Nonprofit organizations are the backbone of social progress. They work tirelessly in different domains, such as education, healthcare, etc., to make a change and foster prosperity in any society. However, significant challenges lie behind every successful mission they carry out.
For instance, in 2023, rising operating expenses was the largest concern among nonprofit organizations in the United States, with about 46.48 percent of surveyed nonprofits considering it their greatest challenge. Additionally, 36.97 percent of organizations cited limited staffing capacity as a significant organizational challenge. (Source: Statista)
So, operational challenges, like donor management, data fragmentation, managing volunteers, etc., are prominent hindrances that almost every organization faces. But worry not, Salesforce for nonprofit organizations is a comprehensive way forward that helps businesses address their operational complexities.
Introducing Salesforce for Nonprofits Organizations
There are two solutions offered by Salesforce for nonprofits that are discussed in this section:
Nonprofit Success Pack (NPSP):
First Solution for Nonprofits: NPSP was Salesforce’s original solution designed specifically for nonprofits. It is built on the Salesforce platform but is customized for nonprofit use. NPSP allows nonprofits to tailor the platform to their specific needs. For instance, nonprofits can modify the system, create custom fields, and design reports that match their exact requirements. This customization flexibility is a strong point.
Pricing: Salesforce is free for nonprofits with up to 10 licenses. This means up to 10 users in your organization can use Salesforce at no cost.
Nonprofit Cloud:
Newer, Standalone Solution: Salesforce Nonprofit for charities is a newer offering, designed to be an all-in-one, cloud-based solution for nonprofits. It integrates various tools and features in one cohesive package.
Comprehensive Solution: Unlike NPSP, which requires customization to make it fit a nonprofit’s needs, Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud offers more out-of-the-box functionality. It includes features for fundraising, marketing, program management, and more, without requiring as much customization.
Built-in Tools: Salesforce CRM for Nonprofits Cloud comes with built-in tools for marketing, fundraising, and program management that work seamlessly together and allow nonprofits to spend less time on configuration.
Salesforce for Nonprofits Cloud Pricing
| Nonprofit Cloud—Enterprise | Market-leading CRM with purpose-built functionality for nonprofits | $60 USD/user/month (billed annually) |
| Nonprofit Cloud—Unlimited | Unlimited CRM power and support for nonprofits | $100 USD/user/month (billed annually) |
| Nonprofit Cloud Einstein 1 for Sales | Unlimited Edition plus advanced sales and data capabilities | $300 USD/user/month (billed annually) |
| Nonprofit Cloud Einstein 1 for Service | Unlimited Edition plus advanced service and data capabilities | $300 USD/user/month (billed annually) |
Note: Eligible nonprofits receive 10 free Nonprofit Cloud Enterprise Edition licenses through the Power of Us Program. Additional licenses are available at discounted rates.
Overcome Major Challenges with NPSP and Nonprofit Cloud
This section highlights the challenges faced by Nonprofit organizations and how NPSP and Nonprofit Cloud are helpful in overcoming those challenges:
Donor Management and Fundraising
Challenge: Nonprofits often struggle to manage relationships with donors, track donations, and maintain engagement over time. This can lead to missed opportunities for additional donations, lack of personalized communication, and inefficient fundraising strategies.
How Salesforce Helps:
- NPSP: NPSP allows nonprofits to create detailed donor profiles, segment donors based on giving history and develop personalized communication strategies.
- Nonprofit Cloud: Nonprofit Cloud enhances fundraising by providing real-time tracking of donation activity, predictive analytics for forecasting donations, and integration with third-party tools for online giving. It allows nonprofits to create targeted fundraising campaigns, track donor behavior, and provide donors with easy ways to donate via integrated tools.
Volunteer Management
Challenge: Managing volunteers can be a logistical nightmare, especially when organizations need to track volunteer hours, assign tasks, and communicate effectively with volunteers. Without the right tools, nonprofits can struggle to coordinate and retain volunteers.
How Salesforce Helps:
- NPSP: With NPSP, nonprofits can track volunteer information, hours worked, and contributions to specific programs. NPSP integrates volunteer management with donor and program management so organizations can have a unified view of both their supporters and volunteers.
- Nonprofit Cloud: Nonprofit Cloud includes features like volunteer scheduling, task assignment, and volunteer impact tracking. It allows nonprofits to organize and manage volunteers more efficiently and ensure volunteers are matched with the right tasks.
Program Management and Outcome Measurement
Challenge: Many nonprofits struggle to track the effectiveness of their programs and measure their impact. Without proper outcome measurement, nonprofits may have difficulty demonstrating their success to funders, donors, and other stakeholders.
How Salesforce Helps:
- NPSP: While NPSP is excellent for tracking donors and engagement, its capabilities for tracking program outcomes can be somewhat limited.
- Nonprofit Cloud: Nonprofit Cloud includes robust tools for program management and outcome tracking that help organizations to track and report on the impact of their programs.
Data Fragmentation and Lack of Integration
Challenge: Many nonprofits use separate tools for different aspects of their operations, like donor management, volunteer tracking, event management, etc., that leads to data fragmentation and inefficiency. This makes it difficult to get a complete picture of the organization’s activities and often results in data silos.
