Blackbaud Announces Events Boot Camp



Web Seminar Series for Nonprofits

CHARLESTON, SC – October 27, 2011 – A free four-day web seminar series hosted by Blackbaud and nonprofit experts explores
how nonprofits can kick-start their event planning and analyze event data.

Series Description:  Have peer-to-peer fundraising events hit a plateau? Are nonprofits ready to turn lazy participants into fit fundraisers? Then it’s time for Boot Camp! Blackbaud’s friendly drill sergeants will help get nonprofit events in shape so they’ll be more successful than ever. In Blackbaud Events Boot Camp, attendees will learn how to:

    •    Kick start event planning
    •    Tone up mid level fundraisers
    •    Build a rock solid core by analyzing event data
    •    Become social fundraisers
    •    Create communications that get read

Part 1  – What’s Your Event IQ? 

Before moving forward with a new workout routine, it’s important to take an honest look at one’s current situation. In this session, Event 360 will discuss key metrics to use when planning next year’s event, outline performance indicators to turn zero and mid-tier participants into fundraising powerhouses and provide a reporting refresh to make sure attendees are accessing all their event data.When: Monday, November 7, 2:00 PM ET
Who: Hosted by Amy Braiterman, Principal Strategy Consultant, Blackbaud 

Part 2 – It’s Time for Interval Training!
Interval training or mixing up technique is the best way to increase event performance. In this session, Blackbaud will tackle best practices for multi-channel marketing to increase event recruitment, performance, and revenue.  Charity Dynamics’ Donna Wilkins will help attendees beef up their event communication. Join the experts and get new ideas for connecting Facebook®, Twitter®, YouTube®, email and more.  When: Tuesday, November 8, 2:00 p.m. ET
Who: Amy Braiterman, Principal Strategy Consultant, Blackbaud 
Donna Wilkins, President, Charity Dynamics 

Part 3  -
Advanced Weight Training

Bulking up means increasing email open and click through rates. In this session, Karen Will, Arthritis Foundation’s Sphere email expert will share how to build email campaigns and create messages that get read and inspire participants to take action. Topics covered include: automatic recurring emails, email segmentation, frequency, and design for desktops and mobile devices.When: Wednesday, November 9, 2:00 p.m. ET
Who: Amy Braiterman, Principal Strategy Consultant, Blackbaud 
Karen Wills, eCRM Business Analyst, Arthritis Foundation

Part 4 – The Machine You Never Use

There’s always that one machine that spurs the question … What is that supposed to do? In this session, The Arthritis Foundation’s Meghan Beasy will be a personal trainer. She’ll share how she tones up her events by using some infrequently used tools in Friends Asking Friends. Attendees will learn how she uses the Event Admin section to track expenses, communicate with participants, schedule tasks, and more.When: Thursday, November 10, 2:00 p.m. ET
Who: Amy Braiterman, Principal Strategy Consultant, Blackbaud 
Meghan Beasy, Development and Services Director, West Tennessee Arthritis Foundation

Bonus Session Group Training
Boot Camp ends with an interactive session moderated by the Run Walk Ride Fundraising Council’s David Hessekiel. Join the discussion and hear how other nonprofits are: motivating participants to fundraise, engaging with participants to increase retention rates, and developing new fundraising strategies for 2012.  When: Tuesday, November 15, 2:00 p.m. ET
Who: David Hessekiel, Run Walk Ride Fundraising Council

Nonprofits can register for these free seminars at www.blackbaud.com/bootcamp.

In addition to these topical web seminars, Blackbaud offers a wide variety of daily web seminars featuring Blackbaud products and services and tips and tricks to help nonprofits be more effective. All web seminars are free, last approximately one hour, and can be accessed at www.blackbaud.com/events/overview.aspx.

About Blackbaud


Serving the nonprofit and education sectors for 30 years, Blackbaud (NASDAQ: BLKB) combines technology and expertise to help organizations achieve their missions. Blackbaud works with more than 25,000 customers in over 60 countries that support higher education, healthcare, human services, arts and culture, faith, the environment, independent K-12 education, animal welfare, and other charitable causes. The company offers a full spectrum of cloud-based and on-premise software solutions and related services for organizations of all sizes including: fundraising, eMarketing, social media, advocacy, constituent relationship management (CRM), analytics, financial management, and vertical-specific solutions. Using Blackbaud technology, these organizations raise more than $100 billion each year. Recognized as a top company by Forbes, InformationWeek, and Software Magazine and honored by Best Places to Work, Blackbaud is headquartered in Charleston, South Carolina and has employees throughout the US, and in Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Mexico, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit www.blackbaud.com.