<?xml version="1.0"?>
<ownershipDocument>

    <schemaVersion>X0306</schemaVersion>

    <documentType>4</documentType>

    <periodOfReport>2012-11-14</periodOfReport>

    <notSubjectToSection16>0</notSubjectToSection16>

    <issuer>
        <issuerCik>0001280058</issuerCik>
        <issuerName>BLACKBAUD INC</issuerName>
        <issuerTradingSymbol>BLKB</issuerTradingSymbol>
    </issuer>

    <reportingOwner>
        <reportingOwnerId>
            <rptOwnerCik>0001180692</rptOwnerCik>
            <rptOwnerName>MOONEY KEVIN W</rptOwnerName>
        </reportingOwnerId>
        <reportingOwnerAddress>
            <rptOwnerStreet1>2000 DANIEL ISLAND DRIVE</rptOwnerStreet1>
            <rptOwnerStreet2></rptOwnerStreet2>
            <rptOwnerCity>CHARLESTON</rptOwnerCity>
            <rptOwnerState>SC</rptOwnerState>
            <rptOwnerZipCode>29492</rptOwnerZipCode>
            <rptOwnerStateDescription></rptOwnerStateDescription>
        </reportingOwnerAddress>
        <reportingOwnerRelationship>
            <isDirector>0</isDirector>
            <isOfficer>1</isOfficer>
            <isTenPercentOwner>0</isTenPercentOwner>
            <isOther>0</isOther>
            <officerTitle>Pres Gen Markets Business Unit</officerTitle>
        </reportingOwnerRelationship>
    </reportingOwner>

    <nonDerivativeTable>
        <nonDerivativeTransaction>
            <securityTitle>
                <value>Common Stock</value>
            </securityTitle>
            <transactionDate>
                <value>2012-11-14</value>
            </transactionDate>
            <deemedExecutionDate></deemedExecutionDate>
            <transactionCoding>
                <transactionFormType>4</transactionFormType>
                <transactionCode>S</transactionCode>
                <equitySwapInvolved>0</equitySwapInvolved>
            </transactionCoding>
            <transactionTimeliness>
                <value></value>
            </transactionTimeliness>
            <transactionAmounts>
                <transactionShares>
                    <value>3330</value>
                </transactionShares>
                <transactionPricePerShare>
                    <value>21.40</value>
                    <footnoteId id="F1"/>
                </transactionPricePerShare>
                <transactionAcquiredDisposedCode>
                    <value>D</value>
                </transactionAcquiredDisposedCode>
            </transactionAmounts>
            <postTransactionAmounts>
                <sharesOwnedFollowingTransaction>
                    <value>33964</value>
                </sharesOwnedFollowingTransaction>
            </postTransactionAmounts>
            <ownershipNature>
                <directOrIndirectOwnership>
                    <value>D</value>
                </directOrIndirectOwnership>
            </ownershipNature>
        </nonDerivativeTransaction>
    </nonDerivativeTable>

