{"id":27140,"date":"2025-03-21T10:36:53","date_gmt":"2025-03-21T14:36:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/?post_type=customer-story&#038;p=27140"},"modified":"2025-09-16T12:07:25","modified_gmt":"2025-09-16T16:07:25","slug":"evangelical-lutheran-church-in-america","status":"publish","type":"customer-story","link":"https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/customer-stories\/evangelical-lutheran-church-in-america","title":{"rendered":"Evangelical Lutheran Church in America"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<section class=\"hero hero--customer-story\" id=\"hero--customer-story-block_8b2019d077a225945fdecafa64645565\">\n    <div class=\"hero--customer-story__container has-image\">\n        <div class=\"hero--customer-story__container-diamonds d-none d-md-block\">\n            <div class=\"diamond-top__gradient\"><\/div>\n            <div class=\"diamond-top__green\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n        <div class=\"container\">\n            <div class=\"row\">\n                <div class=\"col-9 col-lg\">\n                    <ul class=\"breadcrumbs list-unstyled\">\n    <li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\"><i class=\"fa fa-home\"><\/i><\/a><\/li>\n            <li><a href=\"\/customer-stories\">Customer Stories<\/a><\/li>\n            <\/ul>                <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n            <div class=\"row\">\n                <div class=\"col-md-5\">\n                    <div class=\"hero--customer-story__container-content\">\n                        <p><span class=\"green-eyebrow\">Evangelical Lutheran Church in America<\/span><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"h2\">ELCA&#8217;s Strategic Shift to Blackbaud Cloud Operations Enhances Mission and Engagement<\/h1>\n                    <\/div>\n                                            <div class=\"hero--customer-story__container-download\">\n                            <a href=\"https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Customer-Story-ELCA-Final_1.pdf\" target=\"_blank\"><i class=\"fa-solid fa-arrow-down-to-bracket\"><\/i> Download PDF<\/a>\n                        <\/div>\n                                    <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n                            <div class=\"hero--customer-story__container-image\">\n                        <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1639\" src=\"https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/20241027_Dwelling_3121_edit-scaled.jpg\" class=\"img-fluid wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/20241027_Dwelling_3121_edit-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/20241027_Dwelling_3121_edit-300x192.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/20241027_Dwelling_3121_edit-1024x656.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/20241027_Dwelling_3121_edit-768x492.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/20241027_Dwelling_3121_edit-1536x984.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/20241027_Dwelling_3121_edit-2048x1311.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/>                    <\/div>\n                    <\/div>\n    <div class=\"hero--customer-story__vertical-region\">\n        <div class=\"hero--customer-story__vertical-region-diamonds\">\n            <div class=\"diamond-bottom__gradient\"><\/div>\n            <div class=\"diamond-bottom__blue\"><\/div>\n            <div class=\"diamond-bottom__white\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n        <div class=\"container\">\n            <div class=\"row\">\n                <div class=\"col-12 d-md-flex\">\n                                        <div class=\"hero--customer-story__vertical-region__vertical\">\n                                                    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"80\" height=\"80\" src=\"https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/faith-communities-spotlight-40@2x.png\" class=\"img-fluid wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>                            <span class=\"tag\">\n                                Faith Communities                            <\/span>\n                                                <\/div>\n                                                                <div class=\"hero--customer-story__vertical-region__region\">\n                        <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" fill=\"none\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><g stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" stroke-width=\"2\" clip-path=\"url(#map-pin)\"><path d=\"M12 14a3 3 0 1 0 0-6 3 3 0 0 0 0 6Z\"\/><path d=\"M17.657 16.657 13.414 20.9a2 2 0 0 1-2.827 0l-4.244-4.243a8 8 0 1 1 11.314 0v0Z\"\/><\/g><defs><clipPath id=\"map-pin\"><path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M0 0h24v24H0z\"\/><\/clipPath><\/defs><\/svg>                                                    <span class=\"tag\">\n                                North America                            <\/span>\n                                                <\/div>\n                                    <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n<section class=\"customer-story-single__content\" id=\"customer-story-single__content-block_172f65c6da1f0fd5b04947acfed3003d\">\n    <div class=\"container\">\n        <div class=\"row flex-column-reverse flex-md-row\">\n            <div class=\"col-md-7\">\n                <div class=\"acf-innerblocks-container\">\n<section class=\"lede-quote\" id=\"lede-quote-block_16ab64ba8d01a27635f897641481eca1\">\n                        <div class=\"longform-content-lede-quote__content\">\n                <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"longform-content-lede-quote__content__image\" src=\"https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/blackbaud-blocks\/blocks\/acf-longform-lede-quote\/\/img\/quote-rectangle.svg\" alt=\"quotes\">\n                <p class=\"body-large\"><span class=\"blue-highlight\">The technical effort required for updates has been reduced by moving to Blackbaud Enterprise Fundraising CRM + Blackbaud Cloud Operations,<\/span> and we\u2019ve been able to allow staff to focus on more strategic work. Additionally, the cloud transition allows us to integrate Blackbaud Enterprise Fundraising CRM better with other systems, facilitating data exchange and improving engagement activities.