendors.

However, comparing the two is like comparing body soap to toothpaste; both were made for personal hygiene, but each was created for different, specific roles.

The same goes for Salesforce and Blackbaud. Even though both are CRMs, each software was built to cater to different audiences and industries. Salesforce caters mostly to for-profit businesses, while Blackbaud is designed for use by nonprofit organizations.

Of course, neither Salesforce nor Blackbaud is the only option for flexible and extensible CRM software. If neither of these systems have what you’re looking for, or you’re still looking around, use our Product Selection Tool to get free reviews, recommendations, or to compare tools.

Salesforce

A trusted CRM software vendor, Salesforce specializes in strengthening customer relations. Salesforce gathers, stores, and organizes the details of a business’s contacts. Then, this CRM documents the activities and behavior of each contact to better understand customer preferences. Salesforce offers a specialized Nonprofit Success Pack for nonprofit organizations, which includes fundraising and donor management.

Blackbaud

One of the first CRMs ever developed, Blackbaud caters to nonprofit organizations instead of private businesses. Blackbaud helps compile and manage data of fundraising organizations, educational institutions, and the like. From the start, this CRM was specifically designed to take care of the constituent management needs of the social good industry.

Salesforce and Blackbaud have major differences right off the bat. So, this article would instead focus on the capabilities of each CRM. We’ll also discuss their similarities and differences between Salesforce and Blackbaud for better understanding.

Features for Salesforce vs. Blackbaud 

Data management 

Same as most CRM software, Salesforce has data management functions. This CRM does more than gather and organize customer details. Salesforce records every interaction a customer has with the business.

This information is then analyzed and used to predict future purchasing behavior of customers or contacts to possibly boost revenue.

Blackbaud doesn’t actually collect customer data per se, but this CRM also has capabilities to effectively manage the information of an organization’s constituents.

Just like Salesforce, Blackbaud also analyzes the constituent information they store. However, this CRM software doesn’t analyze data to increase profits. Instead, this data is used to understand and increase the contact’s interaction with the organization.

Also read: SugarCRM vs Salesforce: The CRM Battle Rages On

More than constituent information is stored by Blackbaud. Information on past events, such as fundraisers previously organized, are also documented and analyzed. This information helps organizations evaluate which types of events are most successful, or which events generate more donations for the institutions.

Analytics and reporting 

Reports can be created, analyzed, and shared through Salesforce CRM. The reports built through Salesforce can be customized to display different aspects of your business you want to examine.

For example, you can customize your Salesforce report to display the average time it takes for employees to respond to emails sent by customers. You can also alter the report to show the deals closed and opportunities won by your business within a given timeframe.

Through the reporting functions of Blackbaud, you can scrutinize events, fundraisers, and even the activeness of supporters in your institution. You can check if the goals of your organizations are being met.

Blackbaud reporting and analytics feature can help you keep track of the level of support your organization receives. It can help you monitor how well your organization is doing compared to others.

Email marketing 

Salesforce uses one of the time-tested approaches in boosting sales for any business — email marketing. This CRM software can send personalized promotional emails to contacts at a scheduled time.

For Blackbaud, email marketing is utilized to maintain an active relationship with the donors or supporters. Constant engagement with constituents is essential in any non-profit organization.You can also customize the emails sent to constituents through Blackbaud.

Customer Support

Customer support is only available to subscribers of Salesforce’s premium packs. There are Salesforce users who find it hard to navigate the CRM but have no access to Salesforce premium support. These users will have to learn through the Salesforce Trailhead tutorials or look for a local user community.

As for Blackbaud, customer support may be reached through phone and chat, five days a week.

Integrations 

Thousands of apps and software may be integrated into Salesforce. Gmail, Microsoft Dynamics, Drupal, and Marketo are just some of the most popular apps users integrate into this CRM software.

There are many different apps and software you can integrate with Blackbaud. Considering that this CRM was made for nonprofits, most of its integrations are apps related to nonprofit organizations. There are other well-known apps you can integrate with Blackbaud, too, like Mailchimp.

Pricing

The price for Salesforce plans vary depending on the features, number of users, and number of contacts the company will need to manage.

Some users complain that Blackbaud’s plans are expensive. But the prices vary depending on the size of your organization. You would need to talk to a Blackbaud live representative to find out the cost of this CRM software.

Salesforce or Blackbaud?

Determining your reason for acquiring a CRM software should be the first thing you do before picking between Salesforce and Blackbaud. This is particularly true, especially because Salesforce and Blackbaud serve two different purposes.

Due to the fact that Blackbaud isn’t intended for profit-focused private companies, it lacks many features typical CRMs have. In short, Blackbaud might be a poor choice if your company is driven by revenue.

But if you use Blackbaud for non-profit reasons, there’s a big chance that you would be satisfied with its performance. Users of Blackbaud for non-profit purposes report extreme satisfaction with the software.

Remember, Blackbaud and Salesforce CRM weren’t designed for exactly the same purpose. If you want your Salesforce CRM to be 100% suitable for non-profit purposes, you can choose Salesforce Nonprofit Success Pack instead.

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CRM Resources Salesforce vs. Blackbaud