0:06 — PaperSave portal and document capture — Introduction to the PaperSave portal as the central access point, with visibility governed by user permissions. Documents can be scanned, attached manually, or pulled from monitored email inboxes, and any combination of the three can be used with no limit on the number of mailboxes monitored. 2:20 — Background OCR and vendor matching — OCR runs automatically in the back end as soon as documents arrive. It matches the address on the invoice to the vendor's address in Blackbaud to identify the vendor, extracts amount, invoice number, and date, pulls defaults like payment terms and GL expense accounts from the vendor card, and displays a confidence percentage for each captured field. 5:53 — Workflows, routing rules, and notifications — Workflows encode the customer's business process for how documents escalate for review or approval. Routing can be automated by GL account segment or by vendor ownership, and users get email notifications about pending work plus a mobile app for approving invoices away from the desk. 8:44 — Reviewing an invoice and document tools — An AP reviewer opens an invoice, sees the OCR-captured coding, and can edit distribution lines or add line items where permissions allow. Document tools include adding pages, highlights, notes, and redaction — redaction being permanent and applied to any saved or shared copy. 11:25 — Sending for review and duplicate detection — Reviewers are added from a configurable list, or assigned automatically when routing rules exist. PaperSave validates that distribution matches the invoice amount and flags invoices it has seen before, rechecking for duplicates whenever a user edits the invoice number and tabs out; non-administrators typically cannot override the flag and must escalate. 13:55 — Approval thresholds and escalation — Bruno receives the routed invoice by email and must supply a reason to reject, though approval comments are optional unless made mandatory. When Bruno approves an amount above his $100 threshold, PaperSave escalates automatically to Larry, who approves it under the same rule checks. 16:00 — Submit to Financial Edge and audit trail — Approved invoices land in a submit-to-Financial-Edge step where users review due dates, post dates, and payment terms before creating records, with irrelevant fields hidden. The audit trail in the bottom-left corner records comments and shows who actually performed each approval, and can be downloaded for auditors. 18:07 — Invoice created in Blackbaud — Submitting sends the invoice into Blackbaud within seconds, carrying its coding and distribution and attaching a copy of the document. PaperSave appears as a native tile on vendor, deposit, constituent, and fund records, and Blackbaud's own rules still apply — an invoice outside the posting period would reject. 21:30 — Dashboards and processing history — The active invoices dashboard shows outstanding counts and amounts, aging by due date, vendors needing attention, workflow stage, and current owner, with clickable graphs that drill into the underlying workflow items. A historical view breaks volume down by year, month, and week and includes a matrix of fast approvers versus those struggling with the new process. 23:52 — Gift processing and constituent creation — The session switches to donations, where PaperSave creates batches in Raiser's Edge NXT and can also create constituents from within a workflow, optionally routing new-constituent work to a different user. Automatic redaction of bank and routing information is applied to scanned checks, and document types and folder structures index gifts and invoices alike with separate access control. 28:43 — Lockbox PDFs and batch coding methods — Capture options for gifts include local and network scanners, check scanners (rarely used because donation mail includes reply devices and envelopes), and drag-and-drop of large lockbox PDFs that PaperSave splits each time it detects a check. Batch coding can come from a custom or auto-generated naming convention, folder-level default templates for presorted mail, or OCR reading scan lines on reply devices for per-gift coding. 34:47 — Processing batches and approving in Raiser's Edge — Gift processors review captured coding, apply gift splits, soft credit or fundraiser credit, update constituent addresses, or route a gift for internal discussion that becomes part of the audit trail. Submitted batches arrive in Raiser's Edge unapproved by default so a Blackbaud user can review them, and approving the batch attaches each document to its gift record. 43:23 — Search, saved queries, and Excel export — PaperSave search works across Financial Edge and Raiser's Edge data and requires only PaperSave permissions, not a Blackbaud login. Simple search takes one value such as an invoice or check number; advanced search builds queries from captured profile fields, and results can be saved, shared, downloaded, or exported to Excel with a column that links back to each document.

