Blackbaud’s Annual Major Gift Will Encourage Workforce Development and Economic Empowerment by Championing Underrepresented Youth Around the World 

Blackbaud, the world’s leading cloud software company powering social good, announced it will focus its 2023 philanthropic efforts on supporting diversity, equity and inclusion in partnership with five global organizations in each of the regions where Blackbaud operates: Action for Race Equality in the U.K., Braven in the U.S., Indspire in Canada, the Omar Dengo Foundation in Costa Rica, and the Ladder Project Foundation in Australia.

Structured as a multi-year gift across these five organizations, Blackbaud’s investment seeks to feed global workforce development and economic empowerment by strengthening and diversifying representation and opening more paths to leadership for candidates from underrepresented backgrounds. In addition to supporting the organizations with a monetary donation, Blackbaud will facilitate opportunities for its employees to volunteer and engage with each organization, providing mentorship to youth around the world through things like career panels, resumé reviews, mock interviews and more.

“The success of our company is built on the foundation of the people that come to work for us every day, who bring their unique experiences, talents and perspectives to our organization,” said Mike Gianoni, president and CEO, Blackbaud. “We know that when the diversity of our workforce reflects the diversity of our customer organizations and the communities they serve, we are able to fuel greater impact in the world. As a socially responsible company, we’re committed to doing our part to contribute to a diverse global workforce that gives students everywhere a chance to succeed and thrive.”

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About the Organizations

Action for Race Equality
Action for Race Equality (ARE) is a national charity in the U.K. whose mission is to end racial inequality. ARE champions fairness, challenges discrimination and pioneers innovative solutions to empower Black, Asian and Mixed Heritage people through education, employment, and enterprise. ARE’s activities involve working with government, business, public services, Black and Asian-led organizations and the media. Blackbaud’s funding will specifically support ARE’s Routes2Success program, a long-running ethnic minority role model and mentoring program, for the benefit of children and young people ages 10–18 who live in London. Through the program, young people are provided with positive role models from similar backgrounds who support them with career advice, entrepreneurial skills, making positive choices and guidance to overcome obstacles.

Braven
Braven is a U.S. nonprofit organization that is helping college students on a path to economic mobility. Braven empowers promising, underrepresented college students with the skills, confidence, experiences and networks necessary to transition from college to strong first jobs which lead to meaningful careers and lives of impact. Blackbaud’s donation will support Braven’s ongoing mentoring and skills-building curriculum for Fellows, as well as mock interview events throughout the year. Braven operates on multiple college campuses nationwide and recently expanded to Spelman College, an all-women historically Black college. Braven Fellows have outpaced the national average for strong job attainment, both before and amid the pandemic. Within six months of graduation, 61% of Braven’s 2021 graduates either secured quality full-time jobs worthy of their bachelor’s degree or enrolled in graduate school, compared to 54% of all graduates and 46% of students from similar backgrounds.

Indspire
lndspire is an Indigenous national charity in Canada that invests in the education of First Nations, Inuit and Metis people for the long-term benefit of these individuals, their families and communities, and the country. lndspire serves First Nations, Inuit and Metis students in remote communities, rural areas and urban centers across Canada. lndspire disburses financial awards, delivers programs and shares resources with the goal of increasing graduation rates for Indigenous students. Blackbaud’s donation will support Indspire’s “Rivers to Success” program, which provides students with access to cultural resources, elders and Indigenous mentors, enabling them to prioritize their own development, seek out exciting opportunities and ultimately achieve success in their chosen fields—all while maintaining essential connections to their cultures and communities as they graduate and go on to become the leaders of tomorrow.

Omar Dengo Foundation
The Omar Dengo Foundation in Costa Rica is a private non-profit organization. Since 1987, the foundation has developed and executed national and regional projects in the fields of human development, educational innovation and digital technologies that respond to the current educational needs of the country. The foundation’s mission is to contribute to improving the quality and equity of learning opportunities, and its programs and projects have benefited hundreds of thousands of Costa Ricans and Latin Americans—among them children and youth, teachers, professionals, people from many different urban and rural communities, small business owners and senior citizens. Blackbaud’s donation will support training courses for young girls in Costa Rica to introduce them to science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM) subjects, including coding and computational thinking.

The Ladder Project Foundation
Ladder is a leader in youth mentoring and development, delivering specialist programs and vital opportunities to young people in need in communities across Australia. Ladder delivers programs to young people, ages 15 – 25, that improve outcomes across key life domains including community connection, health and wellbeing, independent living skills and education, employment and training. Blackbaud’s donation will enable Ladder to support underrepresented groups in their pursuit of employment and life-long success through the organization’s Step Up program in Victoria and Sydney. This multi-week, intensive program works closely with some of the most complex young people, in the most marginalized and socially disadvantaged communities in Australia. Approximately 80% of young people Ladder supports have complex needs, including mental health issues, and behavioral and social challenges, and 28% identify as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI).

Blackbaud’s Commitment
“We believe success can only be realized when our diverse perspectives and experiences are embraced,” said Margaret “Maggie” Driscoll, chief people and culture officer, Blackbaud. “Every person on our team makes us stronger and helps us deliver all we can for our customers, which is why we’re laser focused on supporting our people through benefits, wellbeing initiatives, employee networks and personal and professional development opportunities that create success for all. Through a multi-pronged approach of internal and external investment, we hope to truly move the needle for diversity, equity and inclusion—not just within our own company, but within society at large.”

This annual gift follows Blackbaud’s donations in previous years to Big Brothers Big Sisters, supporting college and career readiness for high-potential youth, as well as Project Drawdown, supporting climate solutions, advocacy and climate justice.

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