Blackbaud Unveils Seismic Shifts in AI Innovation, Rolling Out 70+ Embedded, Sector-Specific Capabilities and Unlocking New Possibility for Social Impact

Rhea-AI Summary

Blackbaud (NASDAQ: BLKB) on October 6, 2025 announced a broad rollout of more than 70 embedded, sector-specific AI capabilities, launching an agentic AI suite called Agents for Good and unveiling the AI Coalition for Social Impact to expand responsible AI adoption across nonprofits. The first agent, a Development Agent, aims to autonomously identify and steward donors. Blackbaud said its platform generates 30 billion predictions annually and reported a 22% increase in third-party marketplace integrations over the past year. The coalition will offer a free, platform-agnostic AI for Social Impact Certification to build sector AI skills and governance.

Positive

• Launched >70 embedded, sector-specific AI capabilities
• Introduced Agents for Good agentic AI suite with a Development Agent
• Platform produces 30 billion predictions annually
• Third-party integrations increased by 22% year-over-year
• AI Coalition to offer a free, platform-agnostic AI certification

Negative

• None.

Insights

Product Strategy and Social Impact Technology Analyst

Blackbaud launches broad, sector-specific AI tools and a coalition to accelerate responsible AI adoption in nonprofits.

Blackbaud announced on October 6, 2025 a large rollout of embedded, agentic AI features—Agents for Good™ and expanded in-product intelligence—designed to automate fundraising, stewardship, CSR workflows and cross-office insights. The release pairs product enhancements with an industry coalition and a free, platform-agnostic AI certification, signaling a coordinated push to raise AI literacy and operational adoption across the social impact sector.

The initiative lowers operational friction by embedding workflow automation and cross-domain data access directly into the vendor environment, which could materially increase user productivity if the features work as described. Risks include execution gaps: feature accuracy, governance around responsible AI claims, integration reliability with third-party agents, and user trust in automated donor outreach. The announcement provides a concrete metric to monitor: a 22% increase in third-party app connections cited as foundation for the agentic ecosystem.

Watch adoption signals and measurable outcomes over the next 6–18 months: user uptake of Agents for Good™, completion rates and curriculum adoption for the AI for Social Impact Certification, reported accuracy/impact of automated fundraising actions, and any governance frameworks the AI Coalition publishes. These items will determine whether product breadth converts into sustained operational value for mission-driven organizations.

Bold New Initiatives and Connected Intelligent Systems Aim to Make the Artificial Intelligence Promise Real for the Organizations Tackling the World's Biggest Challenges

CHARLESTON, S.C., Oct. 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Blackbaud (NASDAQ: BLKB), the leader in AI for social impact, today at bbcon 2025 announced a massive array of new embedded AI capabilities coming to its product portfolio, along with bold commitments to eliminate barriers that prevent nonprofits and other mission-driven organizations from fully harnessing responsible AI— including spearheading an industry coalition to confront systemic challenges.

"Nonprofits are built for times of uncertainty, and AI is the catalyst that can help them rise to today's greatest challenges," said Mike Gianoni, president, CEO and vice chairman of the board of directors, Blackbaud. "But to truly unlock AI's promise for the millions of people and organizations across the social impact sector, we need more than generic tools—we need solutions designed for their unique business operations that deliver immediate results without adding complexity. That's why we're embedding sector-specific AI directly into our products and backing it with resources like a free AI certification through the new AI Coalition for Social Impact, led by Blackbaud. We're setting a new standard for what's possible."

Delivering Purpose-Built, Embedded AI that Expands Social Impact Teams
Blackbaud today launched its new agentic AI suite, Agents for Good™, to help social impact organizations expand their teams with virtual team members and achieve more, at scale. This suite of agents from Blackbaud will turn AI into active teammates that autonomously execute complex workflows and free up teams across fundraising, finance, corporate impact and more. The first Agent for Good, a Development Agent natively embedded within the trusted Blackbaud environment, will enable teams to identify and steward donors they do not have the capacity to reach today, unlocking new revenue streams at a fraction of the cost possible in the past.

