Unless you've been out of the office, you undoubtedly heard that Blackbaud is buying Kintera.  They are both publicly traded companies, so neither is allowed to comment on what will happen right now.  They have to keep behaving as completely separate entities until the acquisition is approved.  That doesn't give us a lot of good information, but it hasn't stopped the speculation either.

This is certainly very meaningful for the sector.  No matter how the acquisition plays out in terms of which products are kept, etc., there is one less choice in the nonprofit CRM market.  And I tend to believe that choice is good.  But rather than opine at this time, I'll instead share some of the musings of the nonprofit community and beyond:

• Connections: Steve MacLaughlin's Blackbaud Blog
• Nonprofit Tech Blog 
• Zen and the Art of Nonprofit Technology 
• Idealware
• The Nonprofit Times 
• Don't Tell the Donor 
• Forbes.com 

 What's your take?

Michelle Murrain, NOSI

Constituent Relationship Management systems are one of the bread and butter tools of nonprofit organizations: tracking donations, constituents, activities and the like are critical to accomplishing mission.

It makes sense then, that CRM and fundraising software are the most plentiful and mature software product vertical in the nonprofit sector. And there is an increasing amount of change and innovation in this realm: from open APIs on such stalwarts as Convio and Kintera, to newer open source alternatives like CiviCRM and MPower Open

The question is, how do the newer open source alternatives stack up to the long standing proprietary packages that people have gotten used to?

Choosing a CRM can be frustrating and overwhelming. With so many choices and so little time to research all the options, many of us rely heavily on the recommendations of our peers to cut through the noise and provide some insight.

This is why NTEN is proud to present the results of our first CRM Satisfaction Survey.

> Download the Full Report

We've surveyed hundreds of your peers in order to provide you with a wide array of opinions about CRM systems, and the characteristics of the vendors providing those products. Over six hundred people indicated their willingness to recommend the systems they currently use.

Once you have identified two or three systems that meet your organization's needs, this report can help you to make your final decision as to which system is right for your organization.

The report is available free to NTEN Members, $50 for non-members. If you're not already enjoying full member benefits, join today.

> Download the full report

If you are subscribed to the NTEN discuss list, you may recall that I sent out a call for questions for a podcast that Blackbaud was putting together regarding the eTap acquisition. Well, the podcast is out. If you are an eTap user, I think there's some good content in there for you. Otherwise, it's nothing you probably haven't heard before about the coupling.

Selecting new software is hard. Rankings and ratings are great, but knowing what your peers think may be even better. That's why we're launching a new series of NTEN Vendor Satisfaction Surveys, designed to tell us what you think about the tools and services you're using and considering for purchase.

Our first survey will focus on Constituent Relationship Management (CRM) tools. You can help the NTEN community by rating your CRM today.

The survey is modeled on the CIO Magazine methodology. We'll get both quantitative AND qualitative results for you. Of course, the more people who participate, the better the results will be, so please take just a few moments now to share your experiences.

> Rate your CRM today!

Survey responses are anonymous. If you have any questions please email holly@nten.org

Blackbaud continues its roll into the eCRM market by acquiring eTapestry.  From the Nonprofit Times article:

"Nonprofit software provider Blackbaud has made its second major acquisition this year, buying online donor management and advocacy tool eTapestry. During the past two years Blackbaud has spent more than $90 million on acquisitions in the nonprofit software and advocacy marketplace."

Blackbaud's first acquisition this year? Target Software. We'll all have to keep our eyes peeled for what happens next.

Are you in the market for a new database? Then we have a webinar that you should check out:

Salesforce for Nonprofits

Salesforce is one of the most popular web-enabled databases, and it's gaining adherants among nonprofits. Accessible from any browser, customizable in myriad ways -- and available to nonprofits for no fee through the Salesforce.com Foundation -- it's a powerful tool. But how can a database with a name like Salesforce be used by the nonprofit sector? This webinar will explore the functionality and community of Salesforce. We'll look at how several nonprofits, from a group of more than 1500, use Salesforce to cultivate and recruit donors, manage their electronic communications, and more. If you are looking for a new CRM solution, or just want to know more about Salesforce, this webinar will be a great starting point.

Presented by Rob Jordan, Idealist Consulting

> Register now!