Burgan Advancement Consulting
Burgan Advancement Consulting specializes in Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT® consulting and advancement strategy. I help schools and small-to-mid-sized nonprofits overcome common fundraising challenges, such as donor engagement and database management, by aligning strategy with day-to-day operations. From optimizing databases to streamlining processes, my goal is to ensure your team works efficiently and effectively. With a blend of big-picture vision and practical solutions, I partner with you to build sustainable growth and lasting donor relationships.
A holistic approach to fundraising that aligns every part of advancement so development teams of any size work smarter, not harder.
Harness donor databases to unlock insights and drive decisions that lead to measurable, lasting fundraising results.
Mission-driven fundraising that keeps people at the center—because authentic relationships build stronger, more sustainable support.
Strategy
A holistic approach to fundraising that aligns every part of advancement so development teams of any size work smarter, not harder.
data
Using donor databases to unlock insights and drive decisions that lead to measurable, lasting fundraising results.
heart
Mission-driven fundraising that keeps people at the center—because authentic relationships build stronger, more sustainable support.
Services
Burgan Advancement Consulting partners with schools and small-to-mid-sized nonprofits to strengthen every aspect of advancement work through tailored solutions. I specialize in optimizing Raiser’s Edge NXT databases and streamlining advancement operations. I provide practical, customized solutions that help your team save time, reduce stress, and raise more support.In-person consulting services are available within a 60-mile radius of Somerville, New Jersey. For the most part, staff training and consulting services can be conducted remotely. On-site temporary and fractional staffing coverage requests are assessed on an individual basis.
Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT Consulting
With 14 years of experience and multiple Blackbaud certifications, I help organizations get the most out of Raiser’s Edge NXT. From audits and cleanups to training and integrations, I’ll ensure your system supports—not hinders—your fundraising goals, giving you confidence in your technology investments.
Burgan Advancement Consulting is an official member of the Blackbaud Partner Network.
Database assessments, audits, and cleanups
Custom dashboards created with Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT® Insight Designer
Systems preparation for integrations of Blackbaud Financial Edge NXT® and Blackbaud Education Management Solutions®
Customized staff training on Raiser’s Edge NXT
Temporary and long-term database management services
Gift entry, acknowledgement, and reconciliation audits
Creation of Policy and procedure manuals
Workflow mapping and documentation
Advancement Strategies
Whether you’re a small shop seeking a realistic, executable plan to meet annual goals or a mid-sized organization ready to reinvigorate your annual giving, Burgan Advancement Consulting provides the tools and expertise you need to succeed.
Giving Day campaign consulting and planning
Portfolio review and prospect generation for major gifts officers
Annual giving strategic plans
Data-driven prospect identification
Moves management plans
Comprehensive stewardship plans
About Burgan Advancement Consulting
Mallory Burgan, CFRE, bCRE-Pro
With over 15 years of experience in advancement and development, I have partnered with organizations to grow donor pipelines, reimagine annual campaigns, and optimize data systems, resulting in increased fundraising success and stronger donor relationships. I understand the challenges that nonprofits face when balancing ambitious goals with limited resources, and I bring a practical, solutions-oriented approach to every project.I have previously held professional fundraising roles in advancement services, annual giving, grant writing, and community outreach at the Lancaster Symphony Orchestra, the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, and Friends Select School. When I’m not working, you’ll find me in the garden or curled up with a cat (or two), making progress on my Goodreads challenge.
Ansel Adams, Office Manager
Ansel has been part of Burgan Advancement Consulting since its inception and plays an integral role in greeting visitors and promoting a healthy work environment. When he is not working, he enjoys gazing out the window at the garden, and soliciting belly rubs from any willing party.
Raiser's Edge NXT Consulting Services
Database Assessments, Audits, and Cleanups
How does a Raiser's Edge NXT audit improve data integrity?
A Raiser's Edge NXT audit identifies data silos, duplicate records, and inconsistent table structures to restore a single source of truth. This process ensures your advancement team can rely on accurate reporting and streamlined outreach for more effective fundraising, building trust in your data integrity.
The Audit and Cleanup Process:
System Discovery: A comprehensive scan of your current environment to identify orphaned data and disconnected silos.
Stakeholder Discovery: Conducting staff interviews and workflow shadowing to understand how your team interacts with the database, focusing on the manual workarounds and pain points that automated audits might miss.
