Guide To Using Raisers Edge

Tour of R.E. Processing Registrations Setting up R.E. for the First Time

Tour of Raiser’s Edge

If you have not yet set up Raiser’s Edge, please see “Setting up Raiser’s Edge for the First Time” below.

Log in

Go to https://renxt.blackbaud.com. Input the username and password provided to you by the Island Registrar. You will be prompted to enter the code for 2-factor authentication – either a text to your phone or in your authenticator app.

Home Screen

There is a lot to Raiser’s Edge, but all that you have to concern yourself with as an Island Registrar are the items on the “Quick Links” list on the right side of your home screen.

From here you can access the “The Participant List is where you will process and edit registrations (Raiser’s Edge calls conferees “Participants”). You can also Export the information included all registrations to an Excel spreadsheet from here.

Participant List

This is a list of all registered individuals for your conference.

The viewable data on this screen includes:

  • Name – From their main record in our database. Let the Island Registrar know if any corrections are needed.
  • RSVP Status – This field is kept up to day by you! (see “how to process registrations” below). RSVP status indicates the current state of an individual’s registration. Registrants are automatically labeled “Attending”. Other options you can use are Waitlist and Cancel.
  • Participation Level – Used to categorize roles for sorting and billing purposes. Most people should be categorized as “Conferee”.
  • Guest Of/Host of – When two or more people register on the same registration form, one is considered the “host” registrant and the others are considered the “guest of” the host. This allows us to group conferees together for billing purposes.

Clicking the ellipses (…) next to any conferee’s name will give you options to edit their registration.

Edit Participant Screen

After clicking the ellipses next to a participant, choose “Edit”. From this screen you can change the following:

  • Participation Level – You will use this field to indicate the person’s role in the conference (more on that in “processing registrations” below).
  • RSVP Status – You will use this field to track cancellations and the wait list (more on that in “processing registrations” below).
  • Invitation Status – Not used.

Manage Participant Options Screen

After clicking the ellipses next to a participant, choose “Manage Participant Options”. On this screen you will find the questions and answers from the registration form. This data is live and easy to change by accident. be careful when adjusting attribute questions to avoid losing registration data.

Registration Report

On the Participant List screen you can create a report that contains all the data from each conferee’s registration for your conference. You can export this report to Excel by clicking “Export”. You can use that export for various helpful purposes like making name tag lists, helping with housing assignments, figuring out children’s program classes etc.

How to process registrations

Check registrations regularly, at least once per week. Using the Participant List screen, edit on any new registrants who have not been assigned a Participation Level by clicking the ellipses next to their name. Reach out to registrants with questions or unclear information on their registration (such as arrival/departure plans for COGs, minor medical release forms for youth attending without parents etc.)

Edit Screen

Participation Level

Participation levels will be automatically assigned for anyone registering as a regular adult or youth conferee. You only need to adjust it if their participation level changes (i.e. they change to a COG or staff).
Registrants using the Staff/Speaker/MOW option will come in with a blank participation level. On the Edit screen, select the appropriate choice from the drop-down menu to assign their participation level.

  • Use “Ages 18+” (or other age range as appropriate) for regular conferees.
  • Use COG for anyone coming and/or going at a different time than the conference (Conference Overnight Guests).
  • Use MOW for your minister of the week.
  • Use Staff for any conferees for whom the conference will be paying some or all of their room and board.

RSVP Status

Select the appropriate status from the drop-down menu. This should be updated anytime a status changes. They all begin initially as “Attending”. If you hear of any cancellations, mark them as Cancelled and let the Island Registrar know so a refund can be issued.

Manage Participant Options Screen

If a registrant contacts you to ask to change something on their registration (such as roommate preference, dietary restrictions) you can make those changes on the Manage Participant Options screen. You can change the answers that came into the system from the registration form, but once altered, you can not access the original answer. This is also where you can add arrival and departure information for Conference Overnight Guests (COGs).

Acceptance/Completing the Registration

To complete your processing of the registration, click the ellipses next to their name, choose “Mark Attended”, and send them a Welcome Email. If there are any registrants you cannot accept, talk to the Island Registrar about next steps.

You’re done!

Setting up Raiser’s Edge for the first time

Setting up your account

Follow the link in the invitation email sent to you by Blackbaud (if you are a gmail user, this may have landed in your “updates” folder).

Login using your email address. Confirm using the code you are sent in your email.

Create a password that meets the criteria (you may want to use the password sent to you by the Island Registrar so that your Blackbaud and Raiser’s Edge passwords are the same).

You will then be prompted to set up a form of multifactor authentication. Choose SMS message (unless you prefer to use an authenticator app).

The recovery code page is not important – you can disregard.
You can disregard the next screen as well. Follow this link to the Raiser’s Edge Page: https://renxt.blackbaud.com. Bookmark this link – this is where you will go to access Raiser’s Edge from now on.

Setting up the Participant List Screen

From your Raiser’s Edge Home Page, click the link for your conference’s Participant List.

    1. Click “columns” button
    2. Start fresh by clicking “Clear all”
    1. Check off:
      • RSVP Status
      • Contact summary
      • Fees
      • Participation Level
      • Constituent ID
      • Name Tag
    1. Next check off all columns described as “Custom information your organization tracks about this participant”. There will be roughly 18 of these (each conference differs depending on what is being asked on the registration form).
  1. Click “Apply changes” and you’re all set up!

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