The basics

Salesforce Solutions for Nonprofits

More options to meet your mission

You may be considering using Salesforce solutions for your nonprofit organization. But your choices in Salesforce offerings are different than they once were – even just a year ago. Today, you have more options.

In the past, if nonprofits wanted to adopt Salesforce, the primary approach was to adopt Sales and Service Cloud for core customer relationship management (CRM) functionality and then opt for one or more managed packages built for nonprofits. The most popular packages were Nonprofit Success Pack (NPSP) for fundraising, the Program Management Module, and Volunteers for Salesforce. These were distinct packages designed for specific nonprofit functions.

Now nonprofits have another option.

In addition to managed packages for nonprofits, Salesforce now offers the new Nonprofit Cloud. This offering gives nonprofit organizations – especially those with multiple Salesforce administrators or developers – the opportunity to take their use of Salesforce data and CRM to the next level, with the ability to unify different types of data across fundraising, marketing, and programs, plus the ability to use powerful new capabilities that are baked into the new Nonprofit Cloud.

The bottom line is that if your organization is considering using Salesforce, you now have a choice: Either use a managed package approach (as many nonprofits have done for years) or choose to be an early adopter of the new Nonprofit Cloud.

A brief history of Salesforce and the nonprofit sector

2008: Start of Nonprofit Starter Pack and Salesforce.org

The Salesforce nonprofit community starts working on the first version of the Nonprofit Starter Pack (NPSP), a nonprofit data model built on the Salesforce platform and preconfigured for common fundraising needs of nonprofits. Salesforce.org, an independent division of Salesforce, is founded as a nonprofit reseller of Salesforce, delivering the technology to nonprofits and educational institutions. Salesforce.org donates the first 10 Salesforce subscriptions to nonprofits and educational institutions and sells added subscriptions at a discount.

2016: Nonprofit Success Pack (NPSP) Launches

The Nonprofit Starter Pack, which lived on the Salesforce AppExchange as five separate apps, is rebranded as the Nonprofit Success Pack, now an integrated product suite. With the ability to get started with Salesforce using NPSP, nonprofits can now use a flexible, configurable, and powerful Fortune 500-level CRM system as the foundation of a robust technology ecosystem.

2019: Salesforce and Salesforce.org combine

Salesforce.org is integrated into Salesforce as a new industry vertical focused on nonprofits and education institutions with the intent to scale Salesforce’s philanthropic efforts and creating efficiencies. Nonprofits are now an industry market within Salesforce – just like other industries served by the company.

2023: Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud Launches

Salesforce announces the release of the new Nonprofit Cloud. While nonprofits can still get NPSP and other managed packages, the new Nonprofit Cloud is built on the core Salesforce platform, giving nonprofits more customizability and access to features that organizations using other Industry Clouds on Salesforce have been able to use for years.

NPSP itself was always and still is free. Underlying Salesforce licenses (Sales/Service Cloud Enterprise Edition) are paid. Some of the other managed packages are free and some of the other managed packages are paid.

Answering basic questions about Salesforce solutions for nonprofits

What are the differences between managed packages for nonprofits and the new Nonprofit Cloud?

NPSP and other managed packages, like the Program Management Module or Volunteers for Salesforce, have been built on the Salesforce platform and are “managed” (or “updated”) by Salesforce or the third party that built them. They use a specific nonprofit data model.

The new Nonprofit Cloud, however, is built using a different data model. It is not a managed package, but rather an end-to-end technology solution built by Salesforce on the Salesforce platform. When Salesforce rolls out three platform updates each year, the new Nonprofit Cloud receives the same updates that are common across all Industry Clouds, plus other nonprofit-specific functionality, and do not rely on package “managers” to update it.

It enables nonprofits to take advantage of powerful features – such as Business Rules Engine, Data Processing Engine, and OmniStudio – that nonprofits did not have access to before, but that other Industry Clouds on Salesforce have been able to leverage for years.
Nonprofit Cloud includes the core layer of functionality that allows you to manage things like accounts, contacts, leads, opportunities, cases, and campaigns as well as Program Management, Case Management, and Grants Management.