Coding Audit: Reviewing your Table Entries, Attributes/Special Codes, and Custom Fields to identify and eliminate redundant or conflicting categories.
Strategic Remediation: Executing bulk cleanups and merging records while preserving historical giving data.
Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs): Establishing new data entry protocols to maintain clean and trustworthy records moving forward.
Custom Dashboards with Insight Designer
How do custom Insight Designer dashboards improve board reporting?
Custom dashboards move beyond static reports by providing real-time visualizations of the specific Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that matter to leadership. I design intuitive, dynamic displays within Raiser's Edge NXT to help your team monitor donor pipelines, campaign progress, and year-over-year growth at a glance, empowering your decision-making.
Key Deliverables for Dashboard Projects:
KPI Discovery: Identifying the core metrics (e.g., retention rates, major gift officer activity, or gift bands) that drive your strategic goals.
Insight Creation: Building custom Insights using measures and attributes that standard NXT reports often overlook.
Board-Ready Visuals: Organizing data into drag-and-drop layouts that are easy for non-technical leadership to interpret.
Automated Distribution: Setting up scheduled reporting so stakeholders receive updates without manual effort from your staff.
Financial Edge NXT® Integration Prep
What is required to link Raiser's Edge NXT with Financial Edge NXT?
Successful integration requires aligning your Chart of Accounts and mapping data between fundraising and finance. I specialize in the preparation needed on the Raiser's Edge NXT side to ensure a seamless flow of information, reducing manual reconciliation and cross-departmental friction, and fostering confidence in your systems.
The Integration Readiness Roadmap:
Chart of Accounts (CoA) Alignment: Reviewing your GL distributions to ensure they match your finance office's structure.
Project & Fund Mapping: Defining how NXT Funds, Campaigns, and Appeals translate into FE NXT Projects and Grants.
Blackbaud ID (BBID) Audit: Ensuring all cross-departmental users have the correct permissions and security groups.
Data Validation: Testing the "Post to GL" process to identify issues and fix errors before they reach your general ledger.
Education Management Solutions® Integration Prep
How do Raiser's Edge NXT and Blackbaud Education Management work together?
Integrating these systems links parent, student, and alumni data through the Common Records Engine (CORE). I manage the data preparation required to ensure that information flows accurately from enrollment through to long-term advancement and stewardship.
The CORE Integration Roadmap:
Persona Mapping: Defining how Student, Parent, and Alumni constituencies are identified and updated across both platforms.
Relationship Linkage: Ensuring that Head of Household and familial relationships in the Education Management side translate correctly to Constituent relationships in Raiser's Edge NXT.
Biographical Sync: Establishing protocols for address, email, and phone number updates to prevent data fragmentation.
Alumni Transition Planning: Automating the process of moving graduating students into the Alumni Constituent status within your database.
Constituent Record Completion: Identifying the remaining information that needs to be added to newly created records imported from CORE and documenting a process to import additional fields.
Customized Staff Training
Why is tailored Raiser's Edge NXT training better than generic courses?
Tailored training focuses on your organization's unique business rules and specific workflows rather than generic features. Whether transitioning staff to the Web View or onboarding new hires, I empower your team to use the software with precision and confidence.
Training Session Highlights:
Workflow-Specific Tutorials: Training tailored to your gift entry or prospect management cycles.
Web View Adoption: Helping veteran Database View users master the modern NXT interface.
Custom Reference Guides: Providing clear and easy-to-reference documents with your organization's unique data entry standards.
Database Management and Gift Audits
How do gift entry and reconciliation audits protect nonprofit data?
These audits analyze the gift-processing lifecycle to identify bottlenecks and ensure 100% accuracy between development and finance. I focus on tightening the window between when the gift is received and when the donor is thanked, while establishing clear reconciliation protocols.
Audit Focus Areas:
Acknowledgement Speed: Reducing the turnaround time for tax receipts and personal thank-you notes.
Reconciliation Trails: Creating a clear "paper trail" from your payment gateway to your bank statement.
Database Oversight: Providing continuity during staff transitions to ensure your development operations never miss a beat.
Policies, Procedures, and Workflow Mapping
Why does a Raiser's Edge NXT procedure manual protect institutional memory?
A comprehensive manual outlines exactly how your database should be used, protecting your data from "decay" when staff leave. I visualize and document your internal processes to identify redundancies and streamline staff effort.
