Case Study: University of Ottawa Heart Institute Foundation boosts donor engagement and fundraising efficiency with Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT

Enhancing Current Fundraising Efforts While Paving the Way for Future Success

The University of Ottawa Heart Institute Foundation, which supports Canada’s leading heart health centre, faced two main challenges: an aging donor base and strained legacy servers as it prepared to scale a nationwide 30-day virtual fitness challenge, Jump In™. The team needed to modernize its fundraising technology and create a smoother, mobile-friendly experience to attract younger, tech-savvy donors while maintaining relationships with long-standing supporters.

The Foundation upgraded to Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT®, moving to cloud hosting and working with Blackbaud’s customer success team to implement embedded registration forms, automated alerts, donor photos, and centralized data workflows. The result was seamless registration and instant donor capture, higher operational efficiency for the small advancement team, reduced manual syncing across systems, and stronger readiness to engage new generations of supporters.

University of Ottawa Heart Institute Foundation

Erika Johnston

Program Manager of Digital Programs and Donor Experience