Fundraising was not included in the initial release of the new Nonprofit Cloud, but it is being rolled out starting in fall of 2023.

Fundraising in Nonprofit Cloud will address three key aspects:

Managing a portfolio of major donors and philanthropic partnerships with indicators of propensity to give.
Mass market fundraising supported by segmentation.
Optimizing fundraising operations.

Can nonprofits still get NPSP and other managed packages?

You can still get (or continue using) NPSP and currently available managed packages from the “old” Nonprofit Cloud, such as those for fundraising, program management, case management, and volunteer management.

However, you now also have the option of becoming an early adopter of the new Nonprofit Cloud instead. This can be an alternative worth considering if you want to take advantage of the advanced features available in the core Salesforce platform.

Are 10 donated licenses still available?

The 10 donated licenses are still available for either NPSP / managed packages or the new Nonprofit Cloud. Here’s how it works:

If your nonprofit has 10 donated licenses of NPSP through the Salesforce Power of Us program, and you intend to stay on NPSP, then there is no change.
If your organization has 10 licenses and wants to move to the new Nonprofit Cloud, you can work with your Salesforce account manager to move your licenses to the new Nonprofit Cloud. The move to the new Nonprofit Cloud will require a migration.
If your nonprofit is moving to Salesforce as a new customer and applying for 10 donated licenses through the Power of Us program, you will have a choice between getting 10 donated Sales/Services licenses (which you then add the free NPSP managed package to) or 10 donated Nonprofit Cloud licens

Key benefits of Salesforce for Nonprofits

No matter which Salesforce approach you choose for your organization, there are many benefits of moving to Salesforce.

Innovation. Salesforce is constantly innovating. When you work with a company like Salesforce, you get the benefit of a continuous stream of new products, features, and enhancements to help your organization keep up with our fast-paced digital world.

Flexibility. Salesforce is a highly flexible platform, which means your organization can customize and extend products built on it to meet your unique processes and needs. Salesforce also has a large and mature AppExchange marketplace of third-party applications that integrate with the Salesforce platform, which is important if you anticipate needing to expand and enhance your solutions down the road.

Integrated Data. Solutions built around the Salesforce platform are centered around CRM, which gives you a holistic view of donors, volunteers, and other constituents. This full picture can help you work more strategically and efficiently by using data and processes to collaborate more deeply across the organization.

Efficiency. Tools available on the Salesforce platform give you the ability to automate processes, such as notifying key staff members when a major donor gift is received, to help you do more with less manual work.

Opportunities for Improvement. Many organizations moving to Salesforce find that it opens a new path for business process improvement. So, processes that once had to bend to fit your systems can now be redefined and optimized to fit your organization’s needs instead of the systems’ limitations.

Heller Consulting tip:

Read more about improving your workflows in the article, Moving to Salesforce is an Ideal Opportunity to Rethink Your Business Processes.

Key uses of Salesforce for Nonprofits

Salesforce can help you manage nearly every aspect of your organization, whether you use a managed package approach or the new Nonprofit Cloud.

Fundraising

NPSP is designed to address most of the fundamental fundraising needs of nonprofits, including building donor relationships, accelerating major giving, and connecting multiple giving channels.

As mentioned previously, fundraising functionality in the new Nonprofit Cloud will be available in Fall 2023 and will help organizations with:

Managing a portfolio of major donors and philanthropic partnerships with indicators of propensity to give
Mass market fundraising supported by segmentation
Optimizing fundraising operations

Programs

Program management functionality helps nonprofits organize and manage program data. For example, you can track programs and services, no matter how complex. You can track individual service deliveries and assign program participants to segments based on specific attributes. You can streamline the setup of recurring benefits/services, mass enroll program participants, and track drop-in service deliveries.

Marketing

Using Marketing Cloud, you can segment your audiences and send targeted, personalized communications to donors, volunteers, and other constituents. You can also use pre-built templates to create emails that work and look great on any device.