What's Included in the Documentation:
Business Rule Definition: Clearly defined standards for Records and Tables in Raiser's Edge NXT
Visual Workflow Maps: Flowcharts that illustrate how data moves through the entire donor lifecycle, from identification to stewardship.
SOP Documentation: Step-by-step instructions for recurring tasks like monthly reconciliation or mailing list pulls.
Resources
Articles
Why Fundraisers Need AI's Logic, Not Just Its Copywriting
Why Fundraisers Need AI's Logic, Not Just Its Copywriting
By Mallory Burgan
An earlier version of this article was originally published on LinkedIn on October 15, 2025.
For the past two years, the conversation around Artificial Intelligence (AI) in philanthropy has been dominated by one use case: content generation. We’ve seen countless companies focused on offering software with Generative AI’s ability to draft a thank-you note, rewrite a case for support, or spit out a set of social media captions. This focus, while valid, has created a narrow vision of AI's potential within the industry, causing many fundraising professionals to overlook key uses for AI in the nonprofit sector.The future of AI in fundraising isn’t about outsourcing the art of the ask. People give to people, right? The future of AI in fundraising is about accelerating the science of administration and strategy.
Generative AI (GenAI), in its most powerful forms (such as in large language models like ChatGPT, Google Gemini, or Claude), is not just a word processor on steroids; it is a logic engine, a data interpreter, and a coding assistant. When fundraisers leverage it for these tasks that aren’t focused on copy-generation, they move beyond basic time-saving and unlock deep productivity gains, ultimately dedicating more time to higher-value activitiesBelow is a roadmap outlining the strategic, administrative, and technical functions —along with a few warnings sprinkled in—where Generative AI can be a true game-changer.
Data Transformation and Administration
The annual grind of reporting and planning often requires time-consuming, repetitive data manipulation. This is where GenAI’s ability to interpret human logic and apply it at scale shines.
Advanced Spreadsheet Logic and Date Wrangling
A common challenge in annual planning is updating cyclical data, such as moving a historical event calendar forward a year or generating a new timeline for the next fiscal cycle. This requires changing dates while adhering to complex business logic (e.g., "the second Monday of the month," or "not on a bank holiday").The Fundraiser’s Prompt: "I have a column of dates from a 2025 event schedule. Generate a new column of dates for 2026. All dates must be moved forward exactly one year, except for any date that falls on a Saturday or Sunday, or any US federal holiday in 2026. For those dates, shift the event to the preceding Friday."The Result: The AI instantly generates the logic, providing a clean list of corrected, holiday-and-weekend-free dates, saving hours of manual calendar cross-checking and formula creation.
Data Cleansing and Enrichment
Advancement services professionals know that data integrity is the bedrock of good fundraising. Missing data points—like a five-digit zip code instead of the required ZIP+4, or a blank state or country field—can halt a crucial direct mail merge or skew segmentation.While specialized predictive AI and enrichment services exist, they can be costly, and many nonprofits can’t access them. A free GenAI chatbot (like ChatGPT) can handle basic, high-volume cleansing tasks on structured data (e.g., CSV, delimited text).Standardization: Use the AI to check for and correct common errors, such as standardizing "St." to "Street," or transforming inconsistent state abbreviations ("Calif," "Cal") into "CA."Missing Field Suggestion: For a list of addresses missing state or country, prompt the AI to use its knowledge base to suggest the likely value based on the city and zip code data provided.
Analysis, Profiles, and Planning
Generative AI excels at synthesizing vast amounts of information and structuring complex ideas into actionable plans. This moves GenAI squarely into the realm of high-level strategy and Moves Management.
Analyzing Data Sets for Narrative & Trends
When you export a report of annual giving trends, it can contain hundreds of rows of raw numbers. GenAI can act as a data interpreter, turning metrics into a narrative for a board meeting or a summary for your Executive Director.The Fundraiser’s Prompt: "Here is a CSV file of our last five years of annual fund data, segmented by donor age group and channel. Identify the three most significant trends, explain the potential reasons for the 15% drop in Gen X giving via direct mail, and suggest two actionable strategies to address it."The Result: Instead of just a table, you get an executive summary that highlights correlations, explains anomalies, and provides a clear, high-level interpretation of the data, accelerating the process of translating data into decisions.⚠️ Before giving any data to any AI bot, make sure to remove any identifying donor information. Adopt a data sanitization workflow and use synthetic IDs that you can then match back with your constituent records later.
