Blackbaud Welcomes Six New Innovators to Its Social Good Tech Accelerator

Wednesday, July 24, 2024

Blackbaud, a leader in social impact software, announces the latest participants in its Social Good Startup Program, aiming to empower early-stage tech companies.

a premier software provider for social impact initiatives, has unveiled the latest group of participants in its Social Good Startup Program. This tech accelerator aims to empower early-stage software companies dedicated to addressing significant issues within the social impact sector.

The July 2024 cohort will concentrate on nurturing startups that create solutions enhancing or integrating with Blackbaud’s offerings, thereby amplifying the impact for nonprofits, educational institutions, and socially responsible enterprises.

“The Social Good Startup Program allows us to work with cutting edge startups in the social impact space to accelerate the speed and variety of innovation that our customers receive, on top of delivering the essential software and capabilities that Blackbaud is known for,” said Jerry Needel, vice president and chief of innovation, Blackbaud. “We’re excited to see what the companies in this cohort can bring to the table to benefit Blackbaud customers who are out there making a difference in the world every day.”

The startups featured in the July 2024 cohort are:

• Arbor: An AI-driven storytelling platform that partners with nonprofits to create and disseminate their impact narratives through video and various other media.. By combining human interviewers with a proprietary production platform, Arbor enables scalable, authentic storytelling. Arbor AI generates social clips, newsletters, email campaigns, talking points, and more, facilitating direct content distribution from the platform.
• Chat2Impact: A digital assistant designed to help charities quickly and affordably leverage chatbot technology. Its functionalities include handling donations, event and volunteer registrations, and answering FAQs. Chat2Impact integrates seamlessly with Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT®, ensuring new or existing constituent data flows directly into the organization’s CRM, enhancing insights and operational efficiency.
• Giving Compass: A platform that assists impact-driven donors in turning their generosity into meaningful community and societal change. As a leading donor education tool, Giving Compass supports individuals and businesses at every stage of their giving journey. Utilizing AI-powered tools, it connects users with high-performing, underfunded nonprofits and provides strategic insights from trusted giving experts to maximize the impact of each donation.

— LifeWeb 360: A digital platform designed for collecting and sharing memories of loved ones through stories, photos, and video links. Schools and associations can create branded sites with tribute pages for each deceased member, enabling everyone to share memories and celebrate their life.. The platform also helps users connect with potential donors, highlight legacy society members, and re-engage their community during crucial moments.

• Ribon: A platform that transforms corporate donations into an employee engagement tool. Recognized by the Gates Foundation as one of the world’s greatest innovations, Ribon turns company donations into donation tickets for employees, enabling them to support company-endorsed causes as frequently as weekly. Employees can also contribute additional funds and invite family and friends to participate.
• Your Mission Possible: A consulting firm dedicated to integrating technology into the nonprofit fundraising sector, allowing staff to spend more time in the community rather than behind a computer. Through their new product, Blueprint, they offer nonprofits a project management tool with templates for every fundraising activity, completing 95% of the administrative work required for successful fundraising efforts.

“We’re thrilled to welcome these six exciting companies into the July 2024 cohort,” said Lizzie Schaffer, general manager, Social Good Startup Program, Blackbaud. “Partnering with the industry’s top innovators in social impact technology through our Social Good Startup Program allows Blackbaud to continue providing purpose-driven organizations with increased opportunities to utilize cutting edge products and solutions, ultimately giving our customers even more ways to enhance their impact and achieve their goals.”