Key AI enhancements coming to Blackbaud products that bring more connection, more possibility and more confidence to the table for social impact organizations include:  

• Embedded Blackbaud AI capabilities across the company's solution portfolio, from powerful agents that take the currently available AI-assisted prospect insights within Blackbaud's flagship fundraising solution and automate follow-up steps—like creating a personal cultivation plan and drafting email messages—to AI-powered translations for custom text in the YourCause® CSRconnect® solution. Intuitive dashboards, streamlined workflows and in-product guidance transform the system of record into the system of intelligent action.
• Blackbaud AI will now integrate insights across business offices, enabling, for example, a fundraiser to simply chat with Blackbaud AI to draw on accounting data in order to share how a specific donor gift was spent in real-time—a level of connected insight no other platform on the market offers. 

Convening the Social Impact Sector for AI Success
Realizing that harnessing the full potential of AI will require a collective commitment to build skills, grow confidence and dismantle barriers to responsible adoption, Blackbaud has convened the AI Coalition for Social Impact to lift and equip the sector as a whole. Founding members of the coalition include Blackbaud, Association of Corporate Citizenship Professionals, Association of Fundraising Professionals, Chief Executives for Corporate Purpose, Curtis Group, Databricks, Datacamp, Ellis Morgan Enterprises, GivingTuesday, Greater Purpose, OneTrust, Realized Worth, Responsible AI Institute and The Nonprofit Alliance.

Members of the group will collaborate on the launch of the AI for Social Impact Certification Course—a free, platform-agnostic program focused on foundational AI skills and principles tailored specifically for the social impact sector.

"At Blackbaud, we believe that responsible AI will define the leaders of this generation. That's why we convened the AI Coalition for Social Impact, uniting with partners to champion responsible AI together and ensure the sector has the resources and knowledge needed to advance with integrity, transparency and impact," said Carrie Cobb, chief data and AI officer, Blackbaud. "Just as cybersecurity became mission-critical in the digital era, responsible AI will determine which organizations thrive in the AI era. Fairness, transparency, inclusiveness and trust must be built into governance, training and product design from the start."

Building for the Future
Blackbaud also announced its vision to create an agentic ecosystem where Blackbaud AI goes beyond coordinating its own intelligent agents to orchestrate agents from across the entire landscape. In this new era, users will simply ask Blackbaud AI to accomplish a goal, and it will seamlessly delegate tasks to the correct agents, whether they're built by Blackbaud or by other providers. Blackbaud has already laid the foundation for its agentic ecosystem by dramatically expanding partner integrations across its platform. In the past year alone, Blackbaud delivered a 22% increase in connections to third-party marketplace apps, introduced seamless integrations like UBIQ for school websites and DocuSign for grantmaking, and enabled partners to build specialized applications using open SKY APIs®.

"Our AI rests on years of domain expertise and a wealth of data from a variety of sources. Today, our platform generates more than 30 billion predictions annually to help customers reach the right prospects," said Andy Snyder, senior vice president and technical fellow, Blackbaud. "Now, we're thinking even further ahead, setting our customers up for future success by making sure the technology they implement today will be able to work seamlessly across other AI systems tomorrow. Blackbaud AI will orchestrate agents from other providers so our customers can spend their time achieving their goals, not managing agents."

Many more exciting product announcements and customer achievements will be unveiled this week at bbcon 2025, Blackbaud's annual technology conference for the global social impact community. Learn more and watch the keynote livestream here.

