Catherine LaCour Named to First-Ever Elite 18 Customer-Led CMOs List for 2023

The Elite 18 recognizes and celebrates the leaders who push a customer-first agenda above all else

Blackbaud is pleased to share that Chief Marketing Officer Catherine LaCour was recognized earlier today as a finalist in the Elite 18 Customer-Led CMO Awards, which recognizes CMOs who are achieving success by putting their customers’ journeys at the center of their marketing efforts.

“This well-deserved recognition is a testament to Catherine’s strong leadership and the success of her customer-focused approach to marketing,” said Blackbaud CEO Mike Gianoni. “Catherine’s passion for our customers and the impact they are making every day not only drives strong performance in our marketing efforts, but also informs our customer-led strategy across the company, and I’m proud to see her accomplishments acknowledged in this way.”

“This honor is truly a recognition of how my team, and all the teams across Blackbaud, take a customer-first approach,” said Catherine. “We are stewarding an end-to-end customer journey focused on meeting customer needs through our essential software and our expertise. From the first moment an organization interacts with our marketing content to their continued growth as a customer, it’s critical that we give them an experience that shows they are at the center of all we do, and that we are helping to accelerate their impact.”

Three prominent ways that Blackbaud’s innovative customer-first marketing strategies are driving impact for the company and for customers include:

• Outcomes Management Framework: Blackbaud’s Product Marketing team, in partnership with Customer Success, Product Management, and other teams across the company, created an award-winning framework to map and align customer expectations and pain points to key customer outcomes, leading to increased customer satisfaction, higher renewal rates, better product adoption, and more customer champions.

• Customer Advocacy: Within the past year, Blackbaud’s Champions program, customer community, and reference program were centralized onto one team to create an end-to-end customer advocacy function that is engaging customers and driving impact across the business. From thought leadership content to product reviews to peer-led best practice sharing to taking reference calls with prospects, a growing network of customer advocates is driving value while being recognized for their contributions with opportunities such as rewards, VIP experiences at our annual customer conference, and networking opportunities.

• bbcon: Blackbaud’s annual conference for social impact offers customers unparalleled opportunities for growth and development, with best practices sessions, hands-on training opportunities, and the ability to make one-on-one connections with super users and industry experts. From thought leadership that helps customers stay ahead of the latest trends to product education that help them make the most of their software investment, to unmatched networking opportunities with Blackbaud staff, partners, and other customers, Blackbaud is dedicated to giving customers the opportunity to learn and innovate together.    

For more information on the Elite 18 Customer-Led CMO Awards, visit Influitive’s award page.