Blackbaud AP Automation: 5 Software & Features Analyzed
Blackbaud offers accounting software, namely Financial Edge NXT. The product offers services in accounting such as:
- Automated bank and credit card reconciliation
- Automated budget and report creation
- Expense submission
Although Financial Edge offers a wide range of solutions in the field of accounting, it can be improved with native software add-ons like Pairsoft for AP automation.
See these native ERP plugins, their capabilities, case studies, along with the key features offered by Blackbaud:
5 Software for AP automation with Blackbaud
*The region and vendor information are extracted from Blackbaud marketplace.1
Blackbaud AP automation overview & features
Automating the accounts payable process is essential for sustaining ongoing finance automation. The 2023 Ardent Partners report indicates that 41% of businesses have prioritized AP automation in their upcoming plans. The report also emphasizes that 71% of AP leaders believe intelligent systems play a pivotal role in enhancing AP efficiency.
Blackbaud, founded in 2000, is one of the well-known solutions in this demanding market. The revenue of the company is currently ~900$ million.2 Blackbaud offers Financial Edge NXT for overall accounting solutions such as:
- Bank and credit card reconciliation
- Automated budget and report creation
- Financial activity and position monitoring
- Compliance & audit tracking and more.
Financial Edge NXT is a cloud-based financial management software designed for:
- nonprofit organizations
- educational institutions
- and other mission-driven entities.
It offers features in accounting, reporting, and compliance needs of these organizations. Key functionalities include:
- fund accounting
- grant management
- and financial reporting
Financial Edge NXT offers integration with other software, such as Blackbaud’s Raiser’s Edge NXT for fundraising. This allows automated data flow between fundraising and financial systems. Other worth-mentioning part of its offering includes customizable dashboards and reporting tools.
Native integration add-ons
In AP automation, vendors built numerous plugins for Blackbaud that can serve different needs and augment Blackbaud’s capabilities:
Sponsored: Native integration add-ons that is built specifically to work within the existing ERP system can enhance the functions of AP automation process. For instance, with Pairsoft, one of the examples of software that offers this integration, you can:
- establish connection through APIs that will allow you to build a workflow between different SaaS applications
- track changes on documents
- export query specific document data to excel
- scan invoices through your mobile phone with OCR
- make structured & unstructured searches
Additionally, PairSoft can connect to other ERP systems with the help of a universal ERP connector.
A Sample Case:
Challenge: The Federation manages donations and fundraisers for over 12,000 people. Staff spent too much time handling paper documents for accounting and pledges. Managing and finding files was slow and inefficient.
Solution: They used Blackbaud Financial Edge™ for accounting and The Raiser’s Edge for pledge management. Two years ago, they added PairSoft to scan, store, and archive documents digitally.
Result: Their office is now almost paperless. Employees save about five hours a week and even more time during audits. Storage needs dropped, and finding documents is faster and easier. The overall workflow is much smoother.3
Financial Edge NXT pricing
For the Financial Edge Nxt, Blackbaud only offers custom pricing.4 Blackbaud Financial Edge NXT offers a demo, but the product does not offer a free trial. According to secondary sources such as Capterra, the pricing of Financial Edge NXT is USD $0.01 per year.5
Financial Edge NXT Pros
Integration: variety of applications, including donor management tools like Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge, CRM systems, fundraising platforms, and various third-party solutions. It also connects with accounting and payment processing systems, such as QuickBooks and PayPal, as well as reporting tools like Microsoft Power BI. Additionally, it supports integrations with budgeting, compliance, and document management tools.
Designed for non-profit: The software is also designed for non-profit organizations.
Financial Edge NXT cons
Pricey: Financial Edge can seem pricey compared to other products.
Slow:The customer support can be slow, and the product itself can be buggy in use.
Analysis of 5 software
1- PaperSave by PairSoft
PaperSave offers native integration with Blackbaud’s CRM, Financial Edge NXT and Raiser’s Edge NXT.
PaperSave can extend Blackbaud’s AP automation with the following features:
- PaperSave as a document management solution allows you to store your documents in a cloud-based environment. The documents stored are automatically compliant; aligned with PCI and HIPPA regulations.
- PaperSave offers a mobile app. You can use OCR technology to capture documents through your mobile device.6
- Along with Blackbaud’s products, PaperSave offers integration Microsoft solutions such as Outlook and Office. This integration permits direct interaction with documents from your gift records, as well as through PaperSave’s mobile app and web application.
- PaperSave offers unstructured & structured search. You can search through record values and document contents similar to how you would use a search engine like Google. You can also formulate queries for record information and refine these search results.
Choose PaperSave for native integration and document management capabilities with Blackbaud.
2- Avidxchange
The following features offered by Avidxchange can enhance Blackbaud’s AP automation:
- With Avidxchange, you can use a variety of supplier payments options, including Mastercard.
- Avidxchange offers security by generating Positive Pay files for all check payments. You can process payment controls through electronic payment approvals.7
- Avidxchange’s AvidSuite has API integrations with Blackbaud. This means that the product can automatically sync the data between Financial Edge NXT and AvidSuite, including GL codes, suppliers, invoices.
