Blackbaud eTapestry

eTapestry for Donor Management

Aspetti positivi:

eTapestry has a lot of great cloud based functionality for keeping track of your donor database, sending communications, running reports on interactions with donors, etc.

Aspetti negativi:

It's pretty pricey for smaller not for profits.

Pro for Donor Management, Con for Event Management

Commenti: While eTapestry has helped us make sense of a lot of data and history, it is very difficult to learn how to use and train new employees on.

Aspetti positivi:

I like the data it stores about our donors and the various ways we are able to report on the information,

Aspetti negativi:

I find the donor facing event platforms very dated and confusing.

Hard to use but has all the bells and whistles

Commenti: We liked the software for a while but the more our business grew, the more eTapestry because a pain as the interface was very old and hard to use for people that aren't technology savvy.

Aspetti positivi:

The software had a lot going for it because it had all the bells and whistles that you want, including ability to find out someones net worth, donations at other places, etc. The plus side about it was that you could easily put someone into the system and instantly send them a thank you email without more than a few clicks.

Aspetti negativi:

It was very difficult to run reports as there were so many moving parts to get them to come together.

eTapestry Customer Support

Commenti: I was hired at Neighborhood Healthcare 3 weeks before its largest fundraiser of the year. I needed to learn eTapestry quickly to accurately update the database with event purchases and I needed my data entry to be fast. Customer support was my go-to, they answered questions over their chat module, emailed me white papers on best practices, and shared detailed instructions on how to be most efficient with our database.

Aspetti positivi:

Customer service was fast, knowledgeable, and respectful. I never felt like I was asking a dumb question and they always had an answer.

eTapestry Makes Organization Easy for Nonprofits

Commenti: I have used the software in my work for a nonprofit 501 c 3 organization. eTapestry has a clear, intuitive structure that is also easy to personalize. I feel like information that before was spread out over our intranet, email marketing software, and donor database system is now together in one place for streamlined communication.

Aspetti positivi:

Easy to use, offers personalization, organizes complex information simply

Aspetti negativi:

The "Help" section can be confusing. You can easily end up looking up with answers that pertain to other Blackbaud products and tracing your way back to eTapestry specifically can be confusing.

Too Many Limitations

Commenti: If you are only dealing with donations, this may be a good option for you, but I work for a membership organization, and not long after I was hired, I convinced the organization to scrap eTapestry for something better suited to our needs.

Aspetti positivi:

This database is easy to use. If you've ever used another donor management system, you'll find it pretty intuitive. You can build decent queries and create tons of data points you want to track.

Aspetti negativi:

Everything has to be done manually, and it can take some time. I wouldn't recommend this to a membership organization because of the time involved logging renewals. There is also a really not so awesome template you have to use create all of the products you want to offer, including donations. It's a hassle for the organization and the donor.

eTapestry Non Profit Review

Commenti: Very cumbersome and took a long time to learn all the aspects of the software. I still do not feel like we were able to utilize the system to its fullest potential.

Aspetti positivi:

Accessibility and ease of data entry. I also liked the templates that were available for newsletters, emails and etc.

Aspetti negativi:

Creating reports was not user friendly.

I've used eTapestry for five years.

Aspetti positivi:

It's almost infinitely customizable and is pretty powerful. If you know how to use it, you can track and report on really good data.

Aspetti negativi:

The software is stuck in the 1990s in terms of its design and technology. It can be very slow and is terribly unintuitive for a new user.

Caution-could be good-could be bad

Aspetti positivi:

The software at its basic form works well with little maintenance.

Aspetti negativi:

The customer service is extremely unprofessional and you have to make sure you push to speak to someone who knows what they are doing.

Not a fan

Aspetti positivi:

I wasn't a fan of this software. The only pro was the cleanliness of the layout. There wasn't a lot of superfluous information or fields.

Aspetti negativi:

It was very hard to learn this software. I spent so much time training and I never felt like I knew enough. It was very hard to run reports.

eTapestry - A medium weight solution for Donor Management and Receipting.

Commenti: I have been impressed with the solid support team eTapestry has. The online chat has been very helpful to me, and the specialists I have chatted with have always been knowledgeable.

Aspetti positivi:

eTapestry has lots of power to get things done. It is cloud-based, so there is no need for the user to worry about upgrading the software or backing up the data. Queries are very easy to produce, and exporting the results in reports, PDFs or excel is a snap. You can design your own forms so that your website can talk to eTapestry easily. eTapestry works equally well on desktop computers, tablets and cellphones. This is very helpful for fundraisers who are on the road.

