There are so many people involved in the Salesforce world and many of them are blogging about their experiences and their ideas. We have put together a list of a few of our favorite Salesforce blogs, some nonprofit-focused and some not. We hope you enjoy reading them and if you have some of your favorites,…
Just over a year ago, version 3 of the Nonprofit Starter Pack was launched. It was a pivotal release for several reasons. This release added a more flexible architecture and a new preferred account model, called the Household account model. It also added new features such as seasonal addresses and streamlined settings. The v3 release…
The Salesforce Foundation recently announced their 2015 Force for Change grant program. This grant program focuses on “increasing social impact through the innovative use of Salesforce technologies.” In the past, these grants have helped nonprofit and higher ed organizations accelerate and/or scale their work in Salesforce. The grant program is part of their pioneering 1/1/1 model…
Whether or not you consider testing to be exciting (“HEY EVERYONE! COME SEE WHAT I BROKE!!!!!”) or dulling to the senses, it is utterly necessary. And when we are talking specifically about User Acceptance Testing (UAT) done by our clients, it always improves the overall quality of the system being built. And isn’t improving your…
Choosing the right database platform for your organization is a critical decision. In our (and many other people’s) experience, Salesforce is an excellent choice for nonprofit organizations. Here’s why: Eliminates data silos The Salesforce platform is powerful and flexible enough to centralize or integrate a nonprofit’s data management needs into a single system. This single…
As you delve into the Salesforce admin world, you may find yourself suddenly juggling multiple usernames and passwords. “I thought I only had one database!” you may be thinking. You do! But there are other parts of your Salesforce experience that have their own logins. This can quickly feel overwhelming and even frustrating, especially if…
Many nonprofit organizations manage cohort groups. This includes leadership development organizations, educational cohorts, and alumni organizations. The requirements of these organizations typically include: Nominations and/or applications via a website. Tracking where the nominee is in the process for cohort selection. Sending communication to cohorts and/or individual members. Tracking the progress of cohort members through the…
Human and social services organizations often care about the geography of clients or services needed by clients. This can include picking up donated goods or finding the closest referral partner to a client’s home. I recently got to know Geopointe for a Dreamforce presentation. It’s a powerful tool for anyone who cares about the “where”…
Many of the biggest hurdles organizations face when implementing Salesforce are not about technology at all. In fact, they are much more about the approach the organization takes towards the process overall. Our friend Sam Dorman has created an excellent Getting Ready Playbook that’s available for download and is also part of the Salesforc.org’s Power of…
At Dreamforce a group of us pulled together a panel to share our collective experience building and scaling Salesforce applications for the nonprofit sector. This post is a collaborative effort with Alex Bernadotte from Beyond 12, Zach Goldstein from Health Leads, Tiffany Eng from Capital Impact Partners, and Jesse Maddex from the Salesforce Foundation. The…