Brainstorming Campaigns and Segment Testing
Creative fatigue is real. When preparing for the next year's campaign cycle, GenAI can serve as an infinitely patient brainstorming partner for concepts that go beyond simple copy:Campaign Concepts: "Generate three unique fundraising campaign themes for a university with a focus on student financial aid, using a tone that appeals specifically to alumni who graduated in the 1990s."A/B Test Variables: "For a monthly giving acquisition email, generate five pairs of A/B test variables that focus on the Call-to-Action button text and the subject line, avoiding any mention of the organization's name."
Creating Succinct Donor Profiles and Strategy Briefs
Frontline fundraisers can spend hours preparing for a meeting with a principal prospect. GenAI can quickly distill hundreds of pages of prospect research into an essential briefing document.The Fundraiser’s Prompt: "Synthesize the following 10-page prospect research report, the donor's giving history (provided below), and a recent news article about their company's new initiative (link provided) into a single, succinct donor profile for our Executive Director. The profile must be less than 200 words and include: The suggested ask amount and purpose, two personal interests to reference, and one relationship connection within our board."
Drafting Moves Management Plans
Instead of manually crafting the next steps for a portfolio of 50 donors, you can feed a table of data and ask the AI to suggest a personalized moves management plan for each individual donor. This kind of complex request requires a slightly more complex prompt than the examples I’ve given above. A best practice is to use specific requests and guidance for your plan’s actions, and request exactly how you would like the plan formatted."Analyze the following data table (50 rows) containing prospect information. Based on the data provided, generate a customized, 5-step Moves Management plan for each of the 50 prospects, adhering to the following rules and structure:1. Goal: The final step must be either 'Solicitation' (if Capacity is $50K+ and Last Action was 'Cultivation' or earlier) or 'Deep Stewardship' (if Last Action was 'Proposal Sent' or 'Gift Acknowledged').2. Steps: Each plan must contain exactly five distinct steps3. Personalization: The suggested moves must directly address the information found in the Last Contact Report Summary and be tailored to the prospect's Stated Interest/Program Area. For example, if the contact report noted a specific hesitation, the first Move should aim to resolve that concern.4. Timeline Constraint: Assign a recommended completion timeline to each step (e.g., 'Within 2 Weeks,' '30-60 Days,' or 'Q4'). Use a shorter timeline for prospects with high Giving Capacity or who have recently been in contact.Present the results in a structured table with the following columns. Use the 'Suggested Move' column to be specific, actionable, and address the Contact Report detail.Prospect Name
Start Stage (From Input)
Goal Stage (Solicitation/Stewardship)
Step 1: Suggested Move
Step 1: Suggested Timeline
Step 2: Suggested Move
Step 2: Suggested Timeline
Step 3: Suggested Move
Step 3: Suggested Timeline
Step 4: Suggested Move
Step 4: Suggested Timeline
Step 5: Suggested Move
Step 5: Suggested Timeline
Total Time spent in plan"
Automation and Low-Code Assistance
For Advancement Services and operations staff working with tools like Blackbaud's The Raiser's Edge, or for any fundraiser looking to automate simple workflows, GenAI is a powerful coding assistant that removes the need for specialized IT knowledge.
Assisting with Low-Code Programs (Google AppsScript & Microsoft Power Automate)
Low-code platforms like Google Apps Script (used in Google Sheets/Forms) or Microsoft Power Automate (for connecting apps like SharePoint, Excel, and Outlook) are essential for bridging data gaps between systems. However, they require basic scripting.The Fundraiser’s Prompt: "Write a Google Apps Script that, every Monday at 9 AM, checks a specific column in a Google Sheet for the word 'PENDING,' and if found, sends an email alert to the user [email protected] with the content of the entire row. Include comments explaining how to set the trigger."The AI is capable of generating the functional, commented script in seconds, allowing the fundraiser to implement robust automation without hiring a developer. This allows for tasks like automatically sending a confirmation email when a donor's record is marked "Acknowledged" in a spreadsheet, or moving a task to "Complete" in a project management tool like Trello when a gift is posted to RE.⚠️ You will rarely get a fully functional script in the first return of your prompt, but I would encourage you to continue refining your script within the AI chat. Feed it back any error messages you receive, and it will adjust the code accordingly, and sometimes even offer improvements you not present in your original prompt.
