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Luminate Online

Updated

Sync constituents, donations, campaigns, and email data from Luminate Online to Avid for analysis, segmentation, and Pathway destinations. Luminate Online exposes two API endpoints, SOAP and REST. Avid uses both, and each endpoint requires its own dedicated Luminate Online API user. 

Use this article when

  • You are connecting a Luminate Online instance to Avid for the first time.
  • You need to set up the SOAP user and the REST user that Avid requires.
  • You need to generate the Open API Key and API Secret Key, or whitelist Avid's IP addresses.
  • You are updating credentials on an existing Luminate Online connection.
  • You need to find your Web Service URL in Luminate Online.

Avid uses the SOAP API for data sync and the REST (Open API) endpoint for newer Luminate Online features. A single Luminate Online user cannot authenticate both endpoints, so you create one dedicated user per endpoint.

Applies to and prerequisites

Requirement Details
Avid permission Connections > Edit
Luminate Online role Each API user must be an active constituent with administrator status and membership in an admin security group that has the Use Luminate Online APIs permission.
API users needed Two: one SOAP API user, and one REST (Open API) user. The same user cannot be reused across both endpoints.
What Avid syncs Constituents, donations, campaigns, donation forms, email campaigns, email messages, email recipients, group types, groups, interests.
Time estimate 15 to 20 minutes.

You must whitelist Avid's IP addresses in Luminate Online before connecting. After it is connected, Luminate Online appears in Avid with Reporting, Audiences, and (where enabled) Playbooks capabilities, and is available as a Pathway destination.

Step 1: Prepare your Luminate Online account

Before connecting Avid, complete three tasks in Luminate Online:

  1. Create the dedicated SOAP API user.
  2. Create the dedicated REST (Open API) user.
  3. Generate the API Key and API Secret Key, and whitelist Avid's IP addresses, in Setup > Site Options > Open API Configuration.

Use dedicated API accounts rather than personal admin accounts. This makes it easier to manage access and audit API activity per endpoint.

Create the SOAP API user

  1. Log in to Luminate Online as an administrator.
  2. Create or select the constituent record that will authenticate Avid's SOAP sync.

  3. Confirm the account meets all of the following:

    • Active constituent with administrator status.
    • Member of an admin security group.
    • Use Luminate Online APIs permission enabled on that security group.

    You will use this account's username and password in Step 3.

Create the REST (Open API) user

  1. Create a second constituent record for the REST endpoint. Do not reuse the SOAP user.
  2. Apply the same requirements as the SOAP user:
    • Active constituent with administrator status.
    • Member of an admin security group.
    • Use Luminate Online APIs permission enabled on that security group.

One user per endpoint. Luminate Online does not support sharing a single user across the SOAP and REST endpoints. Reusing one user causes the REST connection to fail authentication.

Generate the API Key, API Secret Key, and whitelist IPs

  1. In Luminate Online, go to Setup > Site Options > Open API Configuration.

    The Open API Configuration page opens.

  2. Generate or copy the API Key and the API Secret Key.

    You will paste these into Avid in Step 3. Treat the API Secret Key like a password.

  3. Add Avid's IP addresses to the IP whitelist on the same page:

    35.184.153.118/32
35.238.235.148/32
35.225.16.95/32

    Save the configuration. Connections will fail if any of the three IPs are missing.

If Setup > Site Options > Open API Configuration is not visible, contact Luminate Online support to enable Open API access for your site. Some accounts require Blackbaud to turn it on.

Step 2: Find your Web Service URL

The Web Service URL is the base endpoint for Luminate Online's SOAP API. Avid appends /wsdl automatically when validating it.

  1. In Luminate Online, go to Administration > System > Web Services.

    You see your organization's Web Service URL.

  2. Copy the URL. It looks like:

    https://webservices.cluster2.convio.net/1.0/org_name

    Replace cluster2 with your cluster number and org_name with your organization's short name. Both values are shown on the Web Services page.

Step 3: Connect Luminate Online to Avid

  1. In Avid, go to Settings > Connections.

  2. Click Add System.

    The Add a System dialog opens.

  3. Search for Luminate and select the Luminate Online card.

    The Luminate Online connection form opens.