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Demo: PaperSave Combined for both Blackbaud FE NXT and RE NXT

Key takeaways

PaperSave provides a single portal for document capture, workflow approval, and search, with per-user permissions controlling what each person can see and do.
Documents enter through scanning, manual attachment, or monitored email inboxes — with no limit on how many email accounts can be monitored — and OCR runs in the background before users ever see the item.
OCR matches the invoice address against the vendor's address in Blackbaud to identify the vendor, then pulls amount, invoice number, and date, and inherits defaults such as payment terms and GL/expense accounts from the vendor card, showing a confidence percentage per field.
Invoices route automatically by GL segment or vendor ownership, escalate when an approver's dollar threshold is exceeded (the demo showed Bruno's $100 limit escalating to Larry), and require a comment on rejection.
A final 'submit to Financial Edge' step lets users review the approved batch before creating invoices in FE; the invoice appears in Blackbaud within seconds with coding, distribution, and an attached document copy.
On the Raiser's Edge side, PaperSave creates gift batches, can create and update constituents from inside the workflow, splits a lockbox PDF into individual checks, reads scan lines on reply devices for dynamic coding, and applies automatic redaction of bank and routing numbers.
Search offers a simple single-value lookup and an advanced query builder over captured profile fields; results can be saved, shared, downloaded, or exported to Excel with clickable links back to each document.

Overview

This demonstration walks through PaperSave working alongside both Blackbaud Financial Edge NXT and Raiser's Edge NXT, covering the full path a document takes from arrival to a finished record in Blackbaud. The presenter opens in the PaperSave portal, which acts as the central access point for everything PaperSave-related, and notes that what each user sees is governed by their permissions — the administrator view shown in the demo is the fullest one.

The accounts payable half of the session starts with document capture. Invoices can be scanned, attached manually, or pulled from monitored email inboxes, and the three methods can be used together; there is no cap on the number of mailboxes monitored. Before any user sees the document, OCR runs in the background: it reads the address on the invoice and matches it to the vendor's address in Blackbaud to identify the vendor, then extracts the amount, invoice number, and invoice date, and pulls defaults such as payment terms and GL expense account coding from the vendor card. A confidence percentage is displayed per captured field so reviewers can see how certain the extraction was. Defaults do not have to exist at the vendor level up front — if they are added later, they begin being picked up automatically.

Documents then land in a workflow, which the presenter frames as an encoding of the customer's own business process. Routing can be automated by segmenting the GL account (for example, using the first three or last two digits to identify a department or user) or by vendor ownership, so an invoice goes to a specific person as soon as OCR determines the vendor. Users receive email notifications about pending work and can approve from a mobile app. In the review screen, coding and distribution lines can be edited where permissions allow, pages can be added, and annotation tools include highlights, notes, and redaction — the presenter emphasized that redaction is permanent and cannot be undone. Duplicate detection runs both at OCR time and when a user edits an invoice number and tabs out of the field. Approvals check each approver's rules; the demo showed an invoice approved by Bruno automatically escalating to Larry because it exceeded Bruno's $100 threshold. Rejections require a comment; approval comments are optional but can be made mandatory at any stage. A final "submit to Financial Edge" step lets a user review the approved batch and choose when invoices are created, one at a time or in bulk. After submission the invoice appeared in Blackbaud within seconds, complete with coding, distribution, an attached copy of the document, and an audit trail that continued from PaperSave and recorded Blackbaud's confirmation. The presenter also noted that Blackbaud's own rules still apply — an invoice posted outside the open period would be rejected.

The second half covers gift processing with Raiser's Edge. The same capture options apply, plus support for lockbox providers: a single large PDF containing a stack of checks and supporting documents can be dragged in, and PaperSave separates it each time it detects a check. Check-specific scanners are supported but seldom used, because donation mail typically includes reply devices and envelopes as well as checks. Redaction of bank and routing information is applied automatically in real time as checks are scanned. Batch coding can come from a naming convention (customer-defined or auto-generated from the next chronological batch number in NXT plus today's date), from default templates attached to folders when mail is presorted by fund, campaign, or appeal, or dynamically by teaching OCR to read scan lines printed on reply devices — and these methods can be combined. Gift processors review the captured coding, can add gift splits, soft credit or fundraiser credit, update a constituent's address, or create a new constituent without leaving the workflow; new-constituent work can be routed to a different person and the gift returned to the processor afterward. Submitted batches arrive in Raiser's Edge unapproved by default (a toggle in PaperSave), giving a review point before approval, and approving the batch tells PaperSave to attach each document to its corresponding gift record.