Case Management

Using case management functionality, you can do things like access information about services delivered, cases, and care plans rendered – all from a single console. You can process inbound client referrals and guided intake, with embedded assessments for deeper insights into clients. You can also build personalized plans for clients and families, including goal tracking, benefit enrollment, and task management.

A note about integrations

In addition to products offered by Salesforce, there are also thousands of third-party apps in the Salesforce AppExchange that integrate with the Salesforce CRM platform to help you extend your Salesforce solutions in new ways. Note that many of these apps may not have been developed or adapted for the new Nonprofit Cloud yet. So, if you have an AppExchange app that is critical to your organization and you’re thinking about investing in the new Nonprofit Cloud, then be sure to check with the vendor that it will work with the new Nonprofit Cloud.

Additional uses for the new Nonprofit Cloud

The new Nonprofit Cloud will also have additional functionality. Here are some examples:

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

At Dreamforce 2023, the user conference for Salesforce, Salesforce announced Einstein for Nonprofit Cloud. Slated to be available in 2024, Einstein for Nonprofit Cloud will allow you to segment supporters, create content such as cultivation emails or social media copy, and create a webpage without having to use code.

For major gift officers, Einstein for Nonprofit Cloud will be able to draft a personalized gift proposal. Fundraisers will be able to draft a proposal and pull in the programs that the donor is affiliated with, and then the AI tool will create a draft of a gift proposal that can be edited and sent out quickly. This will allow fundraisers to reach out to more people in a personalized way.

For programs, users will be able to ask Einstein for Nonprofit Cloud to create a program summary. For fundraising, users will be able to use Einstein for Nonprofit Cloud to generate personalized gift proposals.

Salesforce is committed to responsible AI, meaning Einstein has a “trust layer” that prevents the large language model from storing your prompts and your outputs.

Outcome Management

Slated to be available in the new Nonprofit Cloud in fall 2023, Outcome Management will tie fundraising dollars to programs. It will allow you to track outcomes and programs in one place and have that data connected back to fundraising efforts. This will give your organization insights into how your fundraising dollars are impacting your programs. You can connect outcomes to the programs that they are affiliated with and then use that data to create reports.

Grantmaking

Nonprofit Cloud for Grantmaking, now available as an add-on to the new Nonprofit Cloud (at an additional cost), is a feature-rich grants management software solution that helps organizations manage, track, and deliver funding programs – making it easier and faster to get funding out to other nonprofits, communities, individuals, schools, and other organizations.

As you can see, Salesforce is a strong technology option for nonprofits. The company also has a solid track record of offering powerful nonprofit solutions for more than a decade. According to Salesforce, more than 50,000 nonprofits and NGOs use the Salesforce platform. There is also a huge ecosystem of partners and resources available to support nonprofits that use the Salesforce platform, many of which (like Heller Consulting) are staffed with certified industry veterans who understand the unique needs and challenges of nonprofit organizations.

Alameda County Community Food Bank

Find out how a growing food bank improved its services by partnering with Heller Consulting on a long-term technology strategy.

1 | Consider your requirements

Assess your organization’s priorities and what you want out of new technology. Start by listing your organization’s must-haves, such as ease of use, features and functionality, and integration needs as well as budget. Then, refer to that list as you review the following tips.

2 | Familiarize Yourself with the Salesforce Ecosystem

This guide offers an overview of solutions offered by Salesforce for nonprofits. However, Salesforce is continuing to roll out functionality in the new Nonprofit Cloud and other offerings. So, keep an eye out for product roadmaps and announcements from Salesforce. Also, Salesforce has a large and mature AppExchange marketplace, which can be important if you anticipate needing to expand and enhance your Salesforce solutions extensively. The many options can seem overwhelming, so start simply by looking at your list of requirements and making sure that you identify potential solutions for your needs.

