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Ten Benefits of Salesforce as a Nonprofit CRM

data silos
No more data silos

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 system can remove data silos by tracking and managing programs, clients, outcomes, operations, and fundraising all in one place.

Marketplace of 3rd party tools

Salesforce allows you to extend its functionality with third-party tools. As a result, the Salesforce AppExchange is a thriving marketplace of tools to extend Salesforce’s functionality. These apps can save you from developing custom functionality and many are free or discounted for nonprofits. Available tools range from integration with popular email marketing tools to online donation tools to event management. There is also a whole crop of nonprofit specific applications, including apps used to track volunteers, manage auctions, track case management, and manage affordable housing programs. Learn more about selecting applications from the AppExchange.

Point-and-click tools to administer and extend the system

Salesforce includes point-and-click tools to allow nonprofit staff to configure their system without needing a consultant for every change. Nonprofit staff can learn to handle a variety of tasks including tweaking how data appears to staff (page layouts), creating and customizing reports, and managing permissions and security. This enables nonprofits to own and manage their own system over time.

Open-source Nonprofit Success Pack

The Nonprofit Success Pack is a free, open-source donor and constituent management app developed by Salesforce.org and supported by a community of Salesforce.org employees, partners, and customers. It includes all the customizations needed to cover many common nonprofit business processes. The Success Pack can even be customized to track complicated relationships often found with clients of human services organizations.

License donations and discounts

Salesforce.org generously provides license donations and discounts for qualified nonprofit organizations through their Power of Us program. (10 free licenses to 501(c)3s and registered Canadian charities, and deep discounts on additional licenses.)

Strong nonprofit community

There is a strong and active community of more than 20,000 nonprofit and academic institutions using Salesforce. There is a thriving network of consulting firms dedicated to nonprofits and education. This community gathers on a supportive, private social network called the Power of Us HUB to share successes and solve challenges together.

Cloud-based system with mobile device access

Salesforce runs on their servers in the cloud so your IT staff doesn’t have to maintain your own servers. This lets you access your data from any computer or mobile device, anytime you want. If you need to, you can put limits on this access. You also get automatic upgrades three times per year as part of Salesforce’s regular release schedule, at no extra cost.

Robust reporting and analytics

Salesforce includes comprehensive reporting and analytics so you can quickly answer questions about your data: Who gave last year but unfortunately not this year? (Who are my “LYBUNT” donors?) Who are my top donors? Who are my top donors of this year? Which constituents are participating in a specific program? Which constituents are participating in more than one program?

Powerful security and sharing model

Salesforce boasts a robust and flexible security and sharing model that allows you to limit access or functionality within your organization. Some examples of this are limiting who can see donation information or only allow specific people to update program data.

Flexible workflow automation

Salesforce excels at workflow automation. It’s easy to automate your common processes, such as sending an email to key staff when a large donation is entered, creating follow up tasks for development officers, or sending a weekly summary of volunteer activities to your volunteer manager.

 

Want to find out more about what it takes to implement Salesforce and set your organization up for success? Read our posts on understanding what you are getting into with Salesforce and how much will my project cost.

At Bigger Boat Consulting, we’ve seen first hand the impact Salesforce can have on organizations. Learn more about us and our clients, or reach out to talk to us about how we can help you get your organization set up for success.

2 replies on “Ten Benefits of Salesforce as a Nonprofit CRM”

[…] Salesforce.com is a constiutent relationship management (CRM) system.  It provides the base for tracking contacts, organizations, task, activities, and has incredible flexibility in letting customers customize their database to do whatever they can imagine.   It has a solid analytical system to customize reports and create dashboards.    Want to know more about why Salesforce is a good solution for Nonprofits?   Read Ten Benefits of Salesforce As A Nonprofit CRM. […]