For nonprofits using both Luminate Online and Raiser’s Edge NXT, day-to-day work often involves a lot of data juggling. Teams send emails, launch donation forms, track giving, and report on campaign performance. But if these two systems are not automatically connected, a lot of time is spent exporting, importing, matching, and fixing records.

Automating the connection between Luminate Online and Raiser’s Edge NXT saves time, reduces errors, and improves visibility across teams. It brings clarity to your data and simplifies your operations, especially during busy fundraising periods. In this article, we discuss what happens when you automate the integration.

Before Automation

Teams were often stuck reviewing every transaction by hand. During busy seasons, entire days could be spent cleaning up gift records, matching donors, and correcting campaign codes.

After Automation

With an automated sync in place, information from online donations and forms is updated in Raiser’s Edge NXT without manual steps. Staff no longer need to schedule file transfers or double-check imports.

“The system just updates itself. You don’t have to press anything or remember anything. It’s just there,” explains Lea Hardcastle, Director of Professional Services at SimpliPhi.

Why Integration Matters Across Teams

Luminate Online is typically used by marketing and communications teams to send emails and manage donation forms. Raiser’s Edge NXT is used by fundraisers and finance for tracking gifts and managing donor data.

Without a consistent sync, each team is working with a partial picture. Manual handoffs slow everything down, and inconsistencies in data make reporting difficult.

When the connection is automated:

• Fundraisers have a complete view of donor activity across channels

• Marketing can see which emails led to donations

• Finance can reconcile revenue more quickly

What Makes Modern Automation Different

Many organizations have tried to solve this problem using plug-ins or built-in connectors, such as RELO or ImportOmatic. These tools require regular oversight, technical skill, or workarounds for limitations.

A modern, fully managed solution works differently. Tools like Charity Automator Data Flow create a secure, centralized structure that pulls and pushes data between systems, using custom rules that reflect your organization’s real-world needs.

You don’t need to manage a new system. The sync runs daily in the background, and your team works with the data in the platforms they already know.

The Automation Advantage

Automating the flow of data between these systems with Charity Automator Data Flow strengthens your operations across three essential areas: operational efficiency, data quality and insight, and continuity and risk reduction.

1. Operational Efficiency

Reduce overhead and free up your team’s time for higher-value work.

• Saves time by removing manual import tasks
• Speeds up reporting for finance and fundraising
• Maintains familiar workflows so teams stay productive in the tools they already use

2. Data Quality and Insight

Get accurate, actionable data to support better decision-making.

• Improves accuracy with consistent, rules-based mapping
• Increases data reliability across departments
• Supports campaign tracking by linking forms and appeals properly

3. Continuity and Risk Reduction

Protect institutional knowledge and ensure smooth operations at all times.

• Reduces dependency on individual staff for system knowledge

Provides business continuity during staffing transitions or turnover

Flexibility for Any Integration with Charity Automator Data Flow 

While Luminate Online to Raiser’s Edge NXT remains the most common setup, many nonprofits choose to expand their automation beyond that single connection.

Charity Automator Data Flow also supports:

• Telemarketing platforms – with nightly donor file syncing for immediate follow-up
  
• Event platforms – including Ascend and Race Roster for seamless integration of event donors
  
• Direct mail processors – like Integrim, via BRC files for automated entry of mailed responses
  
• Custom text file imports – from virtually any source, mapped to your internal data structures
  

This modular approach allows your organization to start with one high-impact connection and expand over time, integrating every campaign and touchpoint into a single, unified dataset.

A Real-World Example

One nonprofit team was preparing for year-end fundraising. Their plan was to wait until after the holidays to switch to an automated sync, but the manual workload quickly became overwhelming. Every donation had to be reviewed and imported. Staff were working full days just to keep up.

They decided to activate the automation mid-campaign. By the time they returned to work after the weekend, all recent gifts had already been processed into Raiser’s Edge. No backlog. No errors. No delays.

“They didn’t realize how much time they were spending until they stopped doing it,” says Lea Hardcastle, Director of Professional Services at SimpliPhi.

How to Know If You’re Ready

You might be ready to automate if:

• Your team still imports CSV files manually
• Donation data is delayed or duplicated
• One person is responsible for managing syncs — if they’re away, the process stalls
• Reporting requires manual reconciliation
• You’re expanding digital campaigns and want reliable data tracking

You can use this automation readiness checklist to assess your current setup and plan next steps.

Supporting Smarter Data Operations

If your team is spending too much time moving data between systems, or you’re worried about things falling through the cracks during campaign season, automation might be the next step.

At SimpliPhi, we work with nonprofit teams to simplify and streamline how information flows between tools like Luminate Online and Raiser’s Edge NXT. With Charity Automator Data Flow, you don’t need extra software or a technical expert—just clear, consistent data that’s ready when you need it.

📘 Use this checklist to assess your automation readiness

📖 Read: Five Signs It’s Time to Optimize Your Nonprofit’s Operations

This article was a guest post from Lea Hardcastle  , Director of Professional Services at SimpliPhi, a company that helps nonprofits operate with clarity, efficiency, and confidence. SimpliPhi’s Charity Automator Data Flow connects systems like Luminate Online and Raiser’s Edge NXT through fully managed automation. Visit simpliphi.io to explore how SimpliPhi helped one foundation cut manual work and accelerate gift processing during peak fundraising season.