    <derivativeTable>
        <derivativeHolding>
            <securityTitle>
                <value>Stock Appreciation Right</value>
            </securityTitle>
            <conversionOrExercisePrice>
                <value>21.40</value>
            </conversionOrExercisePrice>
            <exerciseDate>
                <footnoteId id="F2"/>
            </exerciseDate>
            <expirationDate>
                <value>2015-08-09</value>
            </expirationDate>
            <underlyingSecurity>
                <underlyingSecurityTitle>
                    <value>Common Stock</value>
                </underlyingSecurityTitle>
                <underlyingSecurityShares>
                    <value>32505</value>
                </underlyingSecurityShares>
            </underlyingSecurity>
            <postTransactionAmounts>
                <sharesOwnedFollowingTransaction>
                    <value>32505</value>
                </sharesOwnedFollowingTransaction>
            </postTransactionAmounts>
            <ownershipNature>
                <directOrIndirectOwnership>
                    <value>D</value>
                </directOrIndirectOwnership>
            </ownershipNature>
        </derivativeHolding>
        <derivativeHolding>
            <securityTitle>
                <value>Stock Appreciation Right</value>
            </securityTitle>
            <conversionOrExercisePrice>
                <value>12.40</value>
            </conversionOrExercisePrice>
            <exerciseDate>
                <footnoteId id="F3"/>
            </exerciseDate>
            <expirationDate>
                <value>2015-11-08</value>
            </expirationDate>
            <underlyingSecurity>
                <underlyingSecurityTitle>
                    <value>Common Stock</value>
                </underlyingSecurityTitle>
                <underlyingSecurityShares>
                    <value>5000</value>
                </underlyingSecurityShares>
            </underlyingSecurity>
            <postTransactionAmounts>
                <sharesOwnedFollowingTransaction>
                    <value>5000</value>
                </sharesOwnedFollowingTransaction>
            </postTransactionAmounts>
            <ownershipNature>
                <directOrIndirectOwnership>
                    <value>D</value>
                </directOrIndirectOwnership>
            </ownershipNature>
        </derivativeHolding>
        <derivativeHolding>
            <securityTitle>
                <value>Stock Appreciation Right</value>
            </securityTitle>
            <conversionOrExercisePrice>
                <value>22.34</value>
            </conversionOrExercisePrice>
            <exerciseDate>
                <footnoteId id="F4"/>
            </exerciseDate>
            <expirationDate>
                <value>2016-11-11</value>
            </expirationDate>
            <underlyingSecurity>
                <underlyingSecurityTitle>
                    <value>Common Stock</value>
                </underlyingSecurityTitle>
                <underlyingSecurityShares>
                    <value>41449</value>
                </underlyingSecurityShares>
            </underlyingSecurity>
            <postTransactionAmounts>
                <sharesOwnedFollowingTransaction>
                    <value>41449</value>
                </sharesOwnedFollowingTransaction>
            </postTransactionAmounts>
            <ownershipNature>
                <directOrIndirectOwnership>
                    <value>D</value>
                </directOrIndirectOwnership>
            </ownershipNature>
        </derivativeHolding>
        <derivativeHolding>
            <securityTitle>
                <value>Stock Appreciation Right</value>
            </securityTitle>
            <conversionOrExercisePrice>
                <value>26.79</value>
            </conversionOrExercisePrice>
            <exerciseDate>
                <footnoteId id="F5"/>
            </exerciseDate>
            <expirationDate>
                <value>2017-11-07</value>
            </expirationDate>
            <underlyingSecurity>
                <underlyingSecurityTitle>
                    <value>Common Stock</value>
                </underlyingSecurityTitle>
                <underlyingSecurityShares>
                    <value>33482</value>
                </underlyingSecurityShares>
            </underlyingSecurity>
            <postTransactionAmounts>
                <sharesOwnedFollowingTransaction>
                    <value>33482</value>
                </sharesOwnedFollowingTransaction>
            </postTransactionAmounts>
            <ownershipNature>
                <directOrIndirectOwnership>
                    <value>D</value>
                </directOrIndirectOwnership>
            </ownershipNature>
        </derivativeHolding>
        <derivativeHolding>
            <securityTitle>
                <value>Stock Appreciation Right</value>
            </securityTitle>
            <conversionOrExercisePrice>
                <value>28.06</value>
            </conversionOrExercisePrice>
            <exerciseDate>
                <footnoteId id="F6"/>
            </exerciseDate>
            <expirationDate>
                <value>2018-11-09</value>
            </expirationDate>
            <underlyingSecurity>
                <underlyingSecurityTitle>
                    <value>Common Stock</value>
                </underlyingSecurityTitle>
                <underlyingSecurityShares>
                    <value>28169</value>
                </underlyingSecurityShares>
            </underlyingSecurity>
            <postTransactionAmounts>
                <sharesOwnedFollowingTransaction>
                    <value>28169</value>
                </sharesOwnedFollowingTransaction>
            </postTransactionAmounts>
            <ownershipNature>
                <directOrIndirectOwnership>
                    <value>D</value>
                </directOrIndirectOwnership>
            </ownershipNature>
        </derivativeHolding>
        <derivativeHolding>
            <securityTitle>
                <value>Performance Stock Appreciation Right</value>
            </securityTitle>
            <conversionOrExercisePrice>
                <value>22.24</value>
            </conversionOrExercisePrice>
            <exerciseDate>
                <footnoteId id="F7"/>
            </exerciseDate>
            <expirationDate>
                <value>2019-11-06</value>
            </expirationDate>
            <underlyingSecurity>
                <underlyingSecurityTitle>
                    <value>Common Stock</value>
                </underlyingSecurityTitle>
                <underlyingSecurityShares>
                    <value>91481</value>
                </underlyingSecurityShares>
            </underlyingSecurity>
            <postTransactionAmounts>
                <sharesOwnedFollowingTransaction>
                    <value>91481</value>
                </sharesOwnedFollowingTransaction>
            </postTransactionAmounts>
            <ownershipNature>
                <directOrIndirectOwnership>
                    <value>D</value>
                </directOrIndirectOwnership>
            </ownershipNature>
        </derivativeHolding>
    </derivativeTable>

