How to connect to the Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT API

Apideck enables you to build a native integration with Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT. This guide explains how to configure the "Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT" connector to access constituent data, organizations, and gift records through the unified CRM API.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have the following:

A Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT subscription with API access
Administrative access to your Blackbaud environment
An Apideck account

Enable the Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT connector in Apideck

In Apideck, go to Configuration > CRM API and enable Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT in the list of connectors.

Setting up OAuth credentials in Blackbaud

1. Access the Blackbaud Developer Portal

Navigate to the Blackbaud Developer Portal
Sign in with your Blackbaud ID credentials
If you don't have a Blackbaud ID, create one using your organization's email address

Blackbaud Developer Portal Login

2. Create a new application

In the developer portal, click "My Applications" in the navigation menu
Click the "+ New application" button
Fill in your application details:
- Application Name: Enter a meaningful name (e.g., "Your Company CRM Integration") as it will be displayed to users when they authorize your application.
- Application Details: Provide a brief description of your integration
- Which team owns this application?: Select the team that will be responsible for the application.
- Publisher: This should be your company name.
- Application logo: Upload the logo of your application.
- Application website URL: Enter the website URL of your application.
- Click on "Save" button.

Create Blackbaud Application

3. Set up Redirect URI

In your application settings, navigate to the "Redirect URIs" tab
Add the redirect URI of your application. This is the default redirect URI for Apideck. https://unify.apideck.com/vault/callback
Click on "Save" button.

Set up Redirect URI

4. Configure API permissions

After creating your application, you need to request access to the necessary APIs:

In your application settings, navigate to the "Scopes" tab and click on "Edit scopes" button.
Request access to the following APIs:
- read - Read access to constituent and gift data
- write - Write access for creating/updating records (if approved)
- Click on "Save" button.

Request API Access

Note: API access requests may require approval from Blackbaud and can take 1-3 business days to process.

5. Obtain your OAuth credentials

Once your application is approved and API access is granted:

Go to your application's "Credentials" tab
Copy the Application ID (Client ID)
Copy the Primary application secret (Client Secret)

Blackbaud OAuth Credentials

💡 TIP: Keep these credentials secure and never share them publicly. The Application Secret should be treated as a password.

For obtaining the Subscription Key, go to your developer account and click on "My subscriptions" tab. Then copy the Subscription Key (Primary access key).

Configure the connector in Apideck

Now that you have your Blackbaud credentials, configure the integration in Apideck:

Go to Apideck > Configuration > CRM > Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT
Enter your OAuth credentials:
- Client ID: Enter your Application ID from Blackbaud
- Client Secret: Enter your Application Secret from Blackbaud
- Subscription Key: Enter your Blackbaud SKY API Subscription Key from your developer account
Review the default scopes (these should match your approved API access):
- read - Read access to constituent and gift data
- write - Write access for creating/updating records (if approved)
Click "Save settings" to save your credentials

Your Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT connector is now configured and ready for use.

Connecting your Blackbaud account

1. Test the connection through Vault

Navigate to Apideck Vault
Create a test session or use an existing consumer
Find Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT in the available connections
Click "Connect" to initiate the OAuth flow

2. Authorize the connection

You'll be redirected to Blackbaud's authorization page
Sign in with your Blackbaud ID if prompted
Review the permissions requested by your application
Click "Authorize" to grant access

Blackbaud Authorization

3. Verify the connection

After successful authorization, you'll be redirected back to Vault with a confirmed connection status.