The session closes with reporting and search. Dashboards show active invoices, outstanding amounts, aging by due date, vendors needing attention, where items sit in the process, and who currently owns them; clicking a graph segment drills straight into the matching workflow items. A historical view breaks processing volume down by year, month, or week and includes a matrix of fast approvers versus those the presenter described as "suffering in silence," with recorded onboarding sessions offered to help adoption. PaperSave's search covers both Financial Edge and Raiser's Edge data and does not require a Blackbaud login — only PaperSave permissions. Simple search takes one value such as an invoice number, name, date, or check number and returns the associated document with the match location shown. Advanced search builds queries against the captured profile fields, reusing a field multiple times for ranges (for example, invoice date between the end of last year and today, with amount greater than $300). Results can be downloaded, shared, saved as reusable searches for yourself or others, or exported to Excel — where a link column opens the underlying document directly, which the presenter cited as the practical way a gift team hands batch data to finance for journal entries.

Chapters

0:06 — PaperSave portal and document capture — Introduction to the PaperSave portal as the central access point, with visibility governed by user permissions. Documents can be scanned, attached manually, or pulled from monitored email inboxes, and any combination of the three can be used with no limit on the number of mailboxes monitored.
2:20 — Background OCR and vendor matching — OCR runs automatically in the back end as soon as documents arrive. It matches the address on the invoice to the vendor's address in Blackbaud to identify the vendor, extracts amount, invoice number, and date, pulls defaults like payment terms and GL expense accounts from the vendor card, and displays a confidence percentage for each captured field.
5:53 — Workflows, routing rules, and notifications — Workflows encode the customer's business process for how documents escalate for review or approval. Routing can be automated by GL account segment or by vendor ownership, and users get email notifications about pending work plus a mobile app for approving invoices away from the desk.
8:44 — Reviewing an invoice and document tools — An AP reviewer opens an invoice, sees the OCR-captured coding, and can edit distribution lines or add line items where permissions allow. Document tools include adding pages, highlights, notes, and redaction — redaction being permanent and applied to any saved or shared copy.
11:25 — Sending for review and duplicate detection — Reviewers are added from a configurable list, or assigned automatically when routing rules exist. PaperSave validates that distribution matches the invoice amount and flags invoices it has seen before, rechecking for duplicates whenever a user edits the invoice number and tabs out; non-administrators typically cannot override the flag and must escalate.
13:55 — Approval thresholds and escalation — Bruno receives the routed invoice by email and must supply a reason to reject, though approval comments are optional unless made mandatory. When Bruno approves an amount above his $100 threshold, PaperSave escalates automatically to Larry, who approves it under the same rule checks.
16:00 — Submit to Financial Edge and audit trail — Approved invoices land in a submit-to-Financial-Edge step where users review due dates, post dates, and payment terms before creating records, with irrelevant fields hidden. The audit trail in the bottom-left corner records comments and shows who actually performed each approval, and can be downloaded for auditors.
18:07 — Invoice created in Blackbaud — Submitting sends the invoice into Blackbaud within seconds, carrying its coding and distribution and attaching a copy of the document. PaperSave appears as a native tile on vendor, deposit, constituent, and fund records, and Blackbaud's own rules still apply — an invoice outside the posting period would reject.
21:30 — Dashboards and processing history — The active invoices dashboard shows outstanding counts and amounts, aging by due date, vendors needing attention, workflow stage, and current owner, with clickable graphs that drill into the underlying workflow items. A historical view breaks volume down by year, month, and week and includes a matrix of fast approvers versus those struggling with the new process.
23:52 — Gift processing and constituent creation — The session switches to donations, where PaperSave creates batches in Raiser's Edge NXT and can also create constituents from within a workflow, optionally routing new-constituent work to a different user. Automatic redaction of bank and routing information is applied to scanned checks, and document types and folder structures index gifts and invoices alike with separate access control.
28:43 — Lockbox PDFs and batch coding methods — Capture options for gifts include local and network scanners, check scanners (rarely used because donation mail includes reply devices and envelopes), and drag-and-drop of large lockbox PDFs that PaperSave splits each time it detects a check. Batch coding can come from a custom or auto-generated naming convention, folder-level default templates for presorted mail, or OCR reading scan lines on reply devices for per-gift coding.
34:47 — Processing batches and approving in Raiser's Edge — Gift processors review captured coding, apply gift splits, soft credit or fundraiser credit, update constituent addresses, or route a gift for internal discussion that becomes part of the audit trail. Submitted batches arrive in Raiser's Edge unapproved by default so a Blackbaud user can review them, and approving the batch attaches each document to its gift record.
43:23 — Search, saved queries, and Excel export — PaperSave search works across Financial Edge and Raiser's Edge data and requires only PaperSave permissions, not a Blackbaud login. Simple search takes one value such as an invoice or check number; advanced search builds queries from captured profile fields, and results can be saved, shared, downloaded, or exported to Excel with a column that links back to each document.

