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CharityEngine vs. Blackbaud vs. EveryAction

Which CRM is right for your nonprofit?

Are all nonprofit CRMs the same? Not when you look closely.

CharityEngine vs. Blackbaud vs. EveryAction

 

Let’s cut to the chase. Your nonprofit needs a CRM, and there are a few that have features that match your needs. Don’t you wish you had an apples-to-apples, side-by-side comparison so you could choose the best option? Well, we aim to please. 

What follows is a side-by-side-by-side comparison of CharityEngine, Blackbaud/Raiser's Edge NXT, and EveryAction. This information is based on the most current information we could find, but if there are updates, we will edit the article accordingly.

 

 

CharityEngineLogo_RGB-2

 

Blackbaud logo everyaction logo
Best CRM For Small to Midsize to Enterprise-Level Nonprofits Enterprise-Level Nonprofits Small to Mid-Size Nonprofits
Pricing $$ to $$$ $$$ to $$$$ $$$ to $$$$
Differentiators

 

   
Customizable Dashboards 

Full  

Limited  

Limited 

Marketing Automation 

Full 

Limited  

Limited 

Native Modules 

Yes 

Mixed 

Mixed 

Customized Reporting 

Full  

Limited  

Limited 

Key Features      
Email Automation green-circle-checkmark-1 green-circle-checkmark-1 green-circle-checkmark-1
Payment Processing

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Events and Auctions

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Text-to-Give

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Advocacy

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Online Forms

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Reporting and Dashboards

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Sustainers/
Recurring Billing

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Peer-to-Peer 

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CRM

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Grants Management

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Volunteer Management

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Customers Say* 

 

 

 
Pros

"Their data model and ability to query and layer queries is really impressive compared to similar systems in the market." 

 

"Good for a non-profit organization with many donors." 

"I like how easily I can get in touch with EA's support. I also like how solid the various tools are - very little bugginess, which is a huge upgrade from what we used before." 

Cons

"Sometimes when there are updates to the software, some functionalities are down temporarily, but their team always works swiftly to make sure everything is running smooth!"

"Working with Blackbaud is a very unpleasant experience. Trying to get answers to anything is impossible." 

"My experience has been negative, it is expensive and cumbersome to use." 

 *Customer quotes from Capterra

 

You might be surprised to see that many CRMs have the same features. Our recommendation is to dive into those features to figure out where each system is strongest. Your questions can include:

  • Is your payment processing in-house or outsourced?
  • What are your payment processing fees?
  • Which fundraising modules are native, and which are accomplished through integrations? If more of your data stays in one system, it's easier and faster to leverage and mine it.
  • You have text-to-give capabilities, but do you offer blast texting?
  • What does your support look like? Is there a help center, a dedicated account manager, an online academy?
  • Are you PCI-certified or compliant? Are you SOC 2 certified or compliant?
  • Do you offer advanced fraud protection?

And don't evaluate CRMs based on cost alone. We recently advised our clients to stop worrying about the cost of a new CRM because there's a much more important metric to measure!

If you want to chat about our software, give us a ring. Otherwise, use this document to get started on your research. Happy shopping!