Forum Discussion
Fundraising and Engagement solution will be retired
Hi
Have there been any partner announcements for the retirement of Fundraising and Engagement?
This is from a F&E customer's post on LinkedIn (not the best way for a Partner to find out the news!):
Fundraising and Engagement will be retired
Microsoft remains committed to providing affordable and relevant technology and skilling to nonprofit organizations worldwide. As we continue to innovate and enhance our technology offerings, we are making strategic updates to our suite of solutions. Notably, the Fundraising and Engagement solution will be retired, with technical support concluding at 11:59 PM PT (US) on December 31, 2026.
As of July 15, 2024, Microsoft will continue providing necessary security updates, but will not make additional enhancements to Fundraising and Engagement.
Between July 15, 2024, and December 31, 2026, you can continue to use Fundraising and Engagement, apply security updates as they are made available from Microsoft, and receive technical support from Microsoft. After December 31, 2026, Microsoft will no longer implement security updates for Fundraising and Engagement, and there will be no further technical support for the solution.
What action should your organization take?
We want to ensure that all customers have a successful path forward on the Microsoft Cloud for their organizational fundraising needs.
Customers currently using Fundraising and Engagement should work with their Microsoft Partner to identify the future configuration of Dynamics 365 Sales needed to meet their specific needs. If your organization does not have a Microsoft Partner, you can find a partner with knowledge of the Fundraising and Engagement solution at Microsoft.com/nonprofits.
Alternatively, customers can explore Microsoft partner solutions for donor management and fundraising built on Dynamics 365 Sales that have been specifically designed for customers transitioning from Fundraising and Engagement, including solutions from Barhead, mhance, and SylogistMission CRM. More solutions will be coming soon in the Partner solutions area of Solution Center.
If you have questions about these changes, please contact your Microsoft account team, your Microsoft Partner, or use this form to contact us.
Sincerely,
Microsoft Tech for Social Impact Team
- As a longstanding Microsoft partner with a mature and proven nonprofit solution built on D365, StratusLIVE stands ready to support organizations impacted by the retirement of F&E. Learn more here - https://blog.stratuslive.com/transitioning-from-microsoft-fundraising-and-engagement
- Following
Here is a LinkedIn post from mhance (I'm guessing we'll see similar from Barhead and Sylogist):
Exciting news from mhance! We're proud to share the latest developments in our Microsoft Dynamics 365 solutions for the Nonprofit sector. Since 2011, we've been at the forefront of innovation, working closely with the Microsoft for Nonprofits Tech for Social Impact team since its inception, and our journey continues with a strategic roadmap that promises even more robust and user-friendly solutions.
As Microsoft evolves its offerings, we're thrilled to announce that mhance has been selected as one of just three partners with existing transition solutions for Fundraising & Engagement, such as the mhance Nonprofit Stack. This means we'll continue to support and enhance these solutions well beyond their original end-of-life date. So, wherever you are on your journey with Fundraising & Engagement and whether you are an mhance customer or not, get in touch with us so we can discuss with you our plans to support this solution now and into the future.
Our commitment to empowering nonprofits with the best tools remains unwavering. The mhance Nonprofit Stack is a robust platform built on the new Microsoft Fundraising solution, ensuring that you have complete control over your data and how you use it to make a difference.
Find out more and contact us so that we can work together to make a greater impact!
mhance Nonprofit Stack | mhance
Risa_ColemanMicrosoft
Please find the link to the Partner Center announcement that went live on July 15 at 3PM: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/partner-center/announcements/2024-july#6Thanks Risa_Coleman
I'm looking forward to hearing more about the innovations and enhancements to the offerings.
Over the last 12 months, we have been delivering news to our nonprofit customers about what has been discontinued/removed/retired (F&E retiring, no more Dynamics 365 Sales grants, reduced Azure grant, E2 Grant). I assume in October 2024 the Dynamics 365 price increases will impact the nonprofit pricing as well.
It would be nice to have some more positive news to share with our valued nonprofit customers.
Thanks
Matt
- The charity where I'm CEO are implementing Dynamics 365 as our CRM system. We're about half way through implementation, busy training up key super users from across the org. Fundraising is key to our business and one of the reasons we are upgrading our CRM. In the past| we have been dependent on ThanQ's non existent support and we wanted to move to Microsoft who had seemed to make a fuss about Not For Profits. This announcement will delay our roll out and necessitate a migration to the Microsoft Partners solution (which is currently vapor ware). This means we probably need to keep our "back fill" team in place for an extra 12 months
Here's a summary from MS Partner build consulting about the changes:
The End of Microsoft’s Fundraising and Engagement for Nonprofits - Build Consulting
- Here are some other partner responses to the announcement:
Heller Consulting: https://teamheller.com/resources/blog/microsofts-latest-update-to-its-nonprofit-solutions-what-you-need-to-know
threshold.world: https://www.threshold.world/post/a-perspective-on-microsoft-fundraising-engagement-s-planned-retirement- Microsoft have made available partner resources to assist customers transition from F&E: https://partner.microsoft.com/en-us/asset/collection/fundraising-and-engagement-partner-enablement#/
- Hi,
Thanks for sharing this update. Partners need to stay informed about changes like the retirement of Fundraising and Engagement. In my experience, staying proactive in transitioning to alternative solutions is key. It would be helpful for organizations currently using F&E to start working closely with their Microsoft Partner to map out their future configurations and ensure a smooth transition to other solutions like Dynamics 365 Sales.
For teams managing these changes, AI-powered automation tools can help streamline the process by handling routine tasks and minimizing disruptions during the switch. Keeping track of these shifts early on will ensure continued support and operational efficiency post-2026.
Best regards,
Isabella Marie Further information from Microsoft about the changes:
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/microsofts-commitment-nonprofit-success-evolving-1rrvf/
A couple of interesting points:
- Our goal in TSI is to ensure that AI’s promise can be realized by all nonprofits, and that means we must focus our resources on the Microsoft Cloud and AI. To do that, we are dedicating more AI resources to help nonprofits navigate their AI transformation. (👀 Will we see a discount for Copilot in the near future? Many hope so)
- We will also be releasing new Power Platform-based template apps that are aligned to the Common Data Model for Nonprofits to help accelerate partner innovation in the areas of fundraising, grant management, and outcomes management. These template apps will be available in Solution Center during the second half of calendar year 2024. (The CDM for Nonprofits isn't dead yet, this will hopefully help smaller nonprofits - something F&E wasn't suited to)
- Microsoft will provide a one-time assessment for customers spending over $5000 (USD) annually on Dynamics 365. This assessment, available in late August 2024, aims to help your organization determine the best path forward by evaluating the available alternatives for your fundraising needs. (This sounds positive - I hope it is helpful and not a superficial tick box exercise)
- Our mission remains steadfast – we are here to empower nonprofits around the globe with the technology and skilling they need to solve the world’s problems. We provide discounts and grants across the Microsoft Cloud including Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365, Microsoft Surface, Microsoft Azure, and Power Apps. (I was looking for a commitment that everything else (i.e. discounted offering) will remain as is for now, this will have to do)