Aspetti negativi:

If you are downsizing from a more robust package such as Raiser's Edge, be prepared for a loss of flexibility - for example, queries in eTapestry lack some of the power that Raiser's Edge has. When comparing what you get "out of the box" with some other solutions, you will find that in order to keep costs down for the average user, eTapestry is very basic. To add in eCommerce, donor logins, advanced email, etc these are available, but as an add-on pricing. This can make it more expensive than other products that have all these features to start with, so you should be aware of what your real needs are before committing to eTapestry.

eTapestry: simply the best product out there

Aspetti positivi:

The eTapestry system is by far the best we've ever used. There are many things to like including: the dashboard with its sophisticated look that integrates all of the important information in on place, which makes it simple to focus on important things like delivering programs. Our old system didn't work well, especially when we needed to pull information from it. Reporting in eTapestry is quick and it looks really professional. So far, everyone we've had to provide information to, such as accountants, counselors, and so forth, are really impressed with how the information is presented to them. Last but not least, the diy forms are a godsend. They've raised us to a whole new level in regards to our tax receipting, registration forms, and mail outs! Perhaps the greatest thing we've enjoyed using eTapestry is the caliber of service we've received from every member of the team.

Aspetti negativi:

So far there's nothing we don't like, but I do have some suggestions. First of all, for the diy forms, we are using one for program registrations that have a fee - the donation form seemed to be the best fit. It would be ideal for us if we could either change the wording from "donation amount" and "donation frequency" to "payment amount" and "payment frequency", or provide us with the options for wording because we don't want those who are registering to be confused about the fee because it's not a donation. Secondly, in the diy forms, where we have multiple options for users to check off, it would be ideal if we could create columns so that the form isn't too long. Finally, because we are using some of the diy forms for program registrations and we deliver programs to families, it would be ideal for us if we could have a form where participants could put in the names of their family members and those names would generate separate constituents in the database. For instance, a mother signs up for a program with her two kids. All have the same contact information, but the health information is different for all three. Currently, people have to do the form several times - once for each family member.

Been with eTapestry for over three years.

Aspetti positivi:

Very recently, I had my first positive experience with phone support. Hopefully, that is an indicator that eTapestry is beefing up their customer service. We will know more as the holiday rush happens.

Aspetti negativi:

Since the beginning, customer support has been abysmal. Just recently, it has improved, but it took three years. Last year, during the holidays, I waited no less than an hour on hold each time and ended up hanging up because I did not have that kind of time to wait on the phone. One time, I waited an hour and a half, and when the closing time came, instead of taking my call, eTapestry simply disconnected me, and I pay extra for phone support! I gave up and was never able to reach support last year during the holiday season. This year's holiday season is just starting, so I have to see if anything has improved. Also, when we set up our account there was zero project management. They did not establish our needs, and as a result, set up the database as they saw fit. We had problems with defined fields (ones they established and ones they did not), and any changes would have cost a fortune. So we were stuck with what they did, which requires a lot of additional data input after the fact. There was also zero personal training. They provided videos to watch. That was not an effective way to train because they use their own terminology, and when you had questions to ask, you couldn't ask because you were watching a video. Hands-on training is a must! We started with a customer support person who was not in tune with our needs and was later switched to a group and lost one-on-one support.

Expensive platform with increasing costs and long contract periods!

Commenti: Unfortunately, eTapestry is just not easy to work with as they were in the beginning when we started working with them in 2011.

Aspetti positivi:

At first I loved eTapestry for its great support and a la carte options. It is definitely a robust system. Not so much anymore since they are now part of Blackbaud. They now bundle options and railroad agencies into long contracts to get single features that used to be available a la carte.

Aspetti negativi:

All of the above, plus their communications tool is not the best. It would be better if they integrated with a marketing tool like Constant Contact and included that in their packages. The maneuvering through the system is clunky and not at all intuitive.

Frustrating with a long learning curve

Aspetti positivi:

Integration with online giving is seamless. Manual entry of gifts is easy and straightforward. It's easy to export data.

Aspetti negativi:

No one in our small organization uses this software regularly enough to feel proficient, and it isn't intuitive. I waste a lot of time trying to get data out of the software. Reports have to be rebuilt every time you run them, and there is no built-in year against year to date report, which seems like an essential to me. When I was given instructions on how to accomplish this, I couldn't believe the number of steps it involved. I find myself spending a lot of time running queries, then exporting them to Excel to manipulate the data to prepare something I can share with the ED and Board. I know there are users who love this software, but it isn't working well for us.

Customization is both a pro and con

Aspetti positivi:

Basic tools are easy to learn, especially as a first-time user. Saving attachments to records. Tracking soft credits; linking soft credits to hard credits. Ability to process credit cards and post directly in data records.

Aspetti negativi:

Many past development staff led to variations of historical data inputs--this is where the customization makes tasks difficult. Queries can only do AND and OR, so it can take multiple queries to get to the data needed. Can't delete accounts once a profile has been created. Can't undo merged accounts. Can't pull direct report on numbers of donor visits, donor gifts, etc (donor-focused data). Can't designate a special location for detailed donor visit reports (eTap account "Notes" isn't efficient).

Not recommended for small non-profits

Aspetti positivi:

eTapestry is probably suited for larger organizations and is much more than we need. There are a ton of reports available and it's easy to keep track of different campaigns. It also has excellent tools for event management, like tracking ticket sales, sending invites, etc.

Aspetti negativi:

I found the program a bit overwhelming to use as a new fundraiser who also worked by myself. If I had a team, or someone to train me it may have been a bit easier. It is not very intuitive. Also, the training videos are not included, which is a big negative since the program is so expensive to begin with. I did not find this program very simple for receipting donations as they came in with monthly receipts as well as year-end receipts. It was a tedious process. The customer support team was not very helpful. We ended up going in a different direction with our business.