AI Coalition for Social Impact Member Quotes
"At ACCP, we are excited about the potential of AI to be a force for good in the corporate social impact field. CSR professionals often face limited capacity and growing demands, and AI can help them work smarter and faster—freeing up valuable time to focus on strategy, innovation, and driving measurable impact. By equipping practitioners with tools to harness AI effectively, this certification course will help expand their ability to create positive change within their companies and in the communities they serve." – Andrea Wood, president and CEO, Association of Corporate Citizenship Professionals

"Chief Executives for Corporate Purpose (CECP) is pleased to join this important effort to advance responsible AI and data ethics in the social impact sector. At CECP, we believe in the power of collaboration to drive meaningful change, and this initiative reflects our shared commitment to equipping leaders with the skills they need to harness AI for good. We look forward to working alongside our partners to shape a future where technology serves humanity." – Daryl Brewster, CEO, Chief Executives for Corporate Purpose

"Social impact professionals often work in small teams with limited resources. This Certification allows these teams to amplify their work through the use of AI and, in doing so, create a more substantive impact on charities, nonprofits and the communities they serve." ­– Brad Offman, Founder and CEO, Greater Purpose

"Nonprofits face the same need as the private sector for robust governance and AI literacy that ensure innovation drives impact responsibly. OneTrust is proud to join the AI Coalition for Social Impact and partner with Blackbaud in operationalizing their responsible AI program. By combining practical tools like generative AI and agents with accessible training and certification, Blackbaud is equipping social impact leaders with the confidence, skills, and safeguards they need to cultivate donors, personalize outreach, and ultimately deliver meaningful, responsible change." – Rebecca Evans, Product Marketing Director – AI Governance, OneTrust

"At Realized Worth, we believe that meaningful impact happens when people are equipped with both the skills and the responsibility to act. The AI for Social Impact Certification represents a powerful step toward ensuring that technology in our sector is not just advanced, but inclusive, and transformative."  – Chris Jarvis, CSO and Co-Founder, Realized Worth

"I am thrilled to join the AI Coalition for Social Impact. This is a timely new initiative, and I welcome the opportunity to share The Nonprofit Alliance's perspective and demonstrated commitment to the issue of responsible use of AI in the nonprofit sector." – Ann Hollingsworth, VP for Government Affairs, The Nonprofit Alliance (TNPA)

About Blackbaud
Blackbaud (NASDAQ: BLKB) is the leading software provider exclusively dedicated to powering social impact. Serving the nonprofit and education sectors, companies committed to social responsibility and individual change makers, Blackbaud's essential software is built to accelerate impact in fundraising, nonprofit financial management, digital giving, grantmaking, corporate social responsibility and education management. With millions of users and over $100 billion raised, granted or managed through Blackbaud platforms every year, Blackbaud's solutions are unleashing the potential of the people and organizations who change the world. Blackbaud has been named to Newsweek's list of America's Most Responsible Companies, Quartz's list of Best Companies for Remote Workers, and Forbes' list of America's Best Employers. A remote-first company, Blackbaud has operations in the United States, Australia, Canada, Costa Rica, India and the United Kingdom, supporting users in 100+ countries. Learn more at www.blackbaud.com or follow us on X/Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.

Media Inquiries
media@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, including statements regarding expected benefits of products and product features. 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 associated with management of growth; lengthy sales and implementation cycles; 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.

 

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SOURCE Blackbaud

FAQ

What did Blackbaud (BLKB) announce on October 6, 2025 at bbcon 2025?

Blackbaud announced >70 embedded AI capabilities, the Agents for Good agentic suite, and the AI Coalition for Social Impact with a free AI certification.

How will Blackbaud's Agents for Good affect BLKB customers' fundraising?

The first Development Agent is designed to autonomously identify and steward donors to expand outreach and unlock new revenue opportunities.

What measurable platform growth did Blackbaud report in the announcement?

Blackbaud reported its platform generates 30 billion predictions annually and a 22% increase in third-party marketplace connections over the past year.

Who is included in the AI Coalition for Social Impact and what will it provide?

Founding members include nonprofit and tech organizations; the coalition will deliver a free, platform-agnostic AI for Social Impact Certification course.

When will BLKB's new AI capabilities be available to customers?

Blackbaud announced the capabilities at bbcon 2025 on October 6, 2025; specific product rollout timelines were not enumerated in the announcement.

Does Blackbaud plan to integrate third-party AI agents with its platform?

Yes, Blackbaud described an agentic ecosystem intended to orchestrate both Blackbaud and third-party agents via expanded partner integrations and open SKY APIs.