Blackbaud (via Apideck)

Access Blackbaud through Apideck's CRM unified API — one of 21 CRM connectors that share the same method surface. Code you write here ports to Odoo, Salesforce, HubSpot and 17 other CRM connectors by changing a single serviceId string. Apideck handles auth, pagination, rate limiting, and retries so you don't write per-tenant Blackbaud plumbing.

Beta connector. Blackbaud is currently in beta on Apideck. Expect partial resource coverage and occasional mapping gaps. Always verify coverage (see below) and fall back to the Proxy API for unsupported operations.

Quick facts

• Apideck serviceId: blackbaud
• Unified API: CRM
• Auth type: oauth2
• Status: beta
• Gotchas: page
• Blackbaud docs: https://developer.blackbaud.com
• Homepage: https://blackbaud.com

When to use this skill

Activate this skill when the user explicitly wants to work with Blackbaud — for example, "pull contacts in Blackbaud" or "sync leads in Blackbaud". This skill teaches the agent:

1. Which Apideck unified API covers Blackbaud (CRM)
2. The correct serviceId to pass on every call (blackbaud)
3. Blackbaud-specific auth and coverage caveats

For the full method surface (parameters, pagination, filtering), use your language SDK skill:

• apideck-node, apideck-python, apideck-dotnet, apideck-java, apideck-go, apideck-php, or apideck-rest

For the raw OpenAPI spec:

• CRM: https://specs.apideck.com/crm.yml · API Explorer

Minimal example (TypeScript)

import { Apideck } from "@apideck/unify";

const apideck = new Apideck({
  apiKey: process.env.APIDECK_API_KEY,
  appId: process.env.APIDECK_APP_ID,
  consumerId: "your-consumer-id",
});

// List contacts in Blackbaud
const { data } = await apideck.crm.contacts.list({
  serviceId: "blackbaud",
});

Portable across 21 CRM connectors

The Apideck CRM unified API exposes the same methods for every connector in its catalog. Switching from Blackbaud to another CRM connector is a one-string change — no rewrite, no new SDK.

// Today — Blackbaud
await apideck.crm.contacts.list({ serviceId: "blackbaud" });

// Tomorrow — same code, different connector
await apideck.crm.contacts.list({ serviceId: "odoo" });
await apideck.crm.contacts.list({ serviceId: "salesforce" });

This is the compounding advantage of using Apideck over integrating Blackbaud directly: code against the unified CRM API once, gain access to every connector in it. New connectors Apideck adds become available to your app without code changes.

Authentication

• Type: OAuth 2.0
• Managed by: Apideck Vault — Apideck handles the full OAuth dance (authorization code flow, token exchange, refresh). Never ask the user for API keys or tokens directly.
• User setup: Users authorize via the Vault modal. Connection state progresses available → added → authorized → callable.
• Token refresh: automatic. Expired tokens are refreshed transparently on the next API call.

See apideck-best-practices for Vault setup, connection lifecycle, and handling re-auth flows.

Verifying coverage

Not every CRM operation is supported by every connector. Always verify before assuming a method works:

curl 'https://unify.apideck.com/connector/connectors/blackbaud' \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer ${APIDECK_API_KEY}" \
  -H "x-apideck-app-id: ${APIDECK_APP_ID}"

See apideck-connector-coverage for patterns around UnsupportedOperationError and connector-specific fallbacks.

Escape hatch: Proxy API

When an endpoint isn't covered by the CRM unified API, use Apideck's Proxy to call Blackbaud directly — Apideck injects auth headers and handles token refresh. Set x-apideck-downstream-url to the target endpoint on Blackbaud's own API:

curl 'https://unify.apideck.com/proxy' \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer ${APIDECK_API_KEY}" \
  -H "x-apideck-app-id: ${APIDECK_APP_ID}" \
  -H "x-apideck-consumer-id: ${CONSUMER_ID}" \
  -H "x-apideck-service-id: blackbaud" \
  -H "x-apideck-downstream-url: <target endpoint on Blackbaud>" \
  -H "x-apideck-downstream-method: GET"

See Blackbaud's API docs for available endpoints.

Sibling connectors

Other CRM connectors that share this unified API surface (same method signatures, just change serviceId):

odoo (beta), salesforce, hubspot, pipedrive, zoho-crm, activecampaign, close, microsoft-dynamics, and 12 more.

See also

• CRM OpenAPI spec · API Explorer
• apideck-connector-coverage — programmatic coverage checks
• apideck-best-practices — architecture, Vault, pagination, error handling
• apideck-node — TypeScript / Node SDK patterns
• Blackbaud official docs