The Complete Guide to Salesforce for Nonprofits

A platform for good

Discover how to make smarter decisions and achieve sharper processes to deliver greater social impact.

Learn how you can make better connections with colleagues, supporters, and beneficiaries to build a better world.

Technology is the most powerful equalizer of our time, unlocking data, expanding knowledge, and — above all — building connections. Salesforce.org puts the world’s best technology in the hands of nonprofits and educational institutions, so they can connect with colleagues, supporters, and beneficiaries to maximise their impact.

At Salesforce.org, we empower nonprofits to make smarter decisions and achieve sharper processes to deliver greater social impact. We believe in coming together to create a better future for everyone.

Introduction • Why CRM matters for nonprofits • Where to start • Customer success stories • Conclusion

CRM for Good

Changing the world for good

Transform your processes, empower your teams,and fast-track your goals with Salesforce.

For a small nonprofit, maintaining spreadsheets and jotting down notes about beneficiaries and donors may be a simple process. But as the organisation grows, it will quickly become apparent that this is not a scalable system, and information and processes will become siloed.

This is where CRM comes in. CRM stands for ‘customer relationship management’, but at Salesforce it means so much more than that.

Nonprofit Technology built on the Worlds #1 CRM. With a single, scalable platform, nonprofits can finally achieve the coveted 360-degree view of their organisation. Better visibility translates into greater efficiency, deeper insights, and richer connections, which will enable you and your team to focus on what matters: achieving your mission and driving impact.

Introduction • Why CRM matters for nonprofits • Where to start • Customer success stories • Conclusion

CRM for Good

A platform for impact

Average improvements reported from .org customers:

31% donor retention

85% improved ability to achieve mission

31% constituent engagement

Section summary

In this section, you’ll discover how to:

• Manage your entire mission with one Integrated CRM

• Connect client, program and service data to deliver, measure and optimise programs fasterand increase their impact, at scale

• Leverage a unified view of supporters to improve the donor experience and fundraising performance

• Use insights to create highly personalised constituent experiences to build lasting trusted experiences

Get connected with Nonprofit Cloud

Get connected with nonprofit cloud

Nonprofit Cloud is the only platform for nonprofits that can power your entire mission: track and measure your impact in real time, raise more funds with AI-driven insights on your donors, and take your constituents on more personal journeys.

Introduction • Why CRM matters for nonprofits • Where to start • Customer success stories • Conclusion

CRM for Good

Introduction • Why CRM matters for nonprofits • Where to start • Customer success stories • Conclusion

CRM for Good

Program Management

The backbone of any nonprofit’s mission is the programs and services it provides. Managing programs effectively means tracking processes and measuring outcomes. Nonprofits are embracing Nonprofit Cloud for program management because of its flexibility. Every nonprofit works in its own unique way, but our platform is customisable with point-and-click tools – minimising coding required.

Having a complete view of every supporter is key for building long-term relationships. With our platform, all of your donor and supporter information is available in one place, giving you full visibility of all the different ways you’re engaging with supporters, what their interest in your organisation is and their complete history with you. And with better insight into who is supporting you, you can create an optimised moves management strategy that nurtures people to a deeper level of engagement.

Fundraising

*All eligible organizations receive 10 subscriptions of our premium 'Sales & Service Cloud Enterprise Edition' at no cost. Get deep discountson additional subscriptions.

Introduction • Why CRM matters for nonprofits • Where to start • Customer success stories • Conclusion

CRM for Good

As a nonprofit, nothing is more important than being able to tell your story to the right people, at the right time, with the right message. In today’s digital world, there are a growing number of channels and touchpoints to master in order to reach the right audience. With our platform, it’s easy to use data to make every message more powerful and personalised.

Engagement

Intelligent analytics are changing the way nonprofits use data to better understand aspects of their business, to make big decisions, and measure the impact of their efforts in real time. If tracking metrics is your thing, then we have you covered. We can help you replace end-of-year reporting with measuring KPIs in real time, and our platform allows you to harness the power of big data to build intelligent reports and visual dashboards.

Analytics

*All eligible organizations receive 10 subscriptions of our premium 'Sales & Service Cloud Enterprise Edition' at no cost. Get deep discounts on additional subscriptions.

Section summary

In this section, you’ll discover:

• There are multiple support systems in place to help you along your journey to success

• 10 free licenses for eligible nonprofits

• An active Community of over 47k organisations ready to help

Beyond the platform

Introduction • Why CRM matters for nonprofits • Where to start • Customer success stories • Conclusion

CRM for Good

Beyond the platform

Ready to give it a go?

We give eligible organisations 10 CRM licenses absolutely free through The Power of Us Program, and you can make big savings on additional subscriptions.

When you’re part of the Salesforce.org community, you’re never alone. We’re not just a technology platform; we’re a community-driven movement.

When you activate your Salesforce subscriptions, you also get access to The Power Of Us Hub — a one-stop resource centre and online community of over 47,000 nonprofit Salesforce users. As well as accessing product training, documentation, and resources, you can engage with your peers, community MVPs, Salesforce.org employees, and partners.

Trailhead is a fun, free way to learn about Salesforce. With hundreds of modules covering virtually every part of the platform, you and your staff can become Salesforce experts in no time.

Based on the support needs of your NGO, we offer a variety of Success, Advisory and Strategic Services, such as Premier Success, which gives you 24x7 access to Salesforce experts. We also offer Accelerators, Customer Success Architects, and other paid services.

Introduction • Why CRM matters for nonprofits • Where to start • Customer success stories • Conclusion

CRM for Good

The Power of Us program

More than 40,000 nonprofits, foundations, and higher education institutions use Salesforce through The Power of Us Program.

