Migrate Your Website From Blackbaud to WordPress

Blackbaud Luminate Online

Blackbaud Luminate Online is a comprehensive content management system that exclusively caters to nonprofits. It is known for its impressive range of marketing, event management, and communication tools.

However, compared to WordPress, it is one of the most costly solutions that only a handful of nonprofit organizations can afford. This is one of the many reasons why nonprofits should consider migrating their websites from Blackbaud Luminate Online to WordPress.

Cost

Blackbaud Luminate Online provides comprehensive marketing solutions to nonprofit organizations that can accommodate their asking price. In other words, this company does not have its sights set on nonprofits that are just starting out and looking for low-cost software. Each nonprofit that signs up with Luminate Online is quoted based on its unique needs.

For a more affordable alternative, WordPress is your best bet. You can manage and scale your website without having to pay any hefty fees. The upfront cost of starting a WordPress website is very low as you’ll just need to pay for hosting. You essentially get to decide how much you want to spend on a month-per-month basis.

Lots of WordPress website themes and plugins are free. But, if you want to level up your website as your nonprofit grows, you can opt for the premium versions and get more functions. With WordPress, you can rest assured in the knowledge that you will remain in full control of all your website expenses.

Customizability & Configuration

With Blackbaud Luminate Online, customizing your CMS and marketing arsenal is easy. The platform gives users an array of fundraising solutions. You can configure these to meet your nonprofit’s unique needs. However, this CMS was designed to meet the needs of complex organizations. So, if your nonprofit simply wants to send automated emails or accept donations online, then Luminate Online will probably over-exceed your needs.

Furthermore, if you want to fully customize your nonprofit website with Luminate Online, then you will need to hire a developer. It has a steep learning curve so it will be difficult to configure your website to your liking without an expert’s help.

With WordPress, however, you honestly get the best of both worlds. This CMS is known for its ease of use and customizing your website is no exception. Unlike many other CMS platforms on the market, you don’t need to know how to code to customize your WordPress website. Of course, you can write your own code if you want to, but WordPress’ drag-and-drop feature makes it completely optional.

With WordPress, you can tweak your nonprofit website to your heart’s content. You don’t need to hire a developer and you don’t need to spend hours learning how the platform works.

Integrations

For any nonprofit to be successful, it should be able to send data across numerous platforms without a hitch. It is for this reason that Blackbaud Luminate Online offers various integration options with other Blackbaud solutions, like Raiser’s Edge NXT.

You can also integrate your Luminate Online CMS with various third-party marketing tools and event management software. However, for everything to work seamlessly, you’ll likely need to consult with a nonprofit technology consultant to help you decide on which integrations you need.

If you are scarce on time and would prefer a CMS that effortlessly integrates third-party applications at just a click of a button, then WordPress would be a better fit for your nonprofit organization. This CMS offers roughly 60,000 free WordPress plugins on WordPress.org. Each plugin is easy to install and allows you to do just about anything. Whether you want to establish an online community, accept payments, or host an online event, with WordPress, you can.

Learning Curve

Blackbaud Luminate Online offers an extensive range of online marketing tools. These can all be integrated into your Luminate Online CMS. As such, it comes with a steep learning curve.

If you want to get fully acquainted with this platform’s unique range of tools and features, then you will have to put in the time. This means you’ll have less time left to focus on and grow your business. Or, you will need to hire someone else to manage, maintain, and customize your website.

The opposite is true when using WordPress. WordPress has an extremely intuitive interface and requires no knowledge of any coding language to customize your website. Moreover, it boasts a very supportive online community.

Help is just around the corner should you have any difficulty with your site. If you prefer to use a CMS that is easy to understand and that won’t take up all your time trying to master it, then WordPress is the way to go.

Ready to Migrate?

Blackbaud Luminate Online offers extensive solutions to nonprofits that are already established and financially secure. WordPress does exactly the same at a fraction of the price. In addition, it can support the website needs of both new and established nonprofit organizations alike. If you are ready to migrate your website to WordPress, don’t hesitate to contact WordHerd.

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