3- Paymerang Invoice Automation
The integration capabilities of Paymerang are as follows:
- The product offers electronic audit trail
- Reconciliation is done automatically
- Automated G/L posting
- Self-service reporting8
4-EzeScan’s Automated Invoice Processing
EzeScan offers native integration with Blackbaud in AP automation. The following features can enhance AP automation in this integration:
- EzeScan supports a wide variety of output image formats, such as TIF, text-searchable PDF, and PDF/A. Users can scan and process an unlimited number of invoices.
- EzeScan’s File Approval Assistant offers a web-based interface for approving and processing documents.. It supports features such as multi-level approval/rejection comments and the addition of GL/Cost Centre coding and other metadata.
- EzeScan’S servers detect new files and send automated email notifications to workflow users. Users can click the URL in the email, view documents in their web browser and modify them.
5- SmartPO
SmartPO’s integration with Blackbaud’s in developing AP focused on PO creation & approval. The features offered are as follows:
- You can select Projects, GL Codes, T-Codes, and distribute each requisition line across multiple projects. Additionally, implement custom routing approvals for multi-level decision-making.
- SmartPO can facilitate the PO creation process in Blackbaud. You can create PO’s from requisitions in a single step. You can also control purchases. Users can optionally access vendor catalogs.
- SmartPO detects the mismatches between orders and receipts automatically. The product offers line matching and checks each line for correct pricing and compliance with contracts. Invoices with discrepancies are sent back to suppliers for corrections or adjustments.
5 things to consider when choosing solutions for Blackbaud AP automation
- Integration: Check how well the solution integrates with Blackbaud systems. Make sure that it can connect smoothly with existing tools and features used by Blackbaud users.
- Compliance with business rules: The solution should support the processes already in place for handling purchase orders and other financial documents.
- Security: Evaluate the security measures of the solution. It should guarantee that data transfers, storage, and access are secure.
- Functionality: Assess how the solution manages documents, including the creation, storage, and retrieval of purchase orders.
- User experience: Consider the user interface and usability of the solution.
- Support: Determine the level of support offered, including training for users and ongoing maintenance and updates.
Financial Edge NXT Case Studies
Community Health Center of Lubbock
Challenge: CHCL relies on grants for more than 60% of its funding. Managing these grants and tracking financial data was difficult and time-consuming.
Solution: The organization adopted Blackbaud Financial Edge NXT, a cloud-based financial management tool. Dashboards helped staff analyze data quickly, and the Visual Chart Organizer made grant coding more accurate.
Result: The finance team could access data remotely, which was vital during the COVID-19 pandemic. Financial operations became more efficient, reporting improved, and the organization saw a 25% increase in grant funding.9
Hunter Street Baptist Church
Challenge: The church needed a new accounting system quickly after their old vendor announced it would stop service, right before an audit. The team had to find and install a replacement fast while keeping operations running.
Solution: They partnered with Blackbaud and third-party experts to move to Financial Edge NXT in only three weeks. The system’s Expense Management and view-only reporting features simplified tasks for both financial and non-financial staff.
Result: Expense submissions became easier for 40–50 users. Staff outside the finance team could access reports on their own. The new setup saved time, improved accuracy, and increased accountability across departments.10
Morehead State University Foundation
Challenge: The Foundation needed a fund accounting system that worked smoothly with its existing tools. Manual data entry and repetitive tasks slowed down reporting and donor management.
Solution: They implemented Blackbaud Financial Edge NXT, which integrates directly with their other systems. This automation reduced manual work and made report creation faster and simpler.
Result: Reports that once took hours now generate in seconds. Integration with Raiser’s Edge NXT gives staff accurate fund information and helps strengthen relationships with donors through better transparency.11
Further reading
- Procurement Software Comparison, Testing & Benchmarking
- 5 AI Applications in Accounts Payable (AP) Processes
- Top 10 Kofax Alternatives/Competitors
- 14 Rossum AI Competitors/Alternatives
Reference Links
Cem's work has been cited by leading global publications including Business Insider, Forbes, Washington Post, global firms like Deloitte, HPE and NGOs like World Economic Forum and supranational organizations like European Commission. You can see more reputable companies and resources that referenced AIMultiple.
Throughout his career, Cem served as a tech consultant, tech buyer and tech entrepreneur. He advised enterprises on their technology decisions at McKinsey & Company and Altman Solon for more than a decade. He also published a McKinsey report on digitalization.
He led technology strategy and procurement of a telco while reporting to the CEO. He has also led commercial growth of deep tech company Hypatos that reached a 7 digit annual recurring revenue and a 9 digit valuation from 0 within 2 years. Cem's work in Hypatos was covered by leading technology publications like TechCrunch and Business Insider.
Cem regularly speaks at international technology conferences. He graduated from Bogazici University as a computer engineer and holds an MBA from Columbia Business School.
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