Why salesforce for nonprofits

However, a data migration gone wrong can be a disaster for even the most established organizations. Remember, CRM platforms are heavy-duty pieces of software that contain your most important and sensitive pieces of data, so having a professional handle this process is the safest move. You have to pick and connect those to NPSP yourself. A Salesforce implementation partner can provide the invaluable service of helping you build and then configure your Salesforce toolkit before you fully make the move.

This saves crucial time once your new system goes live, ensuring you can get up and running quickly with a full set of features and tools. Plus, a tech consultant can develop and implement integrations between your existing software and your new Salesforce for Nonprofits platform.

If you already depend on a standalone tool and would rather not replace it with a new Salesforce app, there are almost always integrations options available. As Salesforce becomes an increasingly popular CRM choice, more and more software providers are prioritizing creating ready-made integrations for their products. If your Salesforce implementation is part of a broader upgrade to your technology strategy , a consultant will be instrumental in ensuring that its configuration fits perfectly into your new approach or toolkit.

This part of the Salesforce implementation process is arguably one of the most critical for generating long-term ROI on your new CRM platform. Without documentation and training, you risk losing steam on your Salesforce NPSP implementation project.

Or, knowledge will get siloed into one or two individuals. A technology consultant or Salesforce implementation partner will be able to provide thorough documentation on their processes so that they can be recreated in the future as needed.

They should also be able to stick around and ensure your team has their bearings in the new system. See our complete guide to hiring a Salesforce nonprofit consultant for more context on what to look for in an implementation partner.

To reiterate a key point: Salesforce for Nonprofits is free for nonprofit organizations, but installing and configuring to maximize its functionality and long-term usefulness is not. Salesforce has created a handy survey for organizations to gauge their readiness here. We definitely recommend giving it a look. If your organization is ready to commit to implementing Salesforce, congratulations.

This platform has completely changed how organizations of all shapes and sizes approach their data, unlocking new levels of growth for them along the way. Remember, though, that implementing any new CRM is an intensive process. Take an audit of your current technology and how you use it. Most importantly, it gives you and your implementation partner a good sense of how your organization operates as well as your must-haves for your new Salesforce system.

Ask yourself and your team some important questions before diving headfirst into the implementation process:. Knowing the answers to these questions will streamline the entire process down the line, especially during the Discovery Stage of your engagement with an implementation partner.

What is the state of your current database? Clean up any duplicates in your system before starting the process of moving to Salesforce. Additionally, think about what sources of data will need to be migrated. Not all of your data will necessarily need to be migrated. Remember, too, that the implementation and migration process will require time from any and all staff members who interact with your data or who will be handling your new Salesforce platform.

Following these best practices to clean up your data and prepare your tech will make the move as easy as possible. See these additional implementation tips from Salesforce for more information. Leverage deep insights to engage constituents with extraordinary experiences along their journey from ally to advocate. Go from award to impact faster. Grantmakers can seamlessly manage the entire lifecycle of philanthropic giving — from eligibility and application, to application reviews and evaluations, all the way through grants distribution and real-time outcome tracking.

Contact us to learn more about Nonprofit Cloud and start taking full advantage of a modern cloud platform to transform your organization. Contact us. The Nonprofit Cloud Advantage. Related Searches. Learn more about CRM solutions for your industry. This CRM database is capable of managing complex databases and providing graphic and analytical data in both a historical and live format.

Small and midsize nonprofits should choose a nonprofit CRM that is easy to use and provides the results you actually need. Some nonprofit CRM systems take months to fully integrate and require you to have an IT department to maintain the database or spend a lot of money to have an outside technology firm do the work for you.

To see if Kindful is a good fit for your organization, you can schedule a demo now. Filed Under: Donor Management. Make a list of the needs you're looking to fulfill by investing in new fundraising software. Consider both the needs you need to fill now and the ones your nonprofit will have in the future as you continue to expand. Use our essentials list from earlier to get started. Remember that your nonprofit's needs are uniquely yours and cookie cutter just lists won't do it. We recommend finding a complete fundraising software integration rather than investing in individual native apps from the AppExchange.

However, it's always good to conduct research about both and come to your own decision as to which will be better for your nonprofit. Don't forget about long-term costs in addition to the short-term while conducting this research. Start creating a list of potential vendors. Get a jump start on this list by looking at the referral pages of companies that you trust.

Consider looking at partnership lists from the other organizations you invest in. Referrals from these sources tend to be preferred over random companies. You can also start comparing functionality using these lists as well as software review sites like Capterra or G2 Crowd.

Narrow down your list of providers by conducting extensive research on each one. Make sure everyone on your shortlist has all of the functionality necessary to build out Salesforce for nonprofits.

Try to ensure all of these solutions are also within or close to your budget. While you don't want to lose out on a great solution, you also don't want to break the bank! Contact the various software providers on your shortlist to schedule demos with them. Be sure to ask all of your questions don't be shy about anything so that you can make a true comparison between the software solutions.

Conduct research beforehand and make sure you have all of the questions you want to ask, including about price and functionality, so that you're ready going into the demo. Conduct one last round of research to solidify your decisions.

This step isn't designed to make you second guess yourself or cast doubt on the decision. Instead, it's supposed to solidify your thinking and help you feel good about the choice you've made. If you don't feel good about it, you may want to rethink your selection process.

Now it's time to invest, set up, configure, and train your staff to use the new software. With your new solution, the power of Salesforce for nonprofits is in the palm of your hand. The best solution to kick off your research is Salsa Engage for Salesforce. Salsa Engage is a complete nonprofit solution that helps organizations enhance every aspect of their fundraising strategy. Not only do they offer all of the features mentioned in section 3, but they also offer a full, easy-to-implement integration with Salesforce.

Salesforce for nonprofits is a major draw to many nonprofits because of its "free" solution.