Using Notifications in Blackbaud CRM™ (Without Driving Users Nuts)

Blackbaud CRM™ includes a built-in notification feature that’s very powerful—and surprisingly underused. When configured thoughtfully, notifications can guide users at the right moment, reduce mistakes, and reinforce important business rules without extra training or documentation.

This guide walks through practical ways to use notifications and how to configure them in your Blackbaud CRM environment.

How Can You Use Notifications in Blackbaud CRM?

At BrightVine, we’ve seen notifications used in smart, practical ways that support daily workflows. Here are a few proven examples to spark ideas:

• Managed Prospects or Board Members: Display a notification when a user opens the record of a managed prospect or board member. This can remind staff to coordinate with a prospect manager or staff liaison before contacting or updating the record.

• Constituents with Open Pledges: Alert gift processors when a constituent has one or more open pledges. These notifications can appear both on the constituent record and within the revenue batch workspace.

• Solicit Codes & Communication Preferences: Use notifications to flag sensitive solicit codes or special communication preferences, helping staff quickly understand how (or whether) to engage.

• Anonymous Constituents Reinforce anonymity preferences with a clear notification to protect privacy—especially during gift entry and reporting.

💡 These are just examples. If there’s something your team frequently asks about or double-checks a notification might be the right answer.

Configuring Notifications

To create a notification, navigate to: Administration → Tools → Notifications, then click Add.

You’ll see a configuration screen with required fields highlighted in yellow. Here’s a quick field guide:

• Name: A user-defined name for the notification. Be specific—especially if you plan to create several.

• Message: The text users will see. Keep it short, clear, and actionable. If it’s a paragraph long, it won’t get read.

• End Date: Optional, but useful for temporary scenarios (campaigns, staffing changes, audits). Once the date passes, the notification automatically deactivates.

• Display in Notification Window

  • Unchecked: Notification appears only in the record's information bar.

  • Checked: Notification appears in the information bar and a pop-up notification screen the first time the record is accessed in a session.

    • If the user leaves and returns within 60 minutes, the pop-up won’t reappear.

    • After 60 minutes, it will.

• Record Type: Choose where the notification should appear (e.g., Constituent, Revenue).

  • Selecting Constituent ensures the message displays when the constituent record is opened.

  • Selecting Revenue limits it to qualifying revenue records only.

• Selection: Define which records trigger the notification using a selection.👉 Tip: You can also add notifications to a specific record via the Documentation tab.

• Displays For: Choose whether all users see the notification or only a specific group (via an application user selection). Example: Show open pledge alerts only to gift processors.

One Last Tip (An Important One)

Notifications are only effective if users trust them. Too many notifications—or overly long messages—quickly turn into background noise.

Use them sparingly, keep them concise, and reserve them for moments where context truly matters.

When done right, notifications quietly reinforce best practices and protect your data—without another training session in sight.