    <footnotes>
        <footnote id="F1">This transaction was executed in multiple trades at prices ranging from $21.39 to $21.42. The price reported in Column 4 is a weighted average price. The reporting person hereby undertakes to provide upon request to the SEC staff, the Issuer or a security holder of the Issuer full information regarding the number of shares and prices at which the transactions were effected.</footnote>
        <footnote id="F2">Represents a stock appreciation right which vested in four equal installments beginning on August 8, 2009, subject to continued employment, and shall be settled in stock at time of exercise.</footnote>
        <footnote id="F3">Represents a stock appreciation right which vested in four equal installments beginning on November 7, 2009, subject to continued employment, and shall be settled in stock at time of exercise.</footnote>
        <footnote id="F4">Represents a stock appreciation right which vests in four equal installments beginning on November 10, 2010, subject to continued employment, and shall be settled in stock at time of exercise.</footnote>
        <footnote id="F5">Represents a stock appreciation right which vests in four equal annual installments beginning on November 8, 2011, subject to continued employment, and shall be settled in stock at time of exercise.</footnote>
        <footnote id="F6">Represents a stock appreciation right which vests in four equal annual installments beginning on November 10, 2012, subject to continued employment, and shall be settled in stock at time of exercise.</footnote>
        <footnote id="F7">For full text of this footnote 7, see Remarks.</footnote>
    </footnotes>

    <remarks>(Text to footnote 7) Represents a performance stock appreciation right (&quot;PSAR&quot;) which will vest if the Issuer has maintained a 25% increase in its stock price over $22.24 for any 30 consecutive days prior to the expiration date of the PSAR (the &quot;Performance Metric&quot;), such vesting to occur in four equal annual installments beginning on November 6, 2013, if the Issuer meets the Performance Metric prior to such date.  If the Issuer meets the Performance Metric between November 6, 2013 and November 6, 2014, 25% of the PSAR shall vest upon the Issuer meeting the Performance Metric and the remaining 75% shall vest in three equal annual installments beginning on November 6, 2014.  If the Issuer meets the Performance Metric between November 6, 2014 and November 6, 2015, 50% of the PSAR shall vest upon the Issuer meeting the Performance Metric and the remaining 50% shall vest in two equal annual installments beginning on November 6, 2015.  If the Issuer meets the Performance Metric between November 6, 2015 and November 6, 2016, 75% of the PSAR shall vest upon the Issuer meeting the Performance Metric and the remaining 25% shall vest on November 6, 2016. If the Issuer meets the Performance Metric after November 6, 2016, but prior to the expiration date of the PSAR, then 100% of the PSAR shall vest upon the Issuer meeting the Performance Metric. In all cases, PSARs shall only vest subject to continued employment and shall be settled in stock at the time of exercise.</remarks>

    <ownerSignature>
        <signatureName>/s/ Donald R. Reynolds, Attorney-in-Fact</signatureName>
        <signatureDate>2012-11-16</signatureDate>
    </ownerSignature>
</ownershipDocument>
