NGP VAN Acquires BSD Tools
Also Announces the NGP VAN Innovation Fund, And Free APIs
Washington, D.C., June 24, 2019 – NGP VAN, a leading provider of software serving over 15,000 nonprofits, announced today that it has closed its third acquisition in the last six weeks, acquiring the BSD Tools division from Blue State Digital. The acquisition follows NGP VAN’s strategy of bringing together the best people and giving them the resources to create the best SaaS products, that provide the most value to nonprofits. NGP VAN acquired ActionKit on May 8, and acquired Donor Trends on June 6.
Clients on the NGP VAN and BSD Tools products will benefit in many ways, including by expanding the network effect of each company’s one-click contributions, with an active pool of stored credit card tokens closing in on 5 million. They will also benefit from the enhanced network effect of form pre-filling features driven by 120 million ActionProfiles, leading to higher conversion rates and more engagement for nonprofits. Additionally, BSD Tools clients will gain access to the NGP VAN Fundraising and Organizing products, and NGP VAN’s unique CRM – the only nonprofit-focused unified CRM on the market capable of serving large nonprofits.
BSD Tools is a digital toolset that pioneered a number of innovations, including one-click contributions and multi-step contribution forms, that drive higher conversion rates and help clients raise more money. BSD Tools, now NGP VAN’s Digital Tools, has over 400 clients and was the digital platform behind both of President Obama’s historic campaigns and has helped power nonprofits, advocacy groups, political campaigns, and brands.
“The BSD Tools’ staff has a great track record of empowering their clients to do more good, and we’re excited to welcome them and the amazing clients into the growing NGP VAN family,” said NGP VAN CEO Stu Trevelyan. “Our clients on both NGP VAN and BSD Tools will benefit from an expanded network effect, enabling them to achieve higher conversion rates and improve engagement.”
“We’re delighted to see the product we developed join the impressive and innovative digital and other NGP VAN tools that power the causes we care about. As organizers, creatives, and fundraisers we’re excited to make use of this unique multi-channel offering,” said Blue State Digital CEO and founder Joe Rospars. Blue State Digital will continue to offer its award-winning agency services; only the BSD Tools division of the business is being sold.
NGP VAN also announced the NGP VAN Innovation Fund, which will fund experiments by client partners on how to raise more money and spur more engagement, and which will share those learnings back with our community. NGP VAN will give away $120,000 for experiments per year, with experiments selected each quarter.
Moving forward, all NGP VAN clients will also have access to standard API endpoints, which now include RESTful bulk APIs, without per call charges, starting this summer. This will spur additional innovation, and will enable clients to run multi-channel programs.
NGP VAN offers a best-in-class Digital, Fundraising and Organizing SaaS products, with a unified customer relationship management (CRM) platform that is able to effectively serve large and small nonprofits, as well as campaigns through its NGP VAN brand. NGP VAN revenue grew by 47% in 2018, and with annual revenues of $50M per year, is now one of the largest and also one of the fastest growing providers of software to nonprofits. NGP VAN clients include some of the largest and most successful organizations, including the National Audubon Society, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, and the United Nations Foundation.
The acquisition follows NGP VAN’s partnership with Insight Partners last August, through which Insight Partners provides capital for the company’s growth. Insight is a leading venture capital and private equity firm focused on high-growth technology and software companies, with a 20+ year track record in partnering to scale businesses. NGP VAN is a platform investment of the firm’s $6.3B Fund X, closed in 2018. NGP VAN will continue to be active with acquisitions moving forward.
About NGP VAN
NGP VAN has grown into one of the largest and fastest growing providers of Digital, Fundraising, and Organizing SaaS tools to nonprofits and progressive campaigns. NGP VAN clients raise billions of dollars each year, send billions of emails, and recruit millions of supporters. Built and supported by nonprofit experts, NGP VAN’s tools allow nonprofits of all sizes to optimize interactions with supporters and prospects, leading to the best outcomes. NGP VAN is headquartered in Washington, D.C., with another major office in Boston. NGP VAN is fueled by passionate people who truly care about doing more good, with a love of important causes and innovative technology. For more information, visit ngpvan.com or follow us on Twitter @everyactionhq.
About the BSD Tools
The BSD Tools was a division of Blue State Digital. BSD Tools, now NGP VAN’s Digital Tools, have helped power nonprofits, advocacy groups, political campaigns, and brands. As the foundation for thousands of successful campaigns, the BSD Tools have processed more than $2 billion in direct contributions from more than 30 million people and driven millions of actions that benefit clients’ brands and bottom lines. For more information, visit https://tools.bluestatedigital.com/.
About Blue State
Blue State is a creative and strategic partner for purpose-driven organizations that want to scale their impact and transform how they engage people. Blue State works across sectors to help nonprofits, corporations, and advocacy groups build on learnings from each other. Blue State has raised $2.5 billion for causes and missions we care about from more than 30 million people since its founding in 2004, helped candidates across the globe win elections, and mobilized millions of activists to take action for healthcare, the environment, social justice, and other progressive causes. For more information about Blue State and their work, visit https://www.bluestatedigital.com/.
About Insight Partners
Insight Partners is a leading global venture capital and private equity firm investing in high-growth technology and software companies that are driving transformative change in their industries. Founded in 1995, Insight has raised more than $23 billion and invested in over 300 companies, as well as more than 200 M & A transactions for our portfolio companies. Our mission is to find, fund and work successfully with visionary executives, providing them with practical, hands-on growth expertise to foster long-term success. Across our people and our portfolio, we encourage a culture around a core belief: growth equals opportunity. For more information on Insight and all its investments, visit www.insightpartners.com or follow us on Twitter @insightpartners.
