Moving from Raiser’s Edge to Altru is rarely about fundraising alone. It usually happens because the organization sells tickets, runs a membership program, and has a gift shop or cafe. Keeping donors in one database and visitors in another got old. Altru puts admissions, memberships, donations, and constituent records in one place. That’s the whole point of the move, and it’s also why the conversion takes more planning than people expect.
This guide is for the person who will own the data afterward. It covers who actually does the conversion, what moves cleanly, what needs decisions, and how to keep the switch from breaking reporting.
Who does the conversion
You can’t export from Raiser’s Edge and import into Altru yourself in one pass. These are two different products built on different data models, and historical records like gifts, memberships, and relationships have to be mapped carefully. In practice, organizations work with Blackbaud on a conversion as part of the Altru implementation. Some also hire an outside consultant who knows both products.
Scope, pricing, and what’s included change over time and depend on your contract. Ask your Blackbaud account team directly:
- Which Raiser’s Edge version (RE 7 or RE NXT) the conversion supports, and what format they need the data in.
- Which record types are included: constituents, relationships, gifts, memberships, notes, actions, attributes.
- How many test conversions you get before the final one.
- Whether open pledges and recurring gifts move as live commitments or only as history.
Get the answers in writing. Most of the trouble later comes from something everyone assumed was in scope.
Clean up Raiser’s Edge before anything moves
A conversion copies your problems. Duplicates, old addresses, inconsistent name formats, and codes nobody uses anymore will all land in Altru and get mixed in with ticket buyers and members. That makes them harder to fix later. Do the cleanup on the RE side:
- Merge duplicates. Run a duplicate search and resolve it before you send the extract.
- Retire unused codes. Constituent codes, appeals, funds, and attributes pile up over the years. Decide which ones still mean something.
- Mark deceased and inactive records consistently so they come across with the right status and solicit codes.
- Standardize households. Altru uses households for things like family memberships, so get spouse and household relationships right first.
Map your data, field by field
This is where the real work happens. Build a spreadsheet with every RE field you use, where it should go in Altru, and who signed off on it. Some areas need particular care:
Gifts and fund structure
Raiser’s Edge organizes giving around campaigns, funds, and appeals. Altru has its own revenue structure, with designations and appeals tied to its general ledger setup. Agree with your finance office on how old fund codes should map before the conversion. Otherwise your year-over-year giving reports won’t line up.
Memberships
If you tracked memberships in Raiser’s Edge, decide which history matters: current terms only, or every past term. Membership history drives “member since” dates and lapsed-member outreach. Check that the levels you plan to set up in Altru actually match what RE recorded.
Custom fields and attributes
RE attributes are flexible, and most organizations have dozens of them. Each one needs a home in Altru or a decision to archive it. Don’t assume every attribute has an equivalent. Confirm how Altru will store each one during the test conversion.
Notes, actions, and soft credits
These are easy to forget and hard to rebuild. Major gift officers will notice right away if contact history or soft credits are gone. Put them on the scope list by name.
Test like you mean it
When the test conversion arrives, don’t just spot-check a few records. Pick 20 or 30 constituents you know well: a major donor, a long-time member household, a deceased spouse, a board member with complex relationships. Compare each one side by side in RE and Altru.
Then reconcile totals. Total giving by fiscal year, gift counts by fund, active member counts by level. If the numbers don’t match, find out why before you approve the final run. Some differences are expected, like excluded records or remapped funds, but you should be able to explain every one.
Plan the cutover
- Set a data freeze date in Raiser’s Edge. Anything entered after the final extract has to be keyed into Altru by hand, so keep that window short.
- Run your final reports in RE and save them: year-end giving, open pledges, current members. They’re your baseline if questions come up later.
- Keep RE read-only for a while if your license allows it, or export a full archive. Someone will need to look up an old record.
- Rebuild queries and reports in Altru before go-live, not after. Your board report and gift acknowledgment process need to work on day one.
- Train by role. Development staff need Altru’s constituent and revenue areas. Front desk staff need daily sales and memberships. Few people need everything.
Things that surprise people
- Altru is not Raiser’s Edge with ticketing added. Its fundraising tools are built for cultural organizations, not large campaign shops. If you rely on advanced prospect research or complex campaign tracking in RE, check how Altru handles it during your demo or sandbox time instead of finding out after the switch.
- Reports have to be rebuilt. RE reports and exports don’t carry over. Plan staff time to recreate the ones you actually use.
- Integrations change. Anything connected to RE, like online giving forms, email tools, or wealth screening, needs a new plan. List every integration early.
Quick answers
How long does a Raiser’s Edge to Altru conversion take?
It depends on data volume, how clean your RE database is, and how many test rounds you need. Ask Blackbaud for a timeline based on your record counts, and add time for your own testing.
Can we keep using Raiser’s Edge for fundraising and Altru for admissions?
Some organizations do, but then you’re back to two databases and duplicate constituents. Most switch to Altru because they want one record per person.
