Ed Hohlbein has served as business consultant to our organization on a number of separate occasions over the past decade. Most recently, our Advancement Services team participated in the inaugural class of Ed’s REfresh Data Cohort in the fall of 2022. As a consultant, Ed has shared with us his vast and relevant experience in fundraising, data analytics, communications and personnel management, enabling us to create greater efficiencies not only for our very small team but within all of University Advancement. Through the REfresh Data Cohort, we’ve learned new ways to analyze our alumni and donor data in order to upgrade our data management best practices. Ed is an absolute professional with a wonderful sense of humor and a compassionate spirit. He is thorough and attentive in helping one understand complex tasks. Moreover, Ed is a knowledgeable and patient teacher, with the ability to relate to a spectrum of personalities and skill levels. As a small team, we are constantly seeking ways to work smarter. Ed’s creativity and skill set have helped us to do just that. I highly recommend you engage Ed's services and/or participate in the REfresh Data Cohort.

There are not enough accolades to truly express my experience with Ed Hohlbein. Our database through Blackbaud needed a lot of help and we have been fortunate to meet Ed and work with him as a consultant. He pays attention to unique situations and works through them with our team, helps us make the right decision for the College and doesn't take a "cookie-cutter" approach. To say Ed is an expert with all things Raiser's Edge is an understatement. Our records are in much better shape than we could have hoped for and even the most difficult projects are dealt with in a timely fashion with great care and accuracy. One of the best things about Ed is he never makes one feel inadequate or unimportant, he is the ultimate professional and we consider him part of our team, even if it is on a temporary basis. I trust his skills and his expertise 100%. And to top it all off, he's a wonderful person.

My name is Summer Reilly and I am the Associate Director of Advancement Services at the University of West Florida. Our department has worked with Ed several times – most recently we were a part of the first REfresh Raiser's Edge Cleanup Cohort. We are a small shop (two people) and his expertise has been invaluable to us. During the Cleanup Cohort Ed always presented a well-thought-out plan for each session, yet he was willing to pivot as needed to address anything we brought up. He is energetic, optimistic, and meets you where you are with the goal of getting you to where you want to be. I highly recommend Ed to anyone who would like to learn more about the Raiser’s Edge and we look forward to working with him again!

Ed provided valuable technical and operational support during my transition period as a new team member on our development team. He is highly responsive and has always been available to provide the support I needed when I needed it. His teaching style made it easy for me to understand the process and functionality of our system so that I could be more effective and efficient in my daily operations. I could not have accomplished my goals without Ed and am grateful he is a partner with our team!

My name is Bobby Painter, and I am the Raiser's Edge Database Administrator for the University of West Georgia. Although I've worked in the nonprofit world for over 23 years -- and had Raiser's Edge as the constituent database of choice at the last five organizations where I've worked for the last 15 of those years -- I was late in becoming a database administrator. After my current manager realized I had potential, she recommended I work with Ed to close knowledge gaps. He has helped me understand the more complex operations that are part of the Administration and Configuration options with in RE. From adding attributes to many thousands of records quickly and easily to cleaning up years of bad input data, Ed is a patient teacher and a knowledgeable partner. What I enjoy most about working with Ed is the way he edifies me. As most who have done this kind of work already know, there is always something new to learn. And it's easy to become focused on how much there is left to learn. However, Ed provides encouragement, without flattery, to empower me to take on the next big obstacle. When it comes to actual instruction, Ed demonstrates procedures and then allows me to replicate the processes as he watches and offers corrective instruction. As a person with a degree in education, I know that the sign of a good coach/teacher/mentor is to inspire students to dig deeper into a subject area for which they have shown promise and aptitude. Ed continues to push me toward excellence.

My name is Ashley Dollar, and I am the Database Administrator at the Tennessee Aquarium. I worked in the Membership department for five years and had plenty of experience using Raiser’s Edge. However, my experience from an administrative standpoint was limited. Ed partnered specifics of my organization with my current RE knowledge to help me enhance our data integrity in RE. We looked in-depth into our Campaigns, Funds, and Appeals and the parts of RE that can be used analytically. Ed also helped me create multiple queries for clean-up and auditing. Working with Ed is a joy since he is personable, funny, and knowledgeable. He communicates effectively and asks clarifying questions. I am grateful to Ed and highly recommend his expertise with Raiser’s Edge and all things data.