3 | Ask Questions

If you conduct internet searches for Salesforce products for nonprofits, you will likely get results that relate to NPSP and the new Nonprofit Cloud, and it might not be clear which is which. So, if you’re working with an account executive at Salesforce, be sure to ask what your options are between using (or continuing to use) NPSP and moving to the new Nonprofit Cloud. Make sure the account executive helps you understand if being an early adopter of the new Nonprofit Cloud will meet your organization’s needs, or if NPSP is a better option. We also recommend talking with a consultant like Heller Consulting who is helping other organizations navigate changes in offerings.

Also, ask your peers. It can help to talk with other nonprofit professionals about their knowledge, research, and experience with Salesforce to give you a real-world viewpoint.

4 | Don’t Get Distracted by What’s Shiny and New

Remember that while Salesforce continues to innovate, that doesn’t necessarily mean their latest offering is the right option for every nonprofit. For example, here at Heller Consulting, we have nonprofit clients who know about the new Nonprofit Cloud and still choose to continue using NPSP because it better suits their current needs. Always keep your requirements in mind and choose the solutions that align with your goals.

5 | Shift Your Thinking

Comparing Salesforce solutions to your current solutions will not necessarily be apples-to-apples comparisons. For example, if you’re using a legacy donor database product, it’s a fundraising-specific product, while moving to Salesforce NPSP (or eventually to the new Nonprofit Cloud) means you’re moving to a platform on which fundraising products and products for many other departments/functions are built.

This is a different paradigm that requires a change in thinking about the nature of your software, but it can pay off — especially if you want to do more than your current software can support and you want the long-term benefits of having Salesforce as your organization’s primary software platform.

6 | Don’t Buy What You Don’t Need

Pricing varies for Salesforce products for nonprofits and for third-party apps in the Salesforce AppExchange. There are multiple licensing models (some are free, and some aren’t), and there can be added costs for things like data storage and number of contact records.

Be sure to understand your organization’s requirements and each product’s pricing model before signing a contract so that you don’t end up paying for user licenses, data storage, or other fees that you don’t need.

7 | Prepare Your Organization for Change

There are multiple ways to make a switch to new software as smooth as possible. For example:

Consider your staff’s skills and any need for upskilling so that if you decide to adopt NPSP or the new Nonprofit Cloud, you will have the appropriate staff to support it.
Prioritize your organization’s pain points and requirements so that you have a clear understanding of what you’re trying to accomplish with the new technology.
Establish a decision-making process so that any changes to the scope of your project go through clear approval steps, which helps to keep the project focused on “needs” versus “wants” and ultimately avoids scope creep.

Be ready to set aside time for key staff members to work on the technology selection and integration project. For example, specific staff members on your team will need to allow time for project planning, deciding which data will migrate to the new system, testing the new solution before it launches, and training.
Use change management approaches and resources to help smooth the technology transition by building buy-in among people impacted by the change, providing information they need to understand and adapt to a new system, supporting them through the transition, and reinforcing behaviors that are required for them to succeed.

8 | Work with a Knowledgeable Partner

It can be extremely helpful to work with a technology consulting partner to sort through news and changes at Salesforce, understand what will impact your nonprofit’s technology decisions and what won’t, select the right solution for your needs, implement the solution, and manage the technology change.

Your Partner for Nonprofit Salesforce Services

As a Salesforce implementation partner since 2008, our team here at Heller Consulting has extensive experience and knowledge of Salesforce products for the sector. We can help you determine which products are right for your organization and help you implement and support the solutions.

But we don’t work exclusively with Salesforce. We also have deep expertise with other nonprofit technology, such as products from Microsoft and Blackbaud. So, we’re uniquely positioned to help if you need a:

Sounding board to talk about your technology approach
Comparative analysis or fit assessment to confirm your technology direction
Full technology roadmap to take your nonprofit into the future
Partner to help with the technology implementation and support

For nearly three decades, Heller Consulting has focused on helping organizations to plan and implement technology strategies. With thousands of projects and engagements under our belts, our team of experienced Salesforce experts helps nonprofit organizations and higher education institutions advance their missions and meet their business objectives.

No matter where our clients are in their journey, we help them make the most of technology.