Understanding the data structure

The Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT connector provides access to three main resource types:

Contacts (Individual Constituents)

Endpoint: /crm/contacts
Data includes: Names, email addresses, phone numbers, addresses, constituent codes
Blackbaud source: Individual constituent records

Companies (Organization Constituents)

Endpoint: /crm/companies
Data includes: Organization names, contact information, websites, notes
Blackbaud source: Organization constituent records

Opportunities (Gift Records)

Endpoint: /crm/opportunities
Data includes: Gift amounts, dates, campaigns, funds, appeal information
Blackbaud source: Gift and pledge records

Do your first API call to the CRM API

Test your integration by making a call to retrieve contacts:


curl --location --request GET 'https://unify.apideck.com/crm/contacts' \
--header 'x-apideck-consumer-id: test-consumer' \
--header 'x-apideck-app-id: {APIDECK_APP_ID}' \
--header 'x-apideck-service-id: blackbaud-raisers-edge-nxt' \
--header 'Authorization: Bearer {APIDECK_API_KEY}' \
--header 'Content-Type: application/json'

Example response:


{
  "status_code": 200,
  "status": "OK",
  "data": [
    {
      "id": "280",
      "name": "John Smith",
      "first_name": "John",
      "last_name": "Smith",
      "emails": [
        {
          "email": "john.smith@example.com",
          "type": "primary"
        }
      ],
      "phone_numbers": [
        {
          "number": "+1-555-123-4567",
          "type": "home"
        }
      ],
      "addresses": [
        {
          "line1": "123 Main Street",
          "city": "New York",
          "state": "NY",
          "postal_code": "10001",
          "country": "US",
          "type": "primary"
        }
      ],
      "updated_at": "2024-01-15T14:22:00Z",
      "created_at": "2023-01-15T10:30:00Z"
    }
  ]
}

Available operations

The Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT connector supports the following operations:

Contacts

✅ List contacts - Retrieve all individual constituents
✅ Get contact - Retrieve a specific individual constituent
❌ Create contact - Not supported (read-only API)
❌ Update contact - Not supported (read-only API)
❌ Delete contact - Not supported (read-only API)

Companies

✅ List companies - Retrieve all organization constituents
✅ Get company - Retrieve a specific organization constituent
❌ Create company - Not supported (read-only API)
❌ Update company - Not supported (read-only API)
❌ Delete company - Not supported (read-only API)

Opportunities

✅ List opportunities - Retrieve all gift records
✅ Get opportunity - Retrieve a specific gift record
❌ Create opportunity - Not supported (read-only API)
❌ Update opportunity - Not supported (read-only API)
❌ Delete opportunity - Not supported (read-only API)

Troubleshooting

Common issues and solutions

Issue: "Invalid client credentials" error

Solution: Verify that you've copied the correct Application ID and Application Secret from your Blackbaud application settings.

Issue: "Insufficient permissions" error

Solution: Ensure your application has been granted access to the necessary SKY APIs (Constituent, Gift, Fundraising) in the Blackbaud Developer Portal.

Issue: "Application not approved" error

Solution: Check the status of your API access requests in the Blackbaud Developer Portal. Contact Blackbaud support if approval is taking longer than expected.

Issue: No data returned from API calls

Solution: Verify that your Blackbaud environment contains the expected data and that your user account has appropriate permissions to access constituent and gift information.

Rate limiting

The Blackbaud SKY API has rate limits to ensure system stability:

Default limit: 5,000 requests per hour per application
Burst limit: 100 requests per minute

If you exceed these limits, you'll receive a 429 Too Many Requests response. Implement appropriate retry logic with exponential backoff in your application.

Data synchronization considerations

Real-time updates: The connector provides near real-time access to your Blackbaud data
Caching: Consider implementing caching strategies for frequently accessed data to reduce API calls
Pagination: Large datasets are paginated with a default limit of 100 records per page (maximum 500)

Start building with the Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT API

Now that your Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT connector is configured:

Explore the unified CRM API: Learn about all available endpoints in the Apideck CRM API documentation
Build your integration: Use the unified API to build features like:
- Constituent data synchronization
- Donation tracking and reporting
- Campaign performance analytics
- Donor segmentation and targeting
Test thoroughly: Use Apideck's testing tools to validate your integration before going live
Monitor usage: Keep track of your API usage and performance through the Apideck dashboard

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