Every new tool comes with tradeoffs, and Blackbaud Insight Designer is no exception. For nonprofits looking for stronger reporting options in Raiser’s Edge NXT or Financial Edge NXT, this tool can be a big step forward. It can also be a little confusing at first.
In this post, we’ll walk through the pros, the cons, and a few common pitfalls to help you decide if Insight Designer is a fit for your team.
The Pros: Why People Love It
- Highly customizable: Build insights tailored for development, finance, or executive teams.
- Fast drill-downs: Move quickly from a high-level dashboard into a specific donor or transaction record.
- Drag-and-drop interface: No SQL or coding knowledge needed to create reports.
- Broad data access: Pull information from gifts and campaigns.
The Cons: What to Consider
- Additional cost: Insight Designer is not included with your standard Raiser’s Edge NXT subscription. Pricing is around $2,500 annually.
- May be too much for small teams: If you only need basic reporting, the built-in Dashboard Builder will probably cover your needs.
- Learning curve: The interface is friendly, but building complex reports takes time and practice.
- Custom fields are a sticking point: There’s no native way to include custom fields. Workarounds exist, but if your reporting relies heavily on custom fields this may not be the right solution.
- Occasional quirks: Some users have noticed tiles shifting or formatting changes when working with dashboards. Additionally, expect a two hour delay for data to refresh.
We hear a lot of questions from fundraisers and DBAs who are curious (or confused) about Insight Designer. Here are a few common ones:
Does Insight Designer replace Dashboard Builder?
No. Dashboard Builder is still where you create dashboards whether or not you have Insight Designer. Insight Designer is an add-on that lets you create custom insights inside Dashboard Builder.
Can I share reports with team members outside of Raiser’s Edge NXT?
Yes. You can generate a link that is password protected and share it with others.
Can I try Insight Designer before buying?
Yes. Many organizations can activate a free trial but always check your contract first.
Tips to Maximize Your Free Trial
If you’re starting a trial of Insight Designer, spend your time testing real use cases. That way you’ll know quickly whether it’s worth the investment.
- Try recreating reports your team already uses in Dashboard Builder or Excel. Once built, you can export an insight to Excel and share it with your team.
- Build a custom LYBUNT report or a dashboard to track major donor trends.
- Share your insights with team members and test the export options like PDF or Excel.
Keep in mind that you would need Insight Designer to build these custom reports. If you want to stay on the free side, explore the native insights already included with your subscription. Those can answer common questions like: How many donors gave this year? What’s the total revenue for a campaign? How many meetings have we logged?
When Insight Designer Doesn’t Make Sense
Despite its power, Insight Designer isn’t right for every organization. If your team only needs simple reports, or if you already use another reporting solution like Power BI or Tableau, you may not need to add another tool.
Stick with Dashboard Builder if:
- You only need basic gift summaries or performance snapshots.
- You’re short on time and resources.
- You’re not ready to pay for a new reporting subscription.
Before you make a decision, look at the standard reports in NXT and the basic tools in Dashboard Builder. In many cases these will meet your immediate needs. Just keep in mind that once your team starts using dashboards, they often ask for more detail. That’s when Insight Designer becomes necessary.
Coming Next: How to Build Your First Insight
Ready to dive in? Our next post will walk you through building your first Insight step by step. We’ll cover choosing the right layout, setting filters, and sharing reports with your stakeholders.
Did you miss Part #1 of our Insight Designer series? Read “What Is Insight Designer—And Why Should Every Fundraiser Care?” to get started!
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