Blackbaud - 1792 Exchange

Rating Overview

Blackbaud is High Risk.

Blackbaud is High Risk. The company yields to political activism in shaping corporate governance, potentially alienating consumers, dividing employees, and harming shareholders. The company implements race and identity-based policies that replace merit, excellence, and integrity with preferential treatment and outcomes. The company embraces corporate initiatives that redirect its central focus from business goals to partisan policies and divisive issues. This approach fails to safeguard free exercise, free speech, and free enterprise.

Rating Criteria

Corporate Weaponization Risk Levels
Criteria	Risk Level
Cancellations	High Risk
Discriminatory Philanthropy	High Risk
Employment Protection	High Risk

Corporate Weaponization ⓘ

Corporate Governance and Public Policy Risk Levels
Criteria	Risk Level
Advocacy Bias	High Risk
Funding	High Risk
Political Actions	No Data

Corporate Governance and Public Policy ⓘ

Rating Criteria Detail

Criteria Risk Level Rationale

Corporate Weaponization

Criteria:

Has canceled customers, suppliers, or vendors due to their political views or religious beliefs OR corporately boycotts, divests, or sanctions regions, people groups, or industries.

Risk Level:

High

Rationale:

JustGiving, a subsidiary of Blackbaud, permanently removed the anti-trans lobby group LGB Alliance from their website, allegedly because of comments made by LGB Alliance supporters on Twitter (1)(2). The company froze over £20,000 intended for cell-phone chargers for deployed IDF soldiers, initially classifying the IDF as a ‘militia’ before updating its policy to exclude military aid, despite permitting similar campaigns for Ukrainian soldiers at the time. Ultimately, JustGiving released the funds following significant legal and public pressure (3)(4). Blackbaud promotes divisive sex and gender policies. Its Supplier Code of Conduct requires international vendors to include “genetic information… sexual orientation, gender identity, gender reassignment, gender expression” in their nondiscrimination policy (5).

Criteria:

Charitable giving (including employee matching programs) policies or practices discriminate against charitable organizations based on views or religious beliefs.

Risk Level:

High

Rationale:

Blackbaud likely uses YourCause as its charitable giving platform. YourCause vets charities according to the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Hate List, which includes mainstream libertarian, conservative, family, and religious advocacy organizations (1)(2)(3).

Criteria:

Employment policies fail to protect against viewpoint or other discrimination and/or are ideological in nature.

Risk Level:

High

Rationale:

Blackbaud appears to prioritize diversity over merit in its recruitment and hiring. From its Commitment to People and Culture: “55% of all new hires in 2021 came from historically underrepresented groups” (1)(2). Blackbaud does not provide viewpoint protections for its employees (3).

Corporate Governance and Public Policy

Criteria:

Uses corporate reputation to support causes, organizations, or policies hostile to freedom of expression.

Risk Level:

High

Rationale:

Blackbaud supports DEI within its business practices, employing a DEI Officer (1). The company supports ESG within its business practices. From its 2023 impact report: “We believe we have a responsibility to act in the fight against climate change. That’s why Blackbaud is dedicated to proactively protecting the environment beyond our own internal sustainable business practices” (2).

Criteria:

Uses corporate funds to advance ideological causes, organizations, or policies hostile to freedom of expression.

Risk Level:

High

Rationale:

Blackbaud provides a benefits package for employees that covers travel/lodging costs for an abortion and transgender medical procedures for covered employees and dependents, including children (1). Between 2021 and 2024, Blackbaud donated over nine million dollars to controversial ideological causes, including but not limited to Planned Parenthood, the SPLC, the ACLU, the National Urban League and the Trevor Project (2)(3)(4)(5)(6).

Criteria:

Uses corporate political actions and/or financial contributions for ideological, non-business purposes.

Risk Level:

N/A

Rationale:

Blackbaud does not operate a PAC or engage in lobbying at this time (1)(2)(3).