How Salesforce Helps:
- NPSP: NPSP integrates donor management with fundraising and program tracking. It provides a unified platform where organizations can store and access key data, ensuring there’s no need to rely on multiple disconnected systems.
- Nonprofit Cloud: Nonprofit Cloud takes integration to the next level by providing an all-in-one platform that connects fundraising, marketing, program management, and data tracking in one system. It helps eliminate silos by integrating these functions, providing a single view of all donors, volunteers, and program data.
Reporting and Impact Demonstration
Challenge: Nonprofits often struggle with creating clear and compelling reports that demonstrate the impact of their work. Without proper reporting tools, it can be difficult to showcase how donations are being used or the difference a program is making in the community.
How Salesforce Helps:
- NPSP: NPSP offers customizable reports for donor activity, fundraising campaigns, and giving trends. This enables nonprofits to create reports tailored to their needs and share those insights with stakeholders.
- Nonprofit Cloud: Nonprofit Cloud goes beyond basic reporting to provide advanced data analytics and visualization tools. With built-in dashboards, nonprofits can track key performance indicators (KPIs), forecast outcomes, and create easily understandable reports to share with donors, board members, and funders.
CTA: Overcome challenges and get tailored Salesforce solutions with CRMForce+, a certified Salesforce Partner.
Key Differences between NPSP and Nonprofit Cloud
In this section, we have enlisted the key differences between NPSP and Nonprofit Cloud:
| Target Audience | Primarily small to medium-sized nonprofits focusing on fundraising and donor management | Best for medium to large-sized nonprofits with complex operations, multiple programs, and needs for advanced reporting |
| Functionality | Primarily focuses on fundraising, donor management, and volunteer tracking | A comprehensive solution offering fundraising, program management, case management, outcome tracking, and analytics |
| Case Management | Not available as part of the core features of NPSP. Third-party integrations are required for case management | Case management functionality is built into Nonprofit Cloud, designed for tracking client progress and interventions |
| Customizability | Highly customizable through Salesforce’s native platform. Nonprofits can modify and extend functionalities | Highly customizable, but the default configuration is more integrated and unified across fundraising, programs, and outcomes |
To see how these features work for your organization, request a Salesforce CRM for Nonprofits demo.
Benefits of Salesforce for Nonprofits
In this section, we have highlighted the key benefits of Salesforce for Nonprofits organizations:
- Donor & Fundraising Management: Track donations, automate outreach, and boost engagement.
- Nonprofit Success Pack (NPSP): Tailored solutions for grants, programs, and impact measurement.
- AI & Automation: Optimize campaigns, streamline processes, and save time on admin tasks.
- Integration & Scalability: Connect with third-party apps for enhanced functionality.
- Cloud-Based Access: Secure data storage and remote collaboration.
- Cost-Effective: Salesforce for Nonprofits is cost-effective.
Harness Maximum Operational Excellence with Salesforce for Nonprofits
Salesforce for Nonprofits, through NPSP and Nonprofit Cloud, provides powerful tools to tackle many of the challenges nonprofits face, including donor management, volunteer coordination, program tracking, and reporting. CRMForce+ is a certified Salesforce CRM implementation partner with over 10 years of experience in the CRM market. With a team of skilled and experienced professionals, we are obliged to provide customized Salesforce solutions that can align with the vision and objectives of your organization.
If struck with any query, reach out to us at info@crmforceplus.com or contact us at +1 707 244 7950.
FAQs
What is Salesforce CRM software for nonprofits?
Salesforce CRM for nonprofits is a cloud-based platform. It helps manage donor relationships, fundraising, program management, volunteer coordination, and outcomes tracking that enables organizations to streamline operations and maximize impact.
What are the benefits of using a nonprofit Salesforce CRM?
Nonprofit Salesforce CRM enhances donor management, streamlines fundraising, improves program tracking, fosters collaboration, offers customizable features and automated workflows, & provides data-driven insights to drive growth and impact.
Do you offer discounts to nonprofits purchasing Salesforce products?
Yes, Salesforce offers discounts and special programs for nonprofits through the Power of Us Program. To apply or check eligibility, visit Salesforce’s Power of Us Program page or contact CRMForce+.
How much does nonprofit software cost?
Nonprofit software costs vary; Salesforce Nonprofit Success Pack (NPSP) offers 10 free licenses, with additional licenses starting at $36/user/month. Nonprofit Cloud starts at $60/user/month, depending on features and customizations.
What is the Nonprofit Success Pack (NPSP)?
The Nonprofit Success Pack (NPSP) is a Salesforce solution tailored for nonprofits that provides tools for donor management, fundraising, volunteer tracking, and relationship building, all customizable on the Salesforce platform.
How can Salesforce CRM help with donor management?
Salesforce CRM helps with donor management by tracking donor interactions, automating communication, segmenting audiences, managing donations, providing insights, and fostering relationships through personalized engagement and data-driven strategies.
Is Salesforce customizable for nonprofit needs?
Yes, Salesforce is highly customizable for nonprofit needs. It enables organizations to tailor features, workflows, reports, and dashboards. You can also integrate various tools to match specific fundraising, program, and operation requirements.
