Salesforce.org Nonprofit Cloud

Salesforce.org Nonprofit cloud does really well to help all of our staff and faculty get more involved with our undergraduate and graduate admissions teams. They are able to collaborate very well and see all of the robust data that is collected in the CRM. This can be challenging for some less tech-savvy staff members but for the most part is a great platform that our admissions team really enjoys use.

If you only want to track donations, I'd go with something simpler. If you want to track donations and programs and connections between them, there may be nothing better. If you have no technical abilities and no budget, restricted yourself solely to what it does as described exactly in the manual. If you can't devote about 0.25FTE to the constant maintenance and upgrades, don't go with it.

We found Salesforce to be very user-friendly. Running reports and entering information.....all were easily learned and we have very little user error!

Salesforce for Nonprofits is the perfect tool for ALL nonprofits. It allows you to create a sales and customer focus in your fundraising which allows you to advance your mission! It could be less appropriate if you don't have someone that can ensure the accuracy of information on an ongoing basis.

We used several other nonprofit CRM packages before going to Salesforce. We weren't ready before then. It helps to have an understanding of databases and what it is you want to record and report on. Having data just to have data doesn't do anybody any good. Using other software, I knew what functionalities were missing for what we needed and we were able to customize Salesforce to get where we needed to go.

We used the volunteer management software for a couple of projects a few years ago but found it a bit clunky. It's been a couple of years so we will probably try it again to see if the user interface feels like a better fit for us.

I think Salesforce for Nonprofits is well suited for any non-profit out there. Especially if you're a nonprofit of 10 employees or less because you get Salesforce completely for free for those 10 users. I would say a less appropriate application would be non-profits who don't interact or engage with their customers.

For an organization to achieve a successful Salesforce implementation and adoption, a specialized staff member is generally required to steward and maintain the system, including keeping up with releases, offering end user training, meeting reporting requirements, and generally enhancing the system with new functionality and automation. Very small organizations frequently face challenges meeting this recommendation because they simply do not have the capacity to keep up with the demands of a Salesforce instance. Additionally, some of the Salesforce differentiators (like profiles, security, role hierarchy, custom page design etc) are simply not relevant to nonprofits that need most users to have the same experience and do not restrict access to records and fields. Therefore, my opinion is that Salesforce is best suited for mid-to-large nonprofits that can dedicate an entire staff position to database management and are willing to embrace a growth-mindset, as Salesforce is constantly evolving.

It is well suited for organizations that want a long term solution, a one-stop-shop for their entire nonprofit's data and database needs. It requires an internal champion and large buy-in from the staff. It should also be implemented by someone with experience, whether it's someone who's hired on or a consultant hired for the process. It may also require ongoing investment if you want to keep adapting it to your organization's changing needs. It is not recommended for organizations that do not have some budget to invest. It isn't as easy to simply spin up and start using with minimal training.

Salesforce for Nonprofits is a decent comprehensive CRM system, better than three others I have used (DonorPerfect, eTapestry/Blackbaud, and Aegis). For the most part, it is user-friendly (once you get past the setup/customization phase, which is actually rather difficult and involved and often requires working with a Salesforce professional) and allows you to visualize your client data in a streamlined way. However, I do think it needs work in its reporting functionality. If reporting was more customizable, I would really love this CRM.

We are a growing non-profit and I anticipate that the size of Salesforce will be very helpful for us in the future. Right now it is challenging for us and we put a lot of energy into understanding what feels like it should take less energy to do. If someone asked me if they should get Salesforce for non-profits and they were a smaller org that does not anticipate growing past $500,000 annual budget, I would advise them to choose a different platform.

Simply stated: Salesforce is scaleable. If you're looking for a solution that will grow with your nonprofit then Salesforce is the right one. As your database grows for donors and volunteers you need to be able to build on a structure that can support that growth. From native integrations to additional add-ons, Salesforce is your one-stop-shop for managing all your data so that you can effectively reach your audience.

I've used other CRMs and databases for 2-3 other nonprofits I've worked at. Ultimately, Salesforce offers the most dynamic resources and ability to adapt and customize. If you're a team or nonprofit that wants to be more flexible, learn and adapt and use your CRM to lead the way, Salesforce for Nonprofits is the way to go. It is pretty pricey compared to other CRMs, so take that into account. It'd be less appropriate if you want to use Salesforce for only simple tracking and if you're a smaller nonprofit.