Decent donor software for medium-sized nonprofits

Commenti: It's too complicated for small organizations and not robust enough for large organizations. Since bought by Blackbaud, it seems to have been de-prioritized in terms of features, upgrades and design. Customer support is very good - but you'll need them on speed dial. Great people, great company - but this produce needs a little more TLC. Email marketing function is almost un-usable in today's mobile environment. No moves-management function, etc. 'Entirely customizable' means you have to build your own systems within. Great for basic donor info and gift tracking. Took us a couple years to 'right-size' it for us - and even then, when you have more 'work-arounds' than original offerings, you wonder if there's something better.

Aspetti positivi:

Customer service

Aspetti negativi:

Old design, clunky, not intuitive.

Miserable and impossible

Commenti: I would not wish this donor management system on my worst enemy.

Aspetti positivi:

It already has all of my data in it. That is literally the only good thing I can say about it. I would never ever purchase this software

Aspetti negativi:

Its impossible to run reliable reports, even their own support people can't tell me how to get the data I need out of their system. There is no easy way to expunge old records. They make it exceedingly difficult to get away from this company when your contract with them does expire. I have to clean up reports by hand every time I run them.

Streamlined Fundraising Support

Commenti: Etapestry has helped our small development department in big ways! It's ease of use was critical for staff who had not used professional fundraising systems before. They were able to get on and get started right away.

Aspetti positivi:

Dramatically cuts down administrative time with auto functions, which was essential for our small development team so that they can spend time on cultivation vs. wasting time updating spreadsheets and processing donations. Easy reporting and querying has enabled us to better assess our efforts and returns. Great donor tracking functions ensure things are slipping through the cracks. The auto reminders and calendaring are super helpful. The seamless integration with online giving was also a blessing.

Aspetti negativi:

The only con is that the online fundraising interface is a bit limited design-wise, without additional cost.

eTapestry - is it for you, without a rep?

Commenti: I can recommend - you have to decide and you management without a Lindsey

Aspetti positivi:

I like eTapestry but I have to confess that when I started at an organization using it I had the benefit of an assistant who knew the product inside and out and got me started almost immediately actively working with the software. It is intuitive so I only had to query my wonderful colleague, on occasion. I was excited at what was possible to accomplish (with some add-ons).

Aspetti negativi:

Again the confession: if I did not have rep on board would I have been able to be operating the system my first week. I had used similar products before and am not really a novice. I did reach out during that time to eTapestry for support but it was often slow enough that I figured everything out without their help

The best for smaller organizations

Aspetti positivi:

Such an easy interface to maneuver. It makes managing donors and tracking gifts as easy as possible, while maintaining an attractive interface. Customer support is cool because a primary function is for support to be given by other users, people who know the software and may have overcome struggles like you are enduring. It creates a community in the nonprofit sector.

Aspetti negativi:

It might be too simple for larger organizations, but it's functionality is just as applicable for larger groups as it would be for smaller! Customer support will get you through any hassle.

I still have to pay for their lousy contract even though I hate it and don't use it any more.

Commenti: I rarely write bad reviews but this product made my job miserable. Even as a nonprofit with limited funds, I chose to use another product just because I couldn't get eTapestry to do what I needed.

Aspetti positivi:

The price was reasonable and I had heard a little about it. I originally got it from Tech Soup and then it automatically went onto a 2 year contract.

Aspetti negativi:

I didn't realize that I was tied into a 2-year contract and even though I hated the product and stopped using it they continued to charge me for the next 18 months until the contract period ended. The product was cumbersome, not intuitive, and time-consuming, even to just put in a contact. I never could figure out how to generate reports, and had to call for help.

eTapestry is a very useful for successful fundraising

Aspetti positivi:

This software has the capability of reporting on so many things. From donor retention to volunteer hours, you can set up your own fields and track what is important to your organization.

Aspetti negativi:

It can be very challenging and tedious to learn how to queries and reports work. There are so many criteria that have to be set correctly to gather the information you need.

Great donor relations CRM with great flexibility and adaptability

Aspetti positivi:

eTapestry offers a first-rate, flexible CRM with every function necessary to create and manage the organization's connections. Coupled with great customer service, eTapestry offers a CRM that can be adapted and created specifically for any nonprofit organization. Offering both standardized and custom query options, eTapestry allows the user every opportunity to get to the information needed. Additionally, eTapestry offers tremendous system integration. Via forms and a QuickBooks connection, eTapestry integrates with your website and reduces unnecessary and redundant input.

Aspetti negativi:

While mass emailing components (Delivra) are less aesthetically pleasing "out of the box" than Constant Contact or other email marketing tools, eTapestry allows for Constant Contact integration if one would like to use that product instead. Additionally, CART functionality (the area where one can sell merchandise) needs to be updated to allow for greater customer flexibility and usability. eTapestry needs to allow its customers more creative license so that forms, etc. can be updated more quickly to match websites. These are ancillary issues that eTapestry is constantly working on.