Blackbaud Reinforces Its Responsible AI Approach With Independent Certifications
By Ren Nunes, Senior Manager, Data and AI Governance, Blackbaud
As AI adoption accelerates across the social impact sector, the organizations we serve need confidence that the technology behind their work is governed with care.
At Blackbaud, that commitment is guided by our responsible AI approach, which includes our core principles, governance framework, and human-centered approach to oversight.
Today, we’re proud to announce that those efforts have been independently verified by the Responsible AI Institute (RAI Institute).
The RAI Institute is a global, member-driven nonprofit dedicated to helping organizations implement and verify responsible AI. Through its RAISE Pathways certification program, it independently assesses organizations against globally recognized responsible AI standards and frameworks, providing additional assurance that governance practices are being put into action.
Blackbaud has completed two RAISE Pathway certifications, earning a badge for each:
- The Generative AI Foundation Badge
- The Responsible AI Foundation Badge
Together, these certifications cover both the generative AI experiences our customers use and the machine learning models and governance practices that support them.
What the Generative AI Foundation Badge Validates
The Generative AI Foundation badge applies across Blackbaud’s generative AI solutions and certifies that we meet the RAI Institute’s standards for responsible AI governance. It measures our practices against globally recognized frameworks, including the NIST AI Risk Management Framework, ISO/IEC standards, and the EU AI Act.
Earning the Generative AI Foundation Badge means our governance practices were assessed against and met those standards.
The evaluation examined how AI systems are designed, how risks are identified and managed, and how oversight, transparency, and accountability are built into the way we work.
The badge measures practice rather than intent, giving the organizations we serve external assurance that the responsible AI principles we describe are reflected in the way we govern, develop, and deploy AI in practice.
What the Responsible AI Foundation Badge Adds
The Responsible AI Foundation Badge examines the models and the data practices behind every AI-powered feature, which is where responsible governance has the widest reach.
The badge reflects an assessment of Responsible AI (RAI) controls across four leading frameworks: IEEE 7000-2021, Google RAI Practices, the NIST AI Risk Management Framework (AI RMF), and ISO/IEC 42001. It evaluates 74 controls across the full AI system lifecycle.
Because Blackbaud AI serves as the foundation for our AI-powered features, this verification reflects the responsible AI practices across the machine learning models and governance frameworks those features are built on.
Two Milestones in a Broader Commitment to Responsible AI
Taken together, these two RAISE Pathway certifications extend independently verified governance coverage across the full range of AI-powered solutions we provide to social impact organizations.
They help to reinforce the trust that distinguishes Blackbaud AI: the trust organizations need to adopt this technology with confidence, knowing it operates within clear direction, oversight, and guardrails.
That work is grounded in a responsible AI approach shaped by how real people across the social impact sector work, guided by our six responsible AI principles, and supported by human accountability at every stage.
These certifications are the first in a series of accreditations we’re pursuing as part of our broader commitment to responsible AI, including independent verification of our agentic AI solutions.
We see them as an important milestone in our larger journey because, in a sector where trust is foundational, the bar is rightfully high.
We will continue advancing our responsible AI practices as technology, regulations, and expectations evolve, helping organizations adopt AI with confidence.
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