Case Study: Queen's University Belfast achieves seamless cloud migration and modernised fundraising with Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT

The university's seamless migration to cloud-based Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT

Queen’s University Belfast, a Russell Group research university, faced mounting IT and security challenges with its on‑premises Raiser’s Edge 7 system—three ageing servers, a two‑person database team overwhelmed by maintenance and nightly backups, and a risky recovery window if hardware failed. The need for reliable remote access during the COVID‑19 lockdown made moving off premises urgent.

QUB migrated to Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT in a carefully planned project using sandbox test runs and went live in January 2021 with minimal disruption. The cloud solution delivered secure remote access, reduced server maintenance and recovery risk, and enabled broader rollout across the university (including the Vice‑Chancellor’s Office), configurable departmental views, and easier integrations—supporting QUB’s five‑year technology and fundraising plans.

Queens University Belfast

Jonathan Doonan

Information and Supporter Services Manager