The Future of AI at Blackbaud: Q&A with Paul Goldstein, Our New Head of AI Growth

Blackbaud has a long history of delivering technology that helps social impact organizations go further, faster, and AI continues to be front and center in our innovation with our Intelligence for Good® strategy.  

From predictive AI that’s helping customers identify billions of dollars in untapped giving potential, generative AI-powered acknowledgments that are speeding and enhancing communication with supporters, and the ability for users to interact with Blackbaud AI and their own data by asking questions in natural language to get real-time guidance and insight —we’re already delivering AI to customers directly in our products. 

Now, Blackbaud is looking to the future to create the next era of AI solutions that work alongside our customers so they can stay focused on the deeply human parts of their missions. Agentic AI will enable social impact organizations to unlock new levels of effectiveness and deeper connections across critical fundraising operations like donor cultivation, stewardship, sustainer management and volunteerism. 

We are working with a group of customers as design partners to help us create agentic AI that truly meets the needs of the social impact sector. Get the first look at what we’re building at bbcon 2025 in October. 

Meet Paul Goldstein, AI Product Leader
As we enter this bold new chapter in AI innovation, we’re thrilled to welcome Paul Goldstein as the product leader guiding our agentic AI innovation. With a background in building transformative product experiences at companies like Amazon and Glassdoor, Paul brings a unique blend of startup agility and enterprise expertise to Blackbaud’s AI approach. 

He will focus on creating agentic AI experiences that empower our customers with the personalization and agility they need to deepen relationships and drive transformative outcomes. 

We sat down with Paul to learn more about his journey, his vision for AI at Blackbaud, and what excites him most about the future. 

Q: What drew you to Blackbaud? 

Paul: I’ve always been inspired by mission-driven organizations, and Blackbaud’s commitment to social impact really resonated with me. The opportunity to apply cutting-edge technology to help nonprofits, companies and changemakers drive greater impact—that’s incredibly motivating. 

Q: Can you tell us a bit about your background? 

Paul: I’ve worked across a range of industries, from leading the web experience for Prime Video at Amazon to building mobile apps and social workplace tools at Glassdoor. What’s been consistent is my focus on creating products that simplify complex problems, feel highly personalized and deliver real value to users.  

I love starting from zero—building something new that addresses unmet needs in the market. Some find that daunting, but I’ve found it comes together easily when staying laser focused on customer needs and feedback.  

Q: What excites you most about the future of AI in social impact? 

Paul: We’re at a moment where AI can truly transform how social impact professionals operate. Just like the internet and smartphones have changed how we live and work, AI will become something we can’t imagine working without.  

People who work for social impact organizations are among the most committed and creative problem solvers on earth. They have no shortage of great ideas, but they do have limited resources. AI has the potential to scale the efforts of social impact pros like never before, ultimately creating more positive change in the world. And with agentic AI, the possibilities really are infinite when you imagine AI agents working together as a team to accomplish tasks above and beyond even what a single agent could do. 

But in order for this type of AI to be truly effective, it has to be personal, contextual and grounded in trust. That’s what we’re building at Blackbaud. 

Q: What makes Blackbaud’s approach to AI unique? 

Paul: We’re focused exclusively on the social impact sector and tailor our solutions to nonprofit, education and healthcare organizations, as well as companies dedicated to social impact, in ways that general-purpose AI tools simply can’t. We’re wholeheartedly committed to trust, security and privacy. These principles are foundational to our culture of responsible AI innovation.  

It’s not about more features for the sake of innovation. It’s about supporting customer goals, simplifying complexity and unlocking new possibilities, so that our customers can achieve meaningful outcomes, all while creating a connected experience where AI works seamlessly across the platform. 

Q: What’s your vision for AI at Blackbaud? 

Paul: My vision is to continue building on the strong AI foundation that Blackbaud already has in place. We have an established track record of delivering AI that’s powerful, convenient and responsible.  

In the next phase of our Intelligence for Good strategy, we’re focused on building agentic AI that adapts to our customers’ unique data, context and goals. It will draw on deep sector insights to help guide smarter decisions, while staying grounded in the day-to-day. 

This will be AI you can actually partner with. AI that’s intuitive, empowering and designed to free up time for the work only people can do. Our goal is to make AI feel less like a tool and more like a team member, helping human fundraisers and social impact pros scale while giving them the ability to oversee and guide the work of the agent. With our next generation of AI solutions, our customers will be able to drive results they’ve known are possible, but have never had enough people to effectively address.  

Q: How does your startup mindset influence your approach at Blackbaud? 

Paul: Startups move fast, test often and build with the customer at the center. That’s the energy I’m bringing to Blackbaud.  

We’re focused on getting feedback early, iterating quickly, and making sure our customers are at the center of what we build – that their needs are at the heart of everything we do. 

Q: What have you learned from Blackbaud customers so far? 

Paul: I’ve learned that they ask great questions and have excellent ideas! Also, that they’re passionate, innovative and eager to explore what AI can do. Many are already using AI in some form, and they’re excited about the potential to go further.  

What they need are tools that are easy to adopt, deeply relevant to their mission, and backed by a partner they trust. I’m honored to be leading Blackbaud’s creation of the AI tools that will fulfill these needs.  

Building What’s Next—Together
Paul’s leadership marks an exciting new chapter in Blackbaud’s AI journey.  

As we continue to expand our Intelligence for Good® strategy, we’re committed to delivering AI that is powerful, convenient and responsible to help our customers drive greater impact for their missions. And with a flexible and open ecosystem, we’re also enabling our customers to benefit from cutting-edge AI solutions that our partners are building, from some of the largest names in tech to startups on the forefront of creating new social and corporate impact solutions. 

Stay tuned for more updates as we continue to bring our innovation to life. 

More Information 

• Learn more about Blackbaud’s Intelligence for Good AI strategy. 
• Register for bbcon 2025 to get a first look at our latest AI developments. 
• Discover new insights on how AI is being adopted across the sector.