Blackbaud Reduces Human Risk and Proves ROI

By adopting Unify HRM, Blackbaud centralized risk data that had previously lived in disconnected tools, tracked Human Risk Index (HRI) improvements over time, and delivered board-ready insights that proved ROI and reduced organizational risk.

“All these disparate pieces… we were able to pull together through API connections,” says Smith, describing how Unify turned scattered compliance data into a single, measurable view of risk — one that could finally answer the question he'd been asking all along: is this program actually working?

Blackbaud's Human Risk Index improved from 320 to 716 — a 124% increase. What started as a search for accountability became a repeatable model: centralize the data, measure what actually changes behavior, and give leadership a number they can trust.

“Now we can actually show leadership that our program is working and the risk is going down,” says Smith. That shift — from a program defended on effort to one proven on outcomes — is what turned Blackbaud's security awareness program from a compliance line item into a board-level asset.