Blackbaud buys Kintera (KNTA)..

Last night I received an email announcing Blackbaud's (BLKB) purchase of Kintera (KNTA), and you can read the rest of the details here:

http://www.nptimes.com/08May/5-30-08bnews.html

Kintera, as you may know, started at the tale end of the dot-com boom, went public, bought several companies, blew through $148 million and imploded.

Yes, my friends, $148 million spent. That's an awe-inspiring sum. I think it's pretty hard to do- I don't think I could have done it as well.

As the San Diego Union-Tribune pointed out, the deal may be good for Blackbaud:

"Blackbaud no doubt views Kintera's 3,900 customers, which include the American Lung Association, Lance Armstrong Foundation and Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, among its prized assets."

It does bother me that the organizations that we are trying to serve are treated as prizes to be won at any cost.

Like Blackbaud's other acquisitions in the past, it's inevitable that most if not all of Kintera will be assimilated within Blackbaud. For example, Kintera offers both Fundware, (Fund Accounting), and Pin! (Prospect Research), which are direct competitors to Blackbaud's Financial Edge and WealthPoint respectively. Kintera's Sphere is a bit different, and could hang on longer. Friends asking Friends will probably remain untouched.

So, where does that leave DonorPerfect?

Again, as I have mentioned numerous times in the past, we are very confident about our position in the marketplace, our robust fundraising solutions, and price-point. We continue to grow at a double digit pace, gaining clients the old fashioned way- we would rather earn a client's respect than buy it.

Competition is good for the non profit market- it reduces prices and increases innovation. We look forward to continue competing with Blackbaud, and expect to further increase our market share as they sort out their most recent acquisition.

If you're an existing Kintera client or prospect, or simply a non-profit looking for a great web-based (or installed) fundraising system at a great price, give us a try. A very friendly and experienced account manager (with an average experience over 8 years!) can walk you through our products, and I think you'll be impressed- I know our clients are!

Update...

Been traveling a lot again in the last 2 weeks, to Las Vegas and Long Beach, CA, for a presentation with Netzel Associates. I met their President and COO, Jay Grigsby, at a conference last fall, and while he may not have been impressed with my golf game, he did seem to like what I had to say- specifically about fundraising software solutions. As a result I was invited to speak during their national team meetings this month.

It's clear they LOVE what they do. They offer a full spectrum of services, such as development/feasibility studies, capital and endowment fundraising campaigns, executive searches, major gift programs, planned giving/endowment development, grant writing and research and more.

I even picked up a quick tip - when asking for a major gift, it's best to make the final ask in this way:

"Bob, we would like to honor you with a request for $100,000 as a leading gift for our XXX Campaign"

Pretty clever, eh?

In addition to asking the right way, they also use our integration with Wealth Engine to make sure they are asking the right amount. To that end, they are able to use a combination of DonorPerfect Online and Wealth Engine to accurately predict a donor's Giving Capacity.

It's important to know everything you can about your major donors, and our solution makes it easy so that you make sure you honor your donor appropriately without leaving money on the table.

LIVE from San Francisco...

I've been in San Francisco for the last few days, meeting with prospective clients and also attending the 102nd Boys & Girls Club National Conference. The conference has been a huge success and it's wonderful to hear the feedback and comments from the 100+ Boys & Girls Clubs that use DonorPerfect to raise more money.

We've been partnering with this organization for almost 10 years now, and it's great to see the organization grow and succeed in the intervening years.

During some down time, I also had a chance to do something I almost have no time for- sightseeing. Usually conferences are full of meetings, lunches, and quick coffee chats with potential and existing clients. This time, though, my daughter Annie gave me a school assignment- so I had homework to do.

The task was to photograph a self-drawn picture of Annie, appropriately called "Flat Annie", in front of famous landmarks so that she could report on them in school when I return. Luckily, the weather cooperated and here's some great pictures- enjoy!

The journey started with a trip on the Famous San Francisco Cable Cars.
$5 Gets you a one way ride- no extra charge for Flat Annie!

Next Stop was Fisherman's Wharf

Golden Gate Bridge- It took at least 10 pictures to get the right
shot because the wind was blowing Flat Annie everywhere!