Building a Smarter, More Connected Operation

With a mission to reduce new HIV infections and improve the quality of life for those affected, AID Atlanta has continually sought innovative solutions to maximize their impact. They serve thousands of patients and are driving toward significant milestones as they expand their services in an effort to get record numbers of individuals tested and connected to care.

Since adopting Raiser’s Edge NXT and Financial Edge NXT, AI-powered donor management and financial management platforms, AID Atlanta has transformed how their fundraising and financial management processes operate. One of the most significant changes has been the seamless integration of the two systems.

Annual Fund and Digital Giving Manager Ed Doolittle explained that the integration has been instrumental in improving workflows and reducing manual data entry. “Integrating Raiser’s Edge NXT and Financial Edge NXT has eliminated a lot of time-consuming work,” said Doolittle. “It also allows us to catch errors early and be proactive instead of reactive.”

This integration has enabled real-time reporting, streamlined data sharing, and more efficient collaboration. For example, program managers use view-only access to the tools, allowing them to run reports on their own and monitor grant-specific expenses. “Our program managers no longer have to track someone down or wait on an email—they can self-serve and access up-to-date information whenever they need it,” explained Dolittle.

As a result, finance and other departments now operate from the same trusted data, allowing staff to move faster, reduce administrative work, and focus more time on donor relationships and program delivery.

Improving Fundraising and Finance with Integrated Tools

The enhanced functionality of Raiser’s Edge NXT and Financial Edge NXT have also improved their fundraising strategies. For GivingTuesday, AID Atlanta used Blackbaud Donation Forms and Blackbaud partner Constant Contact, email marketing software, integrated into their website and email campaigns. This drove a 25 percent increase in donations year-over-year. “We use the Constant Contact integration to support our email marketing, especially around campaigns like GivingTuesday,” said Doolittle. “It’s one piece of a larger strategy that includes social promotion and online giving, and together those efforts helped drive year-over-year growth.”

Another standout feature of Blackbaud Donation Forms has been the donor cover option, which allows donors to cover transaction fees. “Participation in donor cover has been amazing, especially in our event registration forms,” shared Doolittle. “We’ve seen a 90 percent adoption rate, which is much higher than we expected.”

On the finance side, connecting donor and accounting data changed daily tasks. Department managers now generate real-time project detail and expense reports directly in Financial Edge NXT, without waiting for development or finance staff. This shift saves time, reduces errors, and helps programs stay on budget. With better access to information, teams can make timely decisions that keep resources focused on mission delivery.

Additionally, the use of Financial Edge NXT’s journal entry tools and budget upload capabilities has significantly reduced manual work. “For some of our recurring reports, what used to take hours now takes a fraction of the time,” said Doolittle. “The budgeting process, for example, went from being a four-hour task to about an hour and a half. These time-savings wouldn’t be possible without Financial Edge NXT.”

Accelerating Efficiency with Blackbaud Advisory+

To get even more from Financial Edge NXT—and to clean up decades of legacy data—AID Atlanta engaged the consulting experts with Blackbaud Advisory+. Together, they are focusing on adopting best practices, streamlining workflows, and improving their chart-of-accounts structure. Through tailored recommendations and hands-on guidance, the team is improving data accuracy and accelerating reporting.

With expert support, AID Atlanta is overcoming long-standing challenges while building a stronger foundation for future growth. By reducing manual work and gaining faster access to financial insights, staff are now able to spend more time on strategic priorities so they can focus on what matters post: advancing their mission and serving their community.

“Because we’ve had the product since 1993, there’s a lot of data and past processes in place. We want a Financial Edge NXT expert to show us how to use the software most effectively—I’m confident Blackbaud Advisory+ will pay for itself by saving us time and ensuring best practices,” said Doolittle.