Blackbaud’s 10th Annual Conference Encourages Nonprofits to Invest, Innovate, Involve and Inspire

More than 1000 nonprofit professionals gather in Charleston for annual professional development and networking event

CHARLESTON, SC – November 19, 2009 – Blackbaud, Inc. (Nasdaq: BLKB) held its 10th annual Conference for Nonprofits this week in Charleston, South Carolina, welcoming 1000 nonprofit professionals from all over the world to learn more about nonprofit technology and techniques to help them succeed in 2010.

“In a downturn, nonprofits that can innovate, invest, involve and inspire their constituents are going to come out stronger than when they went in,” said Marc Chardon, Blackbaud’s chief executive officer. “Our customers live the value of ‘service to others makes the world a better place.’ We at Blackbaud live that value too, and the Conference provides a great opportunity for all of us to walk away with just a little more inspiration and just a little more energy to face the challenges ahead.”

This year’s Conference featured more than 130 sessions focused on fundraising, financial management, education and cultural-specific subjects, Internet solutions and marketing, current issues, and prospect research and analytics, and also included interactive workshops and roundtable discussions. Attendees learned more about recently released products and services including the Blackbaud Learn™ annual training subscription, Researchpoint™ for web-enabled prospect research, Blackbaud NetCommunity Grow™ and Blackbaud Sphere Grow™ for online marketing, website and event management,The Financial Edge™ for Small Offices, and Blackbaud Small School Solution™ for K-12 independent schools.

Blackbaud partnered with Unimedia, a visual communications firm located in Charleston, to live stream key sessions from the event, including the Internet Afternoon, which focused solely on Internet solutions and strategy. Archived recordings can be accessed for free at www.blackbaud.com/bbcontv.

“My takeaways from the conference are always about gathering new information, meeting new people, networking with them, and allowing good positive influences to come to me,” said speaker and attendee Dean Feener, from The Salvation Army Southern Territory. “Really, it’s not so much about products, it’s not so much about service – it’s really about bringing together people with disparate ideas, but common goals towards helping people and making the world a better place.”

Derreck Kayongo, founder of The Global Soap Project (www.globalsoap.org) presented the keynote session at the Conference to a packed auditorium. A former refugee who fled political despotism in Uganda, Derreck shared his unique path on life’s journey – a path that has led him to his current work of changing the world. Kayongo founded The Global Soap Project, a nonprofit that recovers and recycles soap from American hotels and facilitates a process by which it is sanitized, melted and remolded into new bars, then distributed to refugee camps in Africa.

“As you all assemble here, it is important for you to understand your true love of these organizations – not to forget your mission,” said Kayongo. “It’s easy for you to be involved in the data, but don’t forget that behind all those figures, and behind all of your hard work, what drew you into these organizations.”

He offered attendees the following advice: 1. Reconnect to your work, 2. Get inspired, 3. Become crafty (find a way to make your work brand new), 4. Understand your mission in life, and 5. Connect with your family. He concluded his session with an African sing-a-long involving all attendees.

Blackbaud lived the value of this year’s Conference theme (and its corporate value), “Service to Others Makes the World a Better Place,” by directing approximately $200,000 worth of Conference expenses to nonprofits and incorporating service projects throughout the event. Wherever possible, expenses, including event rental space, furniture, entertainment, and costs associated with securing speakers, went back to nonprofit organizations.

Team Blackbaud, an employee-led volunteer group, helped attendees paint murals that were provided through the Foundation for Hospital Art. Completed murals will be donated to organizations in the communities where Blackbaud has offices across the country. On Monday evening, attendees of the Blackbaud Tweetup (a gathering of its social media community), stuffed 100 bags of nonperishable food items for The Lowcountry Food Bank’s Backpack Buddies program, which provides healthy weekend meals for local children on school lunch plans.

About Blackbaud
Blackbaud is the leading global provider of software and services designed specifically for nonprofit organizations, enabling them to improve operational efficiency, build strong relationships, and raise more money to support their missions. Approximately 22,000 organizations — including University of Arizona Foundation, American Red Cross, Cancer Research UK, The Taft School,Lincoln Center, In Touch Ministries, Tulsa Community Foundation, Ursinus College,Earthjustice, International Fund for Animal Welfare, and the WGBH Educational Foundation — use one or more Blackbaud products and services for fundraising, constituent relationship management, financial management, website management, direct marketing, education administration, ticketing, business intelligence, prospect research, consulting, and analytics. Since 1981, Blackbaud’s sole focus and expertise has been partnering with nonprofits and providing them the solutions they need to make a difference in their local communities and worldwide. Headquartered in the United States, Blackbaud also has operations in Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit www.blackbaud.com.