We are a group of users of Blackbaud products and are not affiliated with Blackbaud. We'd love to have you join our community to help and be helped in getting the most from your Blackbaud software.
Register now to join us to get independant advice on your system, connect with 3rd party consultants to help you maximize your database and have a real alternative to the official Blackbaud website.
We had our User's Group here in Portland on Friday. I unfortunately was only able to attend half of the first hour of breakout sessions because I had to leave early, but I will say that I found the morning presentation to be VERY beneficial. Don't know if you'd get the same presentation or not, but ours was on preparing your database for e-philanthropy. I got a lot out of it beyond that, though - I learned about pivot reports, which were brand new to me, as well as a few tips and tricks that I either hadn't picked up before, or had and had forgotten. Molly Maple was our presenter, she's great. We've had her before and I always enjoy her presentations.
Since I missed the afternoon, I didn't get to hear what this year's sales pitch is about.
__________________ Karen Warr
Development Associate
LifeWorks NW
Portland, Oregon
karenw AT lifeworksnw DOT org
Peter, I agree with what you are saying about letting them know. I (and at least several others that I am aware of) have voiced this same concern at the last meeting I attended. Not sure I believe that they would change their agenda, on the fly but you could be right.
If I decide not to attend, I will certainly give a full explanation as to why I backed out. Still thinking about this and will make my decision sometime later today. It’s an effort to go to Chicago (1 ¾ hour on train) so I want to make it worthwhile.
To clarify, I have found the user groups to be well organized and professionally run and think they have been beneficial, having attended them on several occasions in Florida, Milwaukee and Chicago but I definitely have seen a shift in how the time is allocated.
BTW . . . I did not mean to imply that I do not find the main presentation informative. It usually is a “hot” topic. It’s all the little side sales pitches that I don’t enjoy and think waste my time.
Also, It is unlikely that my account rep will be there, as they have never attended one in Chicago that I was at (I think Milwaukee and Chicago are considered different markets, not sure) and to be honest, my rep has changed several times in this last year, that I’m not even sure who that is. I have never felt that I had any kind of relationship with an account rep beyond asking the occasional question. Not complaining just stating a fact.
Also, It is unlikely that my account rep will be there, as they have never attended one in Chicago that I was at (I think Milwaukee and Chicago are considered different markets, not sure) and to be honest, my rep has changed several times in this last year, that I’m not even sure who that is. I have never felt that I had any kind of relationship with an account rep beyond asking the occasional question. Not complaining just stating a fact.
I guess it depends on your organization, but we do not have a regional rep. Our new account rep, since January, leads a team for all Boys & Girls Clubs across America.
__________________ Michael J. Sherman
Database Administrator Sarasota Orchestra (name change 9/3/08)
The new Florida West Coast Symphony
I was a little disappointed to see the agenda. I still consider myself new to RE and am itching to get any kind of information. If it comes with a little sales pitch so be it. This will be my first user's group and will give me at least a base line to compare other ones to if I am granted permission to go again.
If the sales pitch are too much I would definately reconsider attending again. I agree with Denise in the fact that it is a bit of an effort to get down there. Lynn and I will be driving down on Sunday just to beat the traffic.
__________________ Katherine Spitler Development Resource Coordinator Columbia St. Mary's Foundation
"To err is human, but to really foul things up you need a computer." Paul Ehrlich.
Okay, I am not trying to jump to conclusions but is anybody else disappointed in the agenda that was sent out today. [ . . . ]
I don't know about anyone else, but that is the main reason I attend user groups, is to connect with other users, not for the sales pitches disguised as presentations.
At my last job, the users organized and ran the regional user group meetings. The vendor wasn't even present at many of the meetings. I found those to be very helpful. It does mean getting someone to volunteer to run things.
Drew
__________________ J. Drew Allen
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Crystal Reports and SQL Server Consultant
It is better to live your destiny imperfectly than to live an imitation of somebody else's life with perfection.
My philosophy on the User Group meeting is this: A day away from work is a great day no matter how boring the day. Go and enjoy yourself and eat all the free food you can and take all the freebies that they give you and by all means forget about work for that day.
It was good...I got a lot of good tips that I didn't know about...and even the sales push at the end about NetCommunity was pretty informative...and besides we got out at 2:30....hour and half early on a beautiful Chicago day....
Overall it was pretty good
__________________ Kitri Steigerwald Donor Relations Specialist American Dental Association Foundation Chicago, IL www.adafoundation.org
I would have to agree with Kitri. I did get a lot out of it. We skipped the NetCommunity part. It was great to hear how others were using the different modules.
I was a little bummed that I did not get a chance to meet Kitri there. But there were tons of people there. More than I had expected.
__________________ Katherine Spitler Development Resource Coordinator Columbia St. Mary's Foundation
"To err is human, but to really foul things up you need a computer." Paul Ehrlich.
Well, we (the foundation and I) are debating about hosting a users forum here. But I don't know, there were a lot of people there and I don't know if the ADA itself would like to host somewhere else in the building like the executive's offices....YEAH RIGHT....but again we are still thinking about it....
__________________ Kitri Steigerwald Donor Relations Specialist American Dental Association Foundation Chicago, IL www.adafoundation.org
At my last job, the users organized and ran the regional user group meetings. The vendor wasn't even present at many of the meetings. I found those to be very helpful. It does mean getting someone to volunteer to run things.
I think that if you run regular regional user group meetings you do them on your own but BB usually likes to come occasionally and most definitely if there has never been one in your area or not in a long time they liek to come. If you can get the group organized enough you can set your own schedule and agenda.
In CT we have a consultant/trainig facility that runs quartely user group meetings for $10 over breakfast. It moves around the state and is hosted each time by a different NPO. I think BB is never (or hardly there).
I think that it is nice to have someone organizing it like that AND the vendor benefits because they get advertising and contacts. The vendor is simply there as an attendee to share knowledge, however, and there are NO sales pitches.
Ok so this conversation is old. Yeah I know, however the Chicago User's Group is on Tuesday, March 18 2008. I was wondering is anyone else going to the user's group?
and on a side note: what happened to witch...no I didn't just notice she was missing...I just saw some of her comments..
Anyways, any one up to a meeting...
K
__________________ Kitri Steigerwald Donor Relations Specialist American Dental Association Foundation Chicago, IL www.adafoundation.org
Katherine Spitler
