Portal Settings

Before constituents can use the portal, an admin must configure settings in Tools, Settings, Portal settings.

Activate Portal

During initial setup, use the guided steps to configure and activate the portal. You don't have to complete all steps at one time.

  1. From Tools, Settings, select Portal settings.

  2. Under Activate Portal, select Begin setup.

  3. Under 1-Set support contact, select Enter contact information. Next, enter a name and email address or phone number for the person (or office) at your organization users should contact for help with the portal. Then select Save.

    Note: Contact information appears on the portal invitation, gift confirmation, and giving history.

  4. Under 2-Add branding, select Edit branding. Update the visual elements in the portal and authentication pages to match your organization's branding, such as the display name, logo images, and primary color.

  5. Under 3-Manage branded authentication, select Manage settings. Enter custom summary text and link to custom help content from the authentication pages.

  6. Under 4-Add privacy links, select Edit privacy links. Enter the URL to your organization's privacy policy. Next, enter the URL to a form hosted on your website where users can submit privacy related requests, such as to delete their accounts from your database. Both links appear at the bottom of all portal pages.

    Tip: For the link to the form, enter text to match the link name with the form’s page name on your website.

  7. Under 5-Claim URL and activate portal, select Finish setup

  8. Enter a unique subdomain for your portal's web address and select Continue.

    Warning: After activating your portal, you can't change the URL.

  9. Review each setting and then select Activate portal. A confirmation appears with your live URL.

After Activation

After you activate your portal, you can copy its URL to share through your website, email, or social media.

From Tools, Settings, select Portal settings. Under Portal URL, select Copy URL.

After you activate your portal, you can send email invitations to constituents asking them to create Blackbaud IDs to access the portal. Invitations help ensure user accounts are linked to the correct constituent records. When a constituent accepts the invitation, the account sign-up screen is prefilled with the first name, last name, and primary email address from their constituent record.

  1. From Tools, Settings, select Portal settings. Under Portal URL, select Send invitations.

  2. Enter the sender name, such as your organization, and email address to include on the message.

  3. Select an individual recipient or list.

  4. If you selected a list, choose whether to include constituents with pending or expired invitations.

  5. Select Send invitations. A confirmation message displays the number of invitations sent.

Note: If you prefer to send custom email messages or link to the portal from your website, you can use your portal URL to invite users. When a constituent accesses the portal URL for the first time, they're prompted to sign up for a Blackbaud ID.Raiser's Edge NXT uses the email address, first name, and last name from the Blackbaud ID to match them to a constituent record. If it finds a match, it links the Blackbaud ID to the constituent record automatically. If it doesn't find a match or finds multiple matches, the constituent receives an error and may need assistance to create their account. Use the user account activity log to troubleshoot Blackbaud ID issues. You can unlink a constituent's Blackbaud ID, if needed.

Tip: You can also send an invitation and monitor its status from a constituent's record, under Portal. For more information, see Portal Access.

To create a more familiar experience for users, you can customize visual elements in the portal — such as the display name, logos, and primary color — to match your organization's branding. You can also customize elements on the authentication pages where users sign in or sign up for a Blackbaud ID. Custom elements help constituent feel secure when using Blackbaud solutions.

Tip: Organization admins can also manage custom elements in Admin. For more information, see Branding.

Manage branding elements:

  1. From Tools, Settings, select Portal settings. Under Branding and customization, select Edit organization branding.

  2. In the Organization display name field, enter a display name for your organization.

  3. Under Logo, upload a primary logo for large images.

  4. Under Logo icon, upload a secondary logo for smaller images.

  5. Under Favicon, upload an icon to display in places such as browser tabs.

  6. Under Primary color, select a color to visually identify your organization.

  7. Select Save.

Manage branded authentication:

  1. From Tools, Settings, select Portal settings. Under Branding and customization, select Edit branded authentication.

  2. To create your summary, select Provide a custom summary on authentication pages and enter your custom text.

  3. To overwrite Blackbaud's default help link, select Link to custom help content from authentication pages and provide your URL.

  4. Under Other branding elements for authentication, a checklist indicates whether you defined other branding elements that appear on authentication pages. If necessary, return to Edit organization branding to define elements.

  5. Select Publish.

After you activate your portal, you can add or update contact information for the person or office at your organization users should contact for help with the portal. Contact information appears on the portal invitation, gift confirmation, and giving history.

  1. From Tools, Settings, select Portal settings.

  2. Under Support contact, select Set support contact.

  3. Enter the name of the person or office to contact, and their email address or phone number (or both).

  4. Select Save.

After the portal is active, you can add or update the privacy links that appear at the bottom of all pages including:

  • Your organization's privacy policy privacy.

  • A form hosted on your website where users can submit privacy related requests, such as to delete their accounts from your database.

  1. From Tools, Settings, select Portal settings.

  2. Under Branding and customization, select Edit privacy links.

  3. In the URL field under Privacy policy, enter the link to your organization's policy.

  4. In the URL field under Privacy requests, enter the link to your organization’s form. Then, in the Link label field, enter text to match the link name with the form’s page name on your website.

  5. Select Save.