Blackbaud Makes Major Donation to Project Drawdown to Advance Climate Solutions Around the World

CHARLESTON, S.C., Jan. 20, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Blackbaud (NASDAQ: BLKB), the world's leading cloud software company powering social good, today announced it will make a multi-year, six-figure gift to Project Drawdown® to advance climate solutions around the world. Project Drawdown is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and a leader in science-based climate solutions research, communications and engagement—informing, inspiring and influencing current and future climate leaders. 

Project Drawdown's mission is to help the world reach "drawdown"—the point in the future when levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere stop climbing and start to steadily decline, thereby stopping catastrophic climate change—as quickly, safely, and equitably as possible.

"Blackbaud provides technology and data-driven solutions that enable our customers to help good take over," said Rachel Hutchisson, vice president, global social responsibility, Blackbaud. "Our vision is to connect an Ecosystem of Good® that builds a better world, and the need for education and action around climate change is part of that ecosystem. As Blackbaud continues to invest in ESG practices, our work with Project Drawdown will help us reduce our own impact on the environment while also allowing us to engage change agents around the world."

"With the support of companies that truly want to make a difference, we can work towards long-term change that is real and lasting," said Jonathan Foley, executive director, Project Drawdown. "We are excited to partner with Blackbaud to create global dialogue, enact systems change and build a safer climate future." 

Project Drawdown develops special programs and initiatives to increase awareness of climate solutions, shift attitudes regarding climate change and spark climate-related action. Storytelling plays a critical role in bringing climate solutions to life, and Project Drawdown's goal is to show that everyone has a role to play when it comes to addressing the climate crisis, with a particular focus on surfacing underrepresented voices.

Blackbaud's gift will support Project Drawdown's efforts to reach educators, students, professionals and a general audience of individual change agents interested in climate change and solutions. This will be accomplished through special programming including the Project Drawdown Dialogues webinar series and Drawdown's Neighborhood video series that shines a light on inspiring individuals advancing climate solutions across the U.S., along with other special projects to be developed this year.

These projects will explore various themes, including:

• Pathways to climate careers
• Collaboration across geographies and sectors to reach climate goals
• The role of diversity, equity, inclusion and justice in climate solutions
• Hope and opportunities for positive climate change
• Individual action paired with systems change
• Personal and community resilience

As a company powering social good, Blackbaud has been committed to giving back from day one. Blackbaud continues to grow its ESG program and is a participant in the UN Global Compact, focused on aligning business activity to the UN's sustainable development goals (SDGs). Project Drawdown will partner with Blackbaud to consult on Blackbaud's environmental strategy and will provide educational opportunities for Blackbaud employees on how to apply climate solutions in their own lives and how to become climate advocates. Blackbaud's global social responsibility program serves as a catalyst for employee volunteering and giving, and engagement with Project Drawdown will provide a new opportunity for the company's global employees to get involved in a cause they care about.

Learn more about ways that Blackbaud gives back here and in the company's most recent Social Responsibility Report.

About Blackbaud
Blackbaud (NASDAQ: BLKB) is the world's leading cloud software company powering social good. Serving the entire social good community—nonprofits, higher education institutions, K–12 schools, healthcare organizations, faith communities, arts and cultural organizations, foundations, companies and individual change agents—Blackbaud connects and empowers organizations to increase their impact through cloud software, services, expertise and data intelligence. The Blackbaud portfolio is tailored to the unique needs of vertical markets, with solutions for fundraising and CRM, marketing, advocacy, peer-to-peer fundraising, corporate social responsibility, school management, ticketing, grantmaking, financial management, payment processing and analytics. Serving the industry for four decades, Blackbaud is headquartered in Charleston, South Carolina, and has operations in the United States, Australia, Canada, Costa Rica and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit www.blackbaud.com or follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.

About Project Drawdown
Founded in 2014, Project Drawdown® is a nonprofit organization that seeks to help the world reach "drawdown"—the future point in time when levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere stop climbing and start to steadily decline. Since the 2017 publication of the New York Times bestseller Drawdown, the organization has emerged as a leading resource for information and insight about climate solutions. We continue to develop that resource by conducting rigorous review and assessment of climate solutions, creating compelling human-centered communications across media, and partnering with efforts to accelerate climate solutions globally. Cities, universities, corporations, philanthropies, policymakers, communities, educators, activists, and more turn to Project Drawdown as they look to advance effective climate action. We aim to support the growing constellation of efforts to move climate solutions—and the world—toward drawdown as quickly, safely, and equitably as possible. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, Project Drawdown is funded by individual and institutional donations.

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Forward-looking Statements
Except for historical information, all of the statements, expectations, and assumptions contained in this news release are forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties, including statements regarding expected benefits of products and product features. Although Blackbaud attempts to be accurate in making these forward-looking statements, it is possible that future circumstances might differ from the assumptions on which such statements are based. In addition, other important factors that could cause results to differ materially include the following: general economic risks; uncertainty regarding increased business and renewals from existing customers; continued success in sales growth; management of integration of acquired companies and other risks associated with acquisitions; risks associated with successful implementation of multiple integrated software products; the ability to attract and retain key personnel; risks associated with management of growth; lengthy sales and implementation cycles, particularly in larger organization; technological changes that make our products and services less competitive; and the other risk factors set forth from time to time in the SEC filings for Blackbaud, copies of which are available free of charge at the SEC's website at www.sec.gov or upon request from Blackbaud's investor relations department. All Blackbaud product names appearing herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of Blackbaud, Inc.

SOURCE Blackbaud, Inc.