Embracing AI
The most successful fundraising professionals in the coming decade will be those who move past the fear of AI and embrace it not as a replacement for human work, but as the ultimate operational partner.By offloading the mechanical, rule-based burdens of data cleanup, strategic planning synthesis, and low-code scripting, Generative AI frees up the most critical human asset: your time. Time to meet donors, connect passion to purpose, and build the authentic relationships that no algorithm can ever replicate.The real return on investment in AI is not a perfectly worded email; it is the time saved that is poured back into the mission. Start small, refine your prompts, and watch your workday transform.
A Brief Note on the Environmental Impacts of AI
I am aware that AI's energy consumption is a flashpoint topic right now. While I have not addressed it in this article, I plan to write a dedicated piece on it in the future. For those interested in the environmental impacts, I encourage you to read MIT Technology Review's comprehensive coverage: Power Hungry: AI and our energy future.
Generative AI was used to generate the cover image and help brainstorm and structure this article.Image: "I’m not worried about AI taking my job. I’m worried about having to train the AI that takes my job."Note: Image generated using Google Gemini through an iterative process. The final prompt was "Make a cartoon image in the style of New Yorker cartoons with this as the caption: 'I’m not worried about AI taking my job. I’m worried about having to train the AI that takes my job.", refining earlier versions for better composition. Google, Gemini, 2025.
Mallory Burgan, CFRE, bCRE-Pro
With over 15 years of experience in advancement and development, I have partnered with organizations to grow donor pipelines, reimagine annual campaigns, and optimize data systems. I understand the challenges that nonprofits face when balancing ambitious goals with limited resources, and I bring a practical, solutions-oriented approach to every project.I believe when nonprofits have the right tools and strategies in place, they can expand their reach and deepen their impact.
Technical Expertise and Systems Architecture
The Blackbaud K–12 Ecosystem
Blackbaud Education Management Solutions® (Core)
Expert in "One Record" architecture, managing foundational data flow between Admissions, Academics, and AdvancementBlackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT®
Full-lifecycle database administration, including gift processing, constituent management, and advanced query/reportingBlackbaud Financial Edge NXT® Strategic oversight of the General Ledger (GL) to Sub-Ledger relationship, ensuring seamless reconciliation between Development and the Business Office
Advanced Reporting & Data Visualization
Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT® Insight Designer
Architecting custom, real-time dashboards for leadership and Board-level reportingBlackbaud ResearchPoint® Integrating wealth screening data for proactive prospect management and moves management strategy
Professional Certifications
Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE)
Blackbaud Certified® Expert
Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT® Professional Certification
Blackbaud Financial Edge NXT® Fundamentals Certification
ResearchPoint™ Fundamentals Certification
Organizational Best Practices Fundraising Certification
Fundraising Experience
Director of Advancement Services | Friends Select School
Led day-to-day operations for development, alumni relations, and database management for a premier K-12 institution.
Systems Integration: Orchestrated the full synchronization of Blackbaud products (Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT®, Blackbaud Education Management Solutions®, Blackbaud Financial Edge NXT®) to create a unified data ecosystem.Database Overhaul: Reconstructed campaign and appeal structures within Raiser’s Edge NXT to simplify gift recording and financial reconciliation.Strategic Oversight: Developed multi-channel message mapping (email, social, direct mail) and managed the annual departmental master calendar via project management platforms.Prospect Management: Optimized major gifts pipeline, utilizing DonorSearch and ResearchPoint to identify and strategize moves management for new prospects.
Associate Director of Development | Historical Society of Pennsylvania
Managed a team of five and served as the primary liaison between Development and Finance/Operations.
Revenue Growth: Increased net gala revenue by 74% and direct mail revenue by 73% over a six-year tenure.Program Innovation: Founded the Young Friends Board, resulting in a 574% revenue increase for the program.Compliance & Workflow: Partnered with the CFO and Audit Committee to overhaul gift processing protocols, ensuring 100% adherence to compliance standards.Systems Integration: Oversaw systems integration of Raiser’s Edge NXT and Financial Edge NXT.
Director of Community Engagement and Grants | Lancaster Symphony Orchestra
Grant Success: Secured contributions from corporate, foundation, and federal sources.Program Design: Envisioned and launched the "Sound Discovery" community engagement programs to expand organizational reach.
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