Blackbaud Merchant Services Review

Blackbaud Pricing

The Blackbaud terms and conditions reflect that the company charges a flat fee that they have branded OneRATE. The rate is determined by a multitude of factors, particularly what kind of non-profit organization a merchant operates as. Thought the flat-rate will vary, OneRATE ensures it is the same across different platforms (i.e. mobile, online, or in-store transactions), offering merchants greater transparency on pricing. ACH payments are charged a fee of $0.75 per transaction. According to the pricing schedule (found on page 3 of this whitepaper), there are no other monthly minimum fees, annual fees, setup fees, gateway fees, PCI compliance fees, batch fees, or long-term contracts.

Blackbaud’s promotional materials do not directly address whether the company charges an early termination fee, but a company representative has stated in the comment section of this review that users are free to cancel service without facing any termination penalties. This is also confirmed in the company’s contract terms and conditions.

Blackbaud also optimizes iPad based POS systems to facilitate payments through its all-in-one virtual terminal and payment gateway. This alleviates merchants of the cost of equipment leases as well as lowers processing costs by performing payment processing through the company’s own gateway as opposed to relying on a third party.

Affordable But Somewhat Restrictive

Blackbaud’s flat per-transaction rate alone is not especially competitive for the industry, as it is equivalent to most mid-qualified or non-qualified transactions. However, the fact that the company charges no other fees whatsoever for its processing service makes it an affordable option overall for most organizations. The overwhelming drawback cited by Blackbaud reviewers is the company’s rigid insistence on keeping organizations within its suite of software solutions, which limits charities’ ability to competitively shop for third-party donor relationship management, web hosting, analytics, marketing, and so on. For this reason, organizations will want to be sure that they are interested in all relevant Blackbaud software options before signing up for Blackbaud’s payment processing solution. Non-profits should also explore options offered by cheaper merchant account providers for the most competitive rates.

Low Complaint Volume

We are able to locate just over 10 negative reviews about Blackbaud, none of which accuse the company of being a ripoff or a scam. One very detailed negative review states that while Blackbaud is a very robust solution with many useful features and a strong sales staff, it is ultimately overpriced for the value it delivers and it also comes with a steep learning curve. This review is representative of most positive and negative Blackbaud reviews, with the consensus being that Blackbaud is a reliable all-in-one solution for moderately sized-to-large non-profit organizations. Very small charities or very large charities may find themselves frustrated with a lack of third-party support or expensive add-on features.

Blackbaud Lawsuits

In 2018, Blackbaud was sued by Mission Measurement Corporation in the Eastern Division of the United States District Court for the Northern Division of Illinois. The suit alleges that the company violated the Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016 by improperly using confidential information of the plaintiff’s designed at analyzing non-profit data. This matter is still pending a resolution.

Additionally, the company was sued in April of 2018 in the United States District Court’s Central District of California. The class-action suit, William Brown, et al v. Blackbaud, Inc. The defendants allege that components of contracts with Smart Tuition, a subsidiary of Blackbaud’s that provides student billing and payment processing platforms, contain language that unlawfully assesses late fees in violation of California’s Unfair Competition Law. This case is also pending a resolution at the time of this review.

Blackbaud Customer Support Options

Blackbaud offers a dedicated support phone number and chat support on its website, which appears to offer service levels comparable to top-rated credit card processors for customer service.

Low Complaint Volume

The Better Business Bureau currently assigns an “A+” rating to Blackbaud and does not show that the company is accredited. Blackbaud’s BBB profile has received 11 complaints in the past 36 months, as well as 4 which have been closed in the last 12 months. 6 complaints relate to billing or collection issues, 3 have to do with an advertising or sales problems, and 2 complaints concern a problem with a product or service. 3 complaints were fully resolved, though 1 has remained unanswered since January 2020. Blackbaud responded to the remaining 7 complaints on its BBB profile but did not receive a reply from the initial complainant.

What Merchants Say

In addition to those 10 complaints, Blackbaud has received 3 informal reviews on its BBB profile. All 3 reviews are negative, receiving 1 out of a possible 5 in each case. The most recent complaint details difficulties canceling the company’s services:

Working with this company can be very frustrating. Be careful before subscribing to their RE 7 Learn Everything. It is almost impossible to cancel and then they cut off support for all your other products for non-payment.

Merchants in situations like these can benefit of understanding how to cancel services without paying a fee or enacting other undesirable terms and conditions of their contract.

An “A” Rating

In light of this information, we agree with the BBB’s rating at this time, but merchants should be aware that there is cause to be skeptical of the BBB’s information.

No Sales Complaints

Since Blackbaud Merchant Services is an optional service within the Blackbaud suite of products, it is primarily marketed to interested or prospective Blackbaud customers. This means that the company does not utilize independent sales agents or engage in “hiring mill” policies that typically plague the credit card processing industry. As a result, we have found no Blackbaud complaints that accuse the company’s sales staff of misrepresentation or nondisclosure.

No Deceptive Advertising

The Blackbaud website does not disclose the pricing of many of its products and services, but it also does not promote any deceptive rates or fees. We will therefore award it an “A” in this category for the time being. If you suspect that Blackbaud is overcharging you, we recommend seeking a third-party statement audit to find and eliminate hidden fees.