Established in 1927, Texas Southern University is one of the largest historically black universities in the United States. Like many institutions, fundraising is paramount to ensuring its ongoing development and success, which is why the university uses Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT, fundraising and relationship management software, integrated with Blackbaud Financial Edge NXT, nonprofit fund accounting software.

Using Blackbaud’s integrated software, TSU has done more than sharpen its fundraising focus: it has reduced associated time, efforts, and costs all while strengthening donor relationships and ensuring data-driven decision-making. Associate Vice President of Development Charlie Coleman explained that upon joining the university in January 2024, he immediately knew that integrating Financial Edge NXT with Raiser’s Edge NXT would significantly improve operational efficiency and streamline processes across campus.

“The integration of Raiser’s Edge NXT and Financial Edge NXT ensures data accuracy and alleviates administrative burdens for the advancement services team because others can self-serve—a win for everyone,” said Coleman.

Leveraging Technology for Success

With the powerful analytics and wealth rating capabilities in Raiser’s Edge NXT, the university can categorize potential donors more effectively and build out portfolios that align with their capacity and willingness to give. “Using the analytics in Raiser’s Edge NXT has enabled us to take a more strategic approach and target our efforts more precisely, resulting in a more efficient and successful fundraising process,” Coleman said.

One of the standout successes for TSU has been the utilization of the events module in Raiser’s Edge NXT. Previously, events were managed independently, often leading to missed opportunities for engagement and fundraising. Determining which donors to target required extensive manual effort. “Using the ticketing and donation capabilities in Raiser’s Edge NXT, we saw a 400% increase in revenue and added nearly 3,000 new constituents to our database from a single weekend of events that previously only engaged 500 people.” said Coleman. “Blackbaud’s software allows us to accurately track donations and easily manage the influx of new donors from events.”

The marketing tools within Raiser’s Edge NXT have provided TSU with invaluable insights into the effectiveness of their campaigns. With detailed analytics on open rates, click-throughs, and engagement, the university can now refine their communication strategies, ensuring that each message resonates with the intended audience.

“Using the marketing tools in Raiser’s Edge NXT we can engage in a more consistent, meaningful way,” said Coleman. “The level of detailed insights has not only improved our outreach efforts but also significantly improved my team’s ability to build and maintain relationships with donors.”

Looking Ahead

TSU continues to expand their use of Blackbaud software with the recent adoption of Blackbaud Award Management™, award and scholarship management software. Coleman explained that he used Award Management integrated with Raiser’s Edge NXT at previous institutions and understands the impact they can have on internal operations. “Having all our Blackbaud software integrated will give us further insight into how donors’ funds are being awarded—all right within Raiser’s Edge NXT—allowing us to strengthen relationships with donors even more.”