  4. Enter the SOAP credentials from Step 1 and Step 2:
    • Web Service URL: the URL you copied in Step 2 (for example, https://webservices.cluster2.convio.net/1.0/org_name).
    • Luminate Online Username: the username of your SOAP API user.
    • Luminate Online Password: the password for that user.
  5. Enter the REST credentials when the form prompts for them:
    • The API Key from Setup > Site Options > Open API Configuration.
    • The API Secret Key from the same page.
    • The username and password of your REST API user.

  6. Click Save.

    Avid validates both endpoints. SOAP validation appends /wsdl to the Web Service URL. The check usually completes in a few seconds.

If validation succeeds, the Luminate Online connection appears on the Connections page with an Active status badge and a Last Synced timestamp.

What you will see

After a successful connection, Avid begins syncing the following from Luminate Online within a few minutes:

  • Constituents: donor and constituent records.
  • Donations: donation and transaction history.
  • Donation Campaigns: campaign tracking and attribution.
  • Donation Forms: online donation form metadata.
  • Email Campaigns: email campaign records.
  • Email Messages: email message metadata and delivery status.
  • Email Recipients: email recipient activity and engagement.
  • Groups: constituent groups and lists.
  • Group Types: group classification metadata.
  • Interests: constituent interests and preferences.

Your Luminate Online data appears as Data Sets in Avid. You can build segments, create reports, and send audiences to marketing platforms via Pathways. Avid syncs continuously from Luminate Online.

Update credentials on an existing connection

  1. In Avid, go to Settings > Connections and find your Luminate Online card.
  2. Click the more menu on the card and select Update Credentials.
  3. Update any of the following: Web Service URL, SOAP username and password, REST username and password, API Key, or API Secret Key.

  4. Click Save.

    Avid revalidates both endpoints immediately and refreshes the Last Synced timestamp on success.

To force a fresh data pull without changing credentials, open the more menu on the connection card and click Sync Now.

Troubleshooting

Connection fails with "Integration failed"
  • Verify the Web Service URL is correct. Copy it directly from Luminate Online without extra spaces.
  • Confirm the URL follows the format https://webservices.cluster2.convio.net/1.0/org_name with two path segments (/1.0 and /org_name). Avid appends /wsdl automatically, so do not add it yourself.
  • Confirm all three Avid IP addresses are whitelisted in Setup > Site Options > Open API Configuration.
  • Confirm your Luminate Online subscription is active. An inactive subscription disables the API.
Connection fails with "unable to query the Luminate Online API"
  • Verify the SOAP username is correct and free of extra spaces.
  • Verify the SOAP password is correct. Passwords are case sensitive.
  • Confirm the SOAP user has API Administrator status under Administration > Users.
  • Confirm the SOAP user's security group has the Use Luminate Online APIs permission enabled.
  • Try logging in to Luminate Online directly with these credentials to rule out account issues.
REST endpoint fails to authenticate
  • Confirm you are using a second Luminate Online user for REST. The SOAP user cannot be reused on the REST endpoint.
  • Reopen Setup > Site Options > Open API Configuration and confirm the API Key and API Secret Key match what you pasted into Avid.
  • Regenerate the API Secret Key if you suspect it was copied incorrectly, then run Update Credentials in Avid to save the new value.
  • Confirm the REST user's security group has the Use Luminate Online APIs permission enabled.
Data is not syncing after the connection succeeds
  • The initial sync can take 10 to 30 minutes depending on data volume. Check back in a few minutes.
  • Open the connection from Settings > Connections and check the Last Synced timestamp and any error text.
  • Click Sync Now from the connection's more menu to retry on demand.
  • Verify data exists in Luminate Online. Log in and confirm constituents, donations, and other records are present.
  • If syncs continue to fail, submit a request with the connection name so we can investigate.
Sync fails intermittently with session errors

Luminate Online limits concurrent SOAP sessions. If you see errors mentioning active synchronization session:

  • This usually resolves on its own. Avid retries automatically after a short wait.
  • If retries continue to fail, ask your Luminate Online administrator to check for other API sessions that may be holding the sync session.
  • Avoid running other API integrations or reports at the same time as Avid syncs. Stagger them by at least 30 minutes.

Notes and limits

Removing or rotating the API Key, the API Secret Key, or either user's password breaks the connection until you update Avid. Run Update Credentials right after any rotation.

Removing an Avid IP from the whitelist in Setup > Site Options > Open API Configuration causes both endpoints to start failing within minutes. Add IPs back to restore service.

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