<\/p>\n            <\/div>\n                            <div class=\"longform-content-lede-quote__name\">\n                Jonathan Beyer, Executive for Information Technology &#038; Digital Solutions            <\/div>\n                            <div class=\"longform-content-lede-quote__organization\">\n                Evangelical Lutheran Church in America            <\/div>\n            <\/section>\n\n<section class=\"lede-paragraph\" id=\"lede-paragraph-block_968cc673053f65a6c31e5550359d3408\">\n    <div class=\"lede-paragraph__heading\">\n        <span class=\"tag\">\n            OVERVIEW        <\/span>\n    <\/div>\n    <p class=\"body-large\">\n        The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with nearly 2.8 million members in more than 8,500 worshiping communities across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. To improve upon its mission-centric operations and enhance its digital infrastructure, the ELCA migrated from on-premises installation of Blackbaud Enterprise Fundraising CRM\u2122 to Blackbaud Cloud Operations.    <\/p>\n    <\/section>\n\n\n<section class=\"wysiwyg wysiwyg-white white-bg\" id=\"wysiwyg-block_6bbb1c4066e3228f7cb421b0f5033928\">\n            <p class=\"body-medium\">The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America was an early adopter of Blackbaud Enterprise Fundraising CRM, managing its data on-premises since 2009. However, as the world evolved and the COVID-19 pandemic further reshaped the way organizations operate, the ELCA found itself re-evaluating its infrastructure. Its once-active data center in Chicago was now largely empty, and the economics of maintaining it no longer made sense.<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-medium\">\u201cThe main decision to move to Blackbaud Enterprise Fundraising CRM + Blackbaud Cloud Operations was driven by economic factors and the need to focus on our mission rather than managing infrastructure,\u201d said Jonathan Beyer, executive for information technology &amp; digital solutions. \u201cBy making this move, we\u2019ve saved significant costs on infrastructure management and disaster recovery.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-medium\">Security was another critical factor in their decision. Included in Blackbaud Enterprise Fundraising CRM + Blackbaud Cloud Operations, the ELCA\u2019s donor data is protected with field-level database encryption and transparent data encryption at rest. This feature, along with other security enhancements, provides peace of mind to the church and other stakeholders.<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-27151 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Stats-1-300x190.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"253\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Stats-1-300x190.png 300w, https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Stats-1.png 586w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"h3\">Reducing Errors, Saving Time<\/h2>\n<p class=\"body-medium\">This transition also aligned with the organization&#8217;s auditors&#8217; focus on third-party risk management, ensuring that sensitive information managed by third parties is adequately protected. The ELCA is able to offload the responsibility of maintaining and upgrading their infrastructure, including operating systems and SQL versions.<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-medium\">\u201cWe had about 15 servers in our Blackbaud Enterprise Fundraising CRM environment, with four or five being SQL servers,\u201d said Beyer. \u201cUpgrades to servers and databases take weeks to plan and execute, but now that we\u2019re on Blackbaud Enterprise Fundraising CRM + Blackbaud Cloud Operations, we don&#8217;t have to do any of that work, resulting in a 100% time savings.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-medium\">Another significant benefit realized was the reduction in the technical effort required for system upgrades. For example, the first service pack upgrade post-implementation required only two technologists compared to the extensive effort previously needed from IT staff.\u00a0 By reducing the technical overhead and time to maintain\/upgrade on-premise servers, databases and technology, the future CRM service packs, upgrades and improvement releases will reduce IT time by 50%, to allow focus on ensuring the custom CRM integrations are functional.<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-medium\">Additionally, the church no longer needed to replicate its CRM environment for disaster recovery, as redundancy was built into the hosting. \u201cThe technical effort required for updates has been reduced by moving to Blackbaud Enterprise Fundraising CRM + Blackbaud Cloud Operations, and we\u2019ve been able to allow staff to focus on more strategic work,\u201d said Beyer. \u201cAdditionally, the cloud transition allows us to integrate Blackbaud Enterprise Fundraising CRM better with other systems, facilitating data exchange and improving engagement activities.