Questions this webinar answers

How do documents get into PaperSave?

There are three capture methods: scanning documents in, manually attaching files already stored elsewhere, and monitoring email inboxes to pull invoice attachments automatically. The methods are not mutually exclusive — an organization can use all three at once — and there is no restriction on how many email accounts PaperSave monitors. On the donation side, drag-and-drop is also supported, including large lockbox PDFs.

What does the OCR actually capture, and how does it identify the vendor?

OCR runs in the background as soon as a document arrives, before any user sees it. It reads the address on the invoice and matches it against the address on the vendor card in Blackbaud to determine the vendor. It then captures the invoice amount, invoice number, and invoice date, and pulls defaults configured at the vendor level such as payment terms and GL expense account coding. Each captured field is shown with a confidence percentage indicating how certain the extraction was.

What happens if vendor-level defaults such as payment terms or GL accounts are not configured yet?

Nothing breaks. PaperSave is built to pull those values whether or not they exist at the time of implementation. If defaults are added to the vendor card later, PaperSave begins picking them up automatically with no additional configuration.

Can invoices be routed to approvers automatically?

Yes, when there is a consistent rule to lean on. Routing can be driven by GL account segmentation — for example, using the first three or last two digits of an account to identify a department or an individual — or by vendor ownership, so that invoices from a given vendor always go to a specific person as soon as OCR determines who the vendor is. Users are notified by email when work is waiting, and can approve from a mobile app if they are away from the office.

How are approval limits enforced?

Each time an approver clicks approve, their approval rules are checked against the invoice — for example the dollar amount. In the demonstration, an approver named Bruno had a $100 threshold; when he approved an invoice above that amount, it was escalated automatically to Larry, the person he reports to, and the same rule check ran again at that level.

Is redaction reversible?

No. Redaction applied to a document in PaperSave is permanent and cannot be undone. Any saved or shared copy of the document carries the redaction. On the donation side, redaction of bank and routing information can be configured to apply automatically in real time as checks are scanned, rather than being applied by hand.

How does gift batch coding get determined?

There are three approaches, and they can be combined. Batch naming can follow an existing convention or use an auto-generated name that pulls the next chronological batch number from NXT plus the current date. Folder-level defaults apply a coding template to everything dropped into that folder, which is useful when mail is presorted by fund, campaign, or appeal. For per-gift coding, OCR can be taught to read scan lines printed on reply devices, along with constituent details, check date, check number, check amount, and a memo field from the check itself.

Can new constituents be created without leaving the gift workflow?

Yes. When a contribution arrives for someone who does not yet exist in Raiser's Edge, fields are available in the workflow to enter the new constituent's information and click create, which sends the constituent into Blackbaud. The gift can then be routed back to the gift processor for entry as part of a batch. Some organizations route new-constituent work to a separate person; others have the gift processor handle everything.

Do PaperSave users need Blackbaud logins to search for documents?

No. A PaperSave user does not have to be a Blackbaud user — they only need permissions within PaperSave for the documents they should see. Search covers both the Financial Edge and Raiser's Edge sides. Simple search takes a single value such as an invoice number, name, date, or check number and returns the associated document with the match location shown. Advanced search builds a query from the captured profile fields, allowing a field to be reused for ranges, and results can be saved and shared, downloaded, or exported to Excel with a column that links directly back to each document.

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