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World Trade Center Memorial Foundation Selects Blackbaud's Integrated Solution for Donor Management and Accountability

Posted on: Tuesday, 18 April 2006, 09:01 CDT

Blackbaud, Inc. (Nasdaq: BLKB), the leading provider of software and related services designed specifically for nonprofit organizations, announced today that the World Trade Center Memorial Foundation (WTCMF) has chosen the company's integrated fundraising and financial management solution to help the organization process funds and create meaningful relationships with its donors.

"The World Trade Center Memorial Foundation will mount a comprehensive national campaign, and it is essential that we manage data efficiently," said Gretchen Dykstra, president and CEO of the WTCMF. "Blackbaud's solution suite and IT platform will enable us to quickly provide and analyze critical data to better serve our donors. We look forward to working with Blackbaud's software solutions."

The World Trade Center Memorial Foundation, Inc. is the not-for-profit corporation established to raise funds as well as build and operate the Memorial and Memorial Museum at the World Trade Center site. To effectively manage high volumes of donations, WTCMF needed a system that could process contributions from multiple sources, accelerate the data-entry process, and dramatically reduce the amount of time staff must spend on administrative tasks. To that end, the organization selected Blackbaud's integrated solution, including The Raiser's Edge(R) and The Financial Edge(TM).

A focus on fundraising and accountability

WTCMF selected Blackbaud's award-winning fundraising solution to implement donor management best practices and its financial management solution to more efficiently comply with internal control regulations developed in the spirit of Sarbanes-Oxley. The organization looks to maximize its investment by:

-- Reducing the amount of time staff must spend on administrative tasks so they can devote more time to actual fundraising

-- Accurately processing donations, corporate sponsorships, and major gifts

-- Proactively demonstrating accountability with a fully integrated financial system that allows them to sort multi-segment account codes; establish strict policies, procedures, and controls; and run reports quickly and accurately with a high degree of flexibility

-- Tracking and reporting on funds from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) through the Community Development Block Grant and the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation

-- Improving the organization's direct marketing capabilities by easily pulling and coding information from its database to personalize acknowledgments and appeals

"We are pleased to be partnering with the World Trade Center Memorial Foundation as the organization seeks to raise significant funds while maintaining high levels of accountability with its donors," said Marc Chardon, Blackbaud's chief executive officer. "The Foundation's commitment to its mission and its overall fundraising vision is commendable, and we're honored to be a part of the solution."

For more information on Blackbaud's fundraising or financial management solution, please visit www.blackbaud.com/products/fundraising/fr_overview.aspx or www.blackbaud.com/products/financial/finance_overview.aspx.

About the World Trade Center Memorial Foundation

The World Trade Center Memorial Foundation, Inc. will build and operate the Memorial and Memorial Museum at the World Trade Center site. The Memorial, "Reflecting Absence," will remember and honor the thousands of people who died in the horrific attacks of February 26, 1993, and September 11, 2001, and recognize the endurance of those who survived, the courage of those who risked their lives to save others, and the compassion of all who offered their support in the aftermath. Michael Arad and Peter Walker's design for the Memorial was selected from among 5,201 submissions from 63 countries through the largest design competition in history. Donations can be made through the Foundation's Web site, and more information on the Foundation can be found at www.buildthememorial.org.

Construction on the Memorial and Museum began in March 2006, with completion slated in 2009.

About Blackbaud, Inc.

Blackbaud is the leading global provider of software and related services designed specifically for nonprofit organizations. More than 15,000 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 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 Patron Edge(R), Blackbaud(R) NetCommunity(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.

Blackbaud, the Blackbaud logo, The Raiser's Edge, The Financial Edge, The Education Edge, The Patron Edge, Blackbaud NetCommunity, The Information Edge, WealthPoint and ProspectPoint are trademarks or registered trademarks of Blackbaud, Inc.

Forward-looking statements

Except for historical information, all of the statements, expectations, and assumptions contained in this news release are forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Although Blackbaud attempts to be accurate in making these forward-looking statements, it is possible that future circumstances might differ from the assumptions on which such statements are based. In addition, other important factors that could cause results to differ materially include the following: risk associated with successful implementation of multiple integrated software products; lengthy sales and implementation cycles, particularly in larger organizations; uncertainty regarding increased business and renewals from existing customers; continued success in sales growth; adoption of our products and services by nonprofits; risks related to our dividend policy and share repurchase program, including potential limitations on our ability to grow and the possibility that we might discontinue payment of dividends; risk associated with product concentration; economic conditions and seasonality; competition; risks associated with management of growth; risks associated with acquisitions; technological changes that make our products and services less competitive; the ability to attract and retain key personnel; and the other risk factors set forth from time to time in the SEC filings for Blackbaud, copies of which are available free of charge upon request from Blackbaud's investor relations department.

Source: Business Wire

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