\u201d<\/p>\n    <\/section>\n\n<section class=\"pull-quote pull-quote__top-bottom white-bg\" id=\"pull-quote-block_00dcebfef4f62da198e9fd8d6b7d8af2\">\n    <div class=\"pull-quote__wrapper\">\n                <div class=\"pull-quote__wrapper-content\">\n            <div class=\"pull-quote__wrapper-quote\">\n                <h4 class=\"h5\">\u201cWe had about 15 servers in our Blackbaud Enterprise Fundraising CRM environment, with four or five being SQL servers. Upgrades to servers and databases take weeks to plan and execute, but now that we\u2019re on Blackbaud Enterprise Fundraising CRM + Blackbaud Cloud Operations, we don&#8217;t have to do any of that work, resulting in a 100% time savings.\u201d<\/h4>\n            <\/div>\n            <div class=\"pull-quote__wrapper-name\">\n                 Jonathan Beyer            <\/div>\n                            <div class=\"pull-quote__wrapper-role\">\n                    Executive for Information Technology &#038; Digital Solutions                <\/div>\n                                        <div class=\"pull-quote__wrapper-organization\">\n                    Evangelical Lutheran Church in America                <\/div>\n                    <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    <\/section>\n\n\n<section class=\"wysiwyg wysiwyg-white white-bg\" id=\"wysiwyg-block_d41155a10781e9dceb5db3f8f68c2b96\">\n            <div class=\"container\">\n            <div class=\"row\">\n                <div class=\"col-12\">\n                    <h2 class=\"h3\">Integrating a Future in the Cloud<\/h2>\n<p class=\"body-medium\">With Blackbaud Enterprise Fundraising CRM + Blackbaud Cloud Operations, the ELCA plans to integrate it more effectively with other systems, such as its data lake, financial system, experience management\/survey solution, digital engagement platform, and granting environment. This integration will enable better data exchange and provide a comprehensive view of their engagement activities.<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-medium\">Now in the cloud, the ELCA can take advantage of new features and capabilities, such as SKY API, to enhance engagement activities and better adapt to new innovations. As the church looks to the future, their strategic plan focuses on engaging new, young, and diverse individuals. Blackbaud Enterprise Fundraising CRM + Blackbaud Cloud Operations sits at the center of this strategy and will allow them to integrate better with other systems, facilitating more effective engagement and interaction with their constituents.<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-medium\">\u201cBlackbaud Enterprise Fundraising CRM + Blackbaud Cloud Operations was a strategic move that has not only improved our technical and financial efficiency but also positioned us to better fulfill our mission and engage with our community,\u201d said Beyer. \u201cThe future is promising as we continue to integrate and adopt new features, ensuring we remain at the forefront of innovation and security.\u201d<\/p>\n                <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/section>\n<\/div>\n                            <\/div>\n            <div class=\"col-md-5 col-lg-4 offset-lg-1\">\n                                <div class=\"customer-story-single__sidebar has-image\">\n                                            <div class=\"customer-story-single__sidebar-logo\">\n                            <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"250\" height=\"250\" src=\"https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/elca_250x250.png\" class=\"img-fluid\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/elca_250x250.png 250w, https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/elca_250x250-150x150.png 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" \/>                        <\/div>\n                                        <div class=\"customer-story-single__sidebar-content\">\n                        <h5>Evangelical Lutheran Church in America<\/h5>\n                                                                            <h6>Powered by<\/h6>\n                            <div class=\"customer-story-single__sidebar-products\">\n                                <ul class=\"list-unstyled\">\n                                                                                <li>\n                                                <a class=\"cta-text-arrow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/products\/blackbaud-crm\">\n                                                    Blackbaud Enterprise Fundraising CRM                                                <\/a>\n                                            <\/li>\n                                                                        <\/ul>\n                            <\/div>\n                                            <\/div>\n                                                        <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n<section class=\"related-customer-stories white-bg\" id=\"related-customer-stories-block_63d54c7a042d1cdcd0b748d07fdf7711\">\n    <div class=\"container\">\n        <div class=\"row\">\n            <div class=\"col-12\">\n                <div class=\"related-customer-stories__heading\">\n                    <h2 class=\"h3\">More Stories Like This<\/h2>\n                <\/div>\n                <div class=\"row\">\n                                    <div class=\"col-12 col-lg-4 related-customer-stories__card\">\n                         \n                                <div class=\"related-customer-stories__card-image\">\n                                    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"250\" height=\"250\" src=\"https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/ducks250x250.jpg\" class=\"img-fluid icon-img\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/ducks250x250.jpg 250w, https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/ducks250x250-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" \/>                                <\/div>\n                                                    <div class=\"related-customer-stories__card-content\">\n                                                            <div class=\"tag\">\n                                    Donor &amp; Prospect Data Intelligence                                <\/div>\n                                                    \n                            <div class=\"related-customer-stories__card-content__heading\">\n                                <h5>Ducks Unlimited<\/h5>\n                            <\/div>\n                            <a class=\"related-customer-stories__card-content__link tag\" href=\"https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/customer-stories\/ducks-unlimited\">Ducks Unlimited<\/a>\n                        <\/div>\n                    <\/div>\n                                    <div class=\"col-12 col-lg-4 related-customer-stories__card\">\n                         \n                                <div class=\"related-customer-stories__card-image\">\n                                    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"695\" height=\"696\" src=\"https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/SC-Logo-250x250-HighRes-1.jpg\" class=\"img-fluid icon-img\" alt=\"Shriners Children&#039;s\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/SC-Logo-250x250-HighRes-1.jpg 695w, https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/SC-Logo-250x250-HighRes-1-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/SC-Logo-250x250-HighRes-1-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 695px) 100vw, 695px\" \/>                                <\/div>\n                                                    <div class=\"related-customer-stories__card-content\">\n                                                            <div class=\"tag\">\n                                    Fundraising                                <\/div>\n                                                    \n                            <div class=\"related-customer-stories__card-content__heading\">\n                                <h5>Shriners Children&#8217;s<\/h5>\n                            <\/div>\n                            <a class=\"related-customer-stories__card-content__link tag\" href=\"https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/customer-stories\/shriners-childrens\">Shriners Children&#8217;s<\/a>\n                        <\/div>\n                    <\/div>\n                                    <div class=\"col-12 col-lg-4 related-customer-stories__card\">\n                         \n                                <div class=\"related-customer-stories__card-image\">\n                                    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"625\" height=\"625\" src=\"https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/UGA\u2013logo.png\" class=\"img-fluid icon-img\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/UGA\u2013logo.png 625w, https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/UGA\u2013logo-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/UGA\u2013logo-150x150.png 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 625px) 100vw, 625px\" \/>                                <\/div>\n                                                    <div class=\"related-customer-stories__card-content\">\n                                                            <div class=\"tag\">\n                                    Fundraising                                <\/div>\n                                                    \n                            <div class=\"related-customer-stories__card-content__heading\">\n                                <h5>University of Georgia with Blackbaud Enterprise Fundraising CRM<\/h5>\n                            <\/div>\n                            <a class=\"related-customer-stories__card-content__link tag\" href=\"https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/customer-stories\/university-of-georgia-with-blackbaud-crm\">University of Georgia<\/a>\n                        <\/div>\n                    <\/div>\n                                <\/div>\n                <div class=\"row\">\n                    <div class=\"col-12\">\n                        <div class=\"related-customer-stories__all-link\">\n                            <a class=\"cta-text-arrow-underline\" href=\"\">See All Stories<\/a>\n                        <\/div>\n                    <\/div>\n                <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n<section class=\"final-plea final-plea--form final-plea--form-dark-blue-green\" id=\"final-plea-block_6cc09e30f7b34be480f228c0e32ce2ec\">\n    <div class=\"diamond-container\">\n        <div class=\"container\">\n            <div class=\"stack-squares\">\n                <div class=\"smaller\"><\/div>\n                <div class=\"larger\"><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n            <div class=\"right-square\"><\/div>\n            <div class=\"row\">\n                <div class=\"col-md-6\">\n                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