Blackbaud, Inc. (NASDAQ: BLKB) today updated The Blackbaud Index with charitable giving trends through October 2013 and announced the launch of a new faith-based specialty index that tracks fundraising revenue for congregations and other faith-based organizations.

Based on data from 3,828 charities that raised more than $12 billion in the prior 12 months, The Blackbaud Index reported that overall charitable giving grew 2.3 percent for the three months ending October 2013, as compared to the same period in 2012.

Among 3,097 charities that raised nearly $1.7 billion online in the prior 12 months, online giving grew 9.9 percent in the same three-month period, as compared to the same period in 2012.

"This year has been a better year for the nonprofit sector than it has been in a number of years," said Chuck Longfield, Blackbaud's chief scientist and creator of the Index. "Giving is very dependent on the stock market, which is at an all-time high. With the improving economy, some of the uncertainty has been removed. People tend to donate more when they feel wealthier, and the stock market helps with that."

Revenue grows for faith-based organizations
Overall fundraising revenue for 334 churches, synagogues, and other faith-based organizations that represent nearly $1.2 billion in annual revenue grew 3.5 percent in the three months ending October 2013, as compared to the same period in 2012.

Online giving at 202 congregations and other faith-based groups that raised a total of more than $110 million over 12 months grew 16.7 percent during the same period.

Blackbaud also released a report today focused on charitable giving trends in the faith-based sector, featuring interviews with fundraising consultants from Dunham+Company and Giving Matters.

  • Download the latest Blackbaud Index report

Compared to fundraising data on other nonprofit sectors, data on giving to faith-based organizations can be tough to estimate because of the inconsistent and varying data-collection practices of congregations.

Longfield said the new faith-based index, which is based on fundraising data from more than 300 churches, synagogues and other faith-based organizations, fills a big gap in information on religious giving.

"It is very hard to come by," said Rick Dunham, president and CEO of Dunham+Company and a member of the board of the Giving Institute, which publishes Giving USA. "When you look at houses of worship and the amount given through church, reporting on that is obviously spotty."

The Blackbaud Index provides the most up-to-date information on charitable giving today. Tracking approximately $12 billion in US-based charitable giving, the Index is updated on the first of each month at www.blackbaud.com/blackbaudindex and is based on year-over-year percent changes. Featuring overall and online giving, the Index can be viewed by size and subsets of the nonprofit industry. The Index now also features a fundraising benchmark calculator that will allow users to easily chart their own results against the Index, and historical data to provide a fuller view of charitable giving.

The new faith-based index brings the number of specialty indices up to nine, including: Arts & Culture, Environment & Animal Welfare, Healthcare, Human Services, International Affairs, K-12 Education, Medical Research, Public & Society Benefit, and now, Faith-based. There are plans to add a specialty index on higher education in 2014.

Visit www.blackbaud.com/blackbaudindex for more information on The Blackbaud Index and additional industry subsets, for monthly updates on the first (or next business day) or to subscribe to email or text alerts, and to download the latest report.

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 29,000 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