Blackbaud, Inc. (Nasdaq: BLKB)
today announced the launch of Guide
Creative™, a full service design agency exclusively
serving nonprofits that offers strategy and branding services, web
design and development, mobile and social strategy, and analysis. Guide
Creative offers web design and development services for organizations
using both Blackbaud products, including Blackbaud
NetCommunity™ and Blackbaud
Sphere®, and open-source platforms, like Wordpress®.
In celebration of the launch, Guide Creative is holding a contest, with
prizes including free design services, ranging from branding and
strategic web design, to social strategy. Nonprofits can enter at www.guidecreative.com.
“Guide Creative is focused on helping nonprofits bring their missions to
life,” said Kelley Jarrett, the group’s market manager. “From developing
a brand to creating an online presence, our experts guide nonprofits
through the storytelling process with effective and impactful branding
and design.”
The new Guide Creative team has more than 150 years of combined
experience and draws from Blackbaud’s existing team of interactive
designers, adding new design experts that range from former nonprofit
professionals to principals of independent design firms.
Designers from Guide Creative recently worked with Dian
Fossey Gorilla Fund International to enhance branding, donor
engagement and search engine optimization (SEO). In the first quarter
after going live, the organization saw immediate results from the
redesign of its site and SEO consulting. $45,000 more was raised in the
1st quarter of the year compared to the year before, direct traffic went
up by 45 percent, bounce rates dropped by 5 percent, average page views
went up by 18 percent, and average time on the site per user increased
by 26 percent. In addition, as a result of the strong style guide and
SEO best practices that were delivered to Dian Fossey as part of the
design cycle process, site content has remained fresh in the months
following their go-live.
“The architecture they helped us create makes navigation logical and
enables visitors to see the breadth of our programs,” said Elizabeth
Smith, CFRE, chief development officer, Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund
International. “The designer did a brilliant job. He created a system
for doing promotion of multiple campaigns throughout every level of the
site that is effective and manageable.”
Free nonprofit design series
Guide Creative is offering a free web seminar series, “The Guide Series:
Getting Creative on Purpose,” throughout the year. Attendees of the free
web seminars will learn best practices, see industry-leading tools in
action and leave with tactics they can immediately use in their design.
The four-part Branding and Identity section of the series will focus on
branding that captures a nonprofit’s essence and creative design that
allows its identity to shine through. It features the following web
seminars:
-
Defining Your Brand: Strategy — Monday, June 25, 1:00 p.m. ET — Register
Now
-
Living Your Brand: Implementation — Tuesday, June 26, 1:00 p.m.
ET — Register
Now
-
Communicating Your Brand: The Brand Manual — Wednesday, June
27, 1:00 p.m. ET — Register
Now
-
Expanding Your Brand: Milestone Logos — Thursday, June 28, 1:00
p.m. ET — Register
Now
The Guide Series will continue with a Strategy and Visual design series
in August, an Interactive Design and Development series in October, and
an Analysis and Action series in December. Archives of the Creative
Overview webinar series from April can be found online.
For more information, to enter The Great Guide Giveaway, or to register
for The Guide Series: Getting Creative on Purpose, visit www.guidecreative.com.
About Blackbaud
Serving the nonprofit and education sectors for 30 years, Blackbaud
(NASDAQ: BLKB) combines technology and expertise to help organizations
achieve their missions. Blackbaud works with more than 27,000 customers
in more than 60 countries that support higher education, healthcare,
human services, arts and culture, faith, the environment, independent
education, animal welfare, and other charitable causes. The company
offers a full spectrum of cloud-based and on-premise software solutions,
and related services for organizations of all sizes including:
fundraising, eMarketing, social media, advocacy, constituent
relationship management (CRM), analytics, financial management, and
vertical-specific solutions. Using Blackbaud technology, these
organizations raise more than $100 billion each year. Recognized as a
top company by Forbes, InformationWeek, and Software Magazine and
honored by Best Places to Work, Blackbaud is headquartered in
Charleston, South Carolina and has employees throughout the US, and in
Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Mexico, the Netherlands, and the United
Kingdom.
Forward-looking Statements
Except for historical information, all of the statements, expectations,
and assumptions contained in this news release are forward-looking
statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Although
Blackbaud attempts to be accurate in making these forward-looking
statements, it is possible that future circumstances might differ from
the assumptions on which such statements are based. In addition, other
important factors that could cause results to differ materially include
the following: general economic risks; uncertainty regarding increased
business and renewals from existing customers; continued success in
sales growth; management of integration of acquired companies and other
risks associated with acquisitions; risks associated with successful
implementation of multiple integrated software products; the ability to
attract and retain key personnel; risks related to our dividend policy
and share repurchase program, including potential limitations on our
ability to grow and the possibility that we might discontinue payment of
dividends; risks relating to restrictions imposed by the credit
facility; risks associated with management of growth; lengthy sales and
implementation cycles, particularly in larger organization;
technological changes that make our products and services less
competitive; and the other risk factors set forth from time to time in
the SEC filings for Blackbaud, copies of which are available free of
charge at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov
or upon request from Blackbaud's investor relations department. All
Blackbaud product names appearing herein are trademarks or registered
trademarks of Blackbaud, Inc.
