Blackbaud, Inc. (Nasdaq: BLKB) today announced the availability of the 2012 Index of Higher Education Fundraising Performance, a report that provides a summary of key performance indicators of annual funds at more than 100 public and private institutions.

"Fundraising for higher education annual funds in fiscal year 2012 can best be described as stable, or flat," said Shaun Keister, author of the report and vice chancellor of development at UC Davis. "It appears donors had a holding pattern in their charitable giving. However, this isn't bad news--given the economic challenges over the past several years, stability is what many programs seek."

The analysis is conducted annually as part of Target Analytics' donorCentrics Collaborative Benchmarking service for higher education organizations. Metrics are based on historical transactional information and are standardized across institutions to provide the most accurate, unbiased comparative performance information available in the sector.

  • Download the report at www.blackbaud.com/higheredfundraising

Key findings include:

  • After a significant decline in 2009, followed by a slight bounce back in 2010 and 2011, higher education fundraising and performance across key metrics was relatively flat in 2012.
  • Donor retention rates continued to be stable, while reactivation rates continued to decline - a trend that appears to be sticking around.
  • Donors are giving more and making more gifts, increasing overall revenue per donor among nearly every type of donor (retained, reactivated, and new).
  • Participation rates continue to decline, a trend that is expected to continue until either the giving behaviors (and interests) of younger alumni shift more toward higher education, or annual giving programs develop more effective tools for engaging and soliciting younger alumni (such as recurring gift programs).

To download the report and learn about participating in future donorCentrics Collaborative Benchmarking groups, visit www.blackbaud.com/higheredfundraising.

Save the Date: The results from the 2012 Index of Higher Education Fundraising Performance will be featured at the upcoming CASE Summit on July 15 at 2:30 PT in the session Benchmarking to Drive Advancement Strategies.

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 28,000 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, advocacy, constituent relationship management (CRM), financial management, payment services, analytics 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 operations in the United States, Australia, Canada, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit www.blackbaud.com.

Forward-looking Statements
Except for historical information, all of the statements, expectations, and assumptions contained in this news release are forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Although Blackbaud attempts to be accurate in making these forward-looking statements, it is possible that future circumstances might differ from the assumptions on which such statements are based. In addition, other important factors that could cause results to differ materially include the following: general economic risks; uncertainty regarding increased business and renewals from existing customers; continued success in sales growth; management of integration of acquired companies and other risks associated with acquisitions; risks associated with successful implementation of multiple integrated software products; the ability to attract and retain key personnel; risks related to our dividend policy and share repurchase program, including potential limitations on our ability to grow and the possibility that we might discontinue payment of dividends; risks relating to restrictions imposed by the credit facility; risks associated with management of growth; lengthy sales and implementation cycles, particularly in larger organization; technological changes that make our products and services less competitive; and the other risk factors set forth from time to time in the SEC filings for Blackbaud, copies of which are available free of charge at the SEC's website at www.sec.gov or upon request from Blackbaud's investor relations department. All Blackbaud product names appearing herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of Blackbaud, Inc.

Blackbaud, Inc.
Melanie Mathos, 843-216-6200 x3307
media@blackbaud.com