Blackbaud Acquires Kintera

Wow! I've been a bad blogger of late, but this is too big to miss: Blackbaud, maker of software like Raisers Edge and Financial Edge, has acquired Kintera.

In the press release [2], Marc Chardon, Blackbaud's President and Chief Executive Officer, says:

Our core capabilities are complementary and we expect to continue to offer a full range of solutions that effectively meet nonprofits’ needs for donor acquisition and cultivation that are intergrated with our suite of CRM solutions, including The Raiser’s Edge®. Kintera’s “Friends Asking Friends®” team fundraising and advocacy solutions are well suited for organizations that use these programs to grow their base of supporters. Similarly, Blackbaud’s NetCommunity™ offering is ideally suited for enriching the online experience of current donors enhancing the value of data that already exists in the CRM system.

"We are also pleased to offer new options to Kintera’s accounting and wealth data customers. P!N™ has been innovative in coupling traditional wealth screening services with online offerings and we are excited about the potential of combining these offerings with Target Analytics’ current product portfolio. Likewise, Fundware® has long met the fund accounting needs of many nonprofits and we expect to work closely with Kintera and their partners to enhance the range of solutions available to this important set of customers. Combining these solutions with Blackbaud’s current offerings will allow us to continue to grow these important segments of our business.”

This acquisition is likely to have a substantial impact on nonprofit options in the long run. Blackbaud has traditionally been weak in the online area, so Kintera's strength in that area will be complementary. But they also have a number of products that were competing - for instance, it's hard to imagine a long term strategy that has a place for both Fundware and FinancialEdge (both accounting systems for medium sized and large organizations), and P!N and Target Analytics are currently the two most prominent opt [3]ions in wealth screening.

However, Kintera was in a pretty unstable place, so at least this shores up their products for the short term...