If you have already integrated your Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT account, you've completed the first step towards being able to activate your Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT data in your Feathr marketing efforts. The next step is to map the data you'll be syncing from Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT, so that it has a home in Feathr.
Before Mapping
The most important step in syncing data between two platforms is knowing exactly which data you intend to sync, and why. Syncing everything from Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT to Feathr just because you can will not necessarily help you reach your marketing goals, but choosing strategic data fields for a specific reason will.
For example, you may collect your constituents' middle names in your Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT account. Will that be useful in your marketing efforts? Perhaps, or perhaps not. If not, there is no need to create a field in Feathr for middle name. The field fundraiser status, however, might help you segment your marketing, and therefore should be added in Feathr.
Once you have decided which fields you will map from Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT to Feathr (full list of available fiedls to map below), you may need to make custom fields in Feathr to contain that data. This is because Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT has default fields that Feathr does not. Creating custom fields in Feathr is easy, however. Just follow the instructions in this article.
How to Map Data Fields
Persons/Constituents
Once you've completed the integration process, you'll be led to the mapping list. Note the tabs indicating Persons/Constituents and Activities/Actions.
Mapping fields is simple, especially if you have chosen ahead of time which Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT fields you'd like to map, and created the necessary corresponding custom fields in Feathr.
Start by clicking + Add Mapping. This brings up a modal where you will choose which Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT fields you will sync to Feathr.
Choose as many as you'd like, then click Add.
The next step is to select one by one which Feathr field the Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT data will sync to. To do this, click each dropdown on the right side of the page and select the corresponding Feathr field. Pro tip: you can type in the name of the field you're looking for to narrow the options in the dropdown. Clicking the name of the Feathr field will add it to your mapping.
Activities/Actions
The other available tab in the mapping options is Activities/Actions. This is not a user-customizable mapping; you can simply turn the sync on or off, depending on your need to map data stored under Gifts in Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT to Gift Activity fields in Feathr.
When you switch the Sync on, the following custom fields are automatically created in Feathr:
- gift date
- gift value
- gift ID
- fund ID
- fund name/description
- campaign ID
- campaign name/description
- appeal ID
- appeal name/description
- split gift type
- split gift subtype
- split gift ID
These five fields then begin syncing when data is added or updated under the category Gifts in Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT.
Mapping Options
A wide selection (listed below) of both categories of data can be mapped and synced between Feathr and Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT.
Constituent fields:
- additional emails
- address
- age
- birth date
- consecutive years given
- constituent codes
- constituent ID
- date added
- date modified
- date of first gift
- date of last gift
- deceased
- deceased date
- first gift amount
- first name
- former name
- full name
- fundraiser status
- gender
- gives anonymously
- greatest gift amount
- inactive
- last gift amount
- last name
- lookup ID
- marital status
- middle name
- phone
- preferred name
- primary addressee
- primary email
- primary salutation
- solicit codes
- suffix
- suffix (secondary)
- title
- title (secondary)
- total giving
- total years giving
type
Gifts (see Activities/Actions above for more):
- gift date
- gift value
- gift ID
- fund ID
- fund name/description
- campaign ID
- campaign name/description
- appeal ID
- appeal name/description
- split gift type
- split gift subtype
- split gift ID
Sync Details
The integration is notified any time data in a synced field is added or updated. Please allow 30-60 minutes for synced data to be visible in Feathr. This occurs on a rolling basis. The integration is forward-looking only. This means only data added or updated after the integration is connected will be synced.
There are options to disconnect or pause the integration. When the integration is paused, data sync will "catch up" when the integration is resumed. However, if you disconnect the integration, you must re-connect from the beginning if you'd like to integrate the platforms again.
Syncing Historical Data
It is important to note that Feathr's integration with Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT is forward looking only. This means that only mapped data that is created or changed after the integration is connected will be automatically synced from Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT to Feathr.
To get the most value out of syncing data between both platforms, Feathr strongly recommends a one-time manual import of Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT data into Feathr.
Note: During the initial import, please ensure that the "System ID" field in Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT is mapped to Feathr's "External ID" field. This prevents duplication and data errors.
To sync data between the two platforms that was created or edited prior to connecting the integration, you will need to export that data from Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT and manually import it into Feathr with the appropriate columns mapped to the fields you created for Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT. Learn more about manual imports here.
Here are quick steps to accomplish this:
- Choose which data fields you intend to map from Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT to Feathr (you've probably already done this in the Before Mapping step above).
- Export those fields from Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT into a spreadsheet. Here is an article from Blackbaud's knowledge base that will help.
- Format that spreadsheet to correspond to Feathr import standards (field name in the first cell of each column, with data from that field filling the remainder of the column)
- Import and map it into Feathr.
Deleting Mapped Fields
If you need to delete any individual mappings without disconnecting or pausing the integration, click the trash can icon on that field's line. This will prevent future data from that field from being mapped, but will not delete the Feathr custom field you may have created for that mapping.
Additional Details
The "controlling" field for any constituent data to be added to Feathr is email. That means constituent records are differentiated by the existence of a unique email address on that record. Because of this, an email address is required for Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT data to be synced with Feathr. Any data belonging to a constituent record that does not contain an email address will not be added to Feathr.
If a Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT constituent record contains multiple emails, only the primary email is mapped. If the record contains no primary email, the first listed email address in the record is mapped to the Feathr email field.