Join our community for instant access to the Power of Us Hub – a one-stop resource centre with a wealth of best practice documents specifically tailored to the needs of nonprofits. Engage with other organisations, connect with employees, meet recognised nonprofit technology experts in our community, and join the App Advice and Consumer Reports group to compare apps and find out from others what they’re using.

As well as 10 free Enterprise Edition CRM subscriptions (subject to geographic restrictions), you can get discounts on additional subscriptions, products, services, training, AppExchange apps, and event tickets. Not to mention access to nonprofit and specific user groups, events, and webinars to help you on your way.

To qualify for a free licence, your organisation must be recognised as a charitable, nonprofit, nongovernmental, educational, or social change organisation in the country where you are located.

Your organisation must provide legal documentation showing that you meet the above criteria.

Is your organisation eligible?

Full guidelines

Introduction • Why CRM matters for nonprofits • Where to start • Customer success stories • Conclusion

CRM for Good

In this section, you’ll learn how:

• Joyce Meyer Ministries using Salesforce to get closer to their constituents

• UNHCR are fundraising for a better future for millions

• Refettorio has found the recipe for creating connections that make a real difference

Section summary

Nonprofit Trailblazers

Introduction • Why CRM matters for nonprofits • Where to start • Customer success stories • Conclusion

CRM for Good

Joyce Meyer Ministries Germany Gets Closer to Customers with Salesforce

Marketing and Engagement with Pardot

Founded more than 30 years ago, nonprofit Joyce Meyer Ministries broadcasts television and radio shows to teach Christian values and encourage viewers to support vulnerable people across the world.

Following exponential growth, the organisation replaced its European office’s legacy IT systems – with Nonprofit Cloud to remove data silos and create greater transparency for the organisation and its stakeholders, including a 360-degree view of their donors.

To encourage user adoption, the organisation ensured its Salesforce platform was tailored to support its core mission, and kept employees informed at every stage of the rollout. Now, everyone whose role requires access to donor data has full visibility of each and every donor, and Joyce Meyer Ministries is able to achieve alignment across functions including marketing and fundraising.

UNHCR Creates a Brighter Future for Millions of Refugees with New Fundraising Focus

UNHCR was set up to help the millions of people displaced following the Second World War. Fast-forward nearly 70 years and what was expected to be a short-term issue is now a long-term problem.

To respond to a growing demand for its services, the organisation needed to engage with a wider fundraising audience. This meant updating its systems and processes to maximise the conversion of new supporter leads and the impact of its campaigns.

The organisation is also rolling out new capabilities, founded on Salesforce CRM, that will enable it to optimise donor management processes, ensuring more money is directed to countries and communities in need.

Every fundraising team member around the world will eventually use Salesforce CRM. This will help to simplify core processes, such as reporting and consent management for donors’ personal data. By automating its processes, UNHCR can also support more refugees as they rebuild their lives away from conflict and danger.

Fundraising with Salesforce CRM

Introduction • Why CRM matters for nonprofits • Where to start • Customer success stories • Conclusion

CRM for Good

“ We want to make our operations as cost-effective as possible and our campaigns as impactful as possible, so we can support more people in need around the world.”Jesse Hoosemans, CRM Technical Lead, UNHCR

70.8 million forcibly displaced people worldwide

$1bn in private sector annual fundraising target for 2025

Introduction • Why CRM matters for nonprofits • Where to start • Customer success stories • Conclusion

CRM for Good

Introduction • Why CRM matters for nonprofits • Where to start • Customer success stories • Conclusion

CRM for Good

Refettorio Paris is no ordinary community kitchen. Every day it serves three-course meals to 80 of the most vulnerable people in the capital using surplus food that would otherwise be wasted. The kitchen team, five volunteers and occasional guest chefs create a delicious menu based on that day’s food donations, while the team on the restaurant floor work with 15 volunteers to welcome guests.

Table reservations are made by partner organisations via an app from the Salesforce AppExchange. Refettorio tracks every meal served and every hour volunteered, which enables it to measure and maximise its impact.

Tracking data in Salesforce CRM helps the nonprofit to be more responsive and proactive when it comes to filling dining spaces. For example, it can forecast a potential drop in guest numbers during certain religious festivals, and work with partner organisations to ensure that spaces are taken by other deserving diners.

Volunteers also register via a bespoke app built on Salesforce. The process takes just two minutes and is very easy to use, which encourages more people to sign up. To keep them engaged and updated, the nonprofit continues to send regular communications via Salesforce.

Refettorio Paris Finds the Recipe for Success by Building Stronger Connections

Programme Management with Salesforce CRM

16,000 meals provided since 2018

“ Salesforce helps us measure and maximise our impact on the community.”

Déborah Bailet, Director, Refettorio

Nonprofits of every shape and size, dedicated to all sorts of causes, are using Salesforce to connect their organisations and power their missions. In today’s connected world, it is more important than ever to run your nonprofit on a single platform. By joining our community of nonprofits, you will be able to take smarter decisions, encourage richer collaboration, and achieve greater impact in new ways.

Join the CRM revolution

Introduction • Why CRM matters for nonprofits • Where to start • Customer success stories • Conclusion

CRM for Good

Adopted by 193 countries, the 17 SDGs measure the collective progress against the world’s most pressing challenges, including those related to poverty, inequality, climate change, environmental degradation, peace and justice.

Over the next year, Salesforce will invest $17 million to advance the SDGs through grants to nonprofit partners and volunteer one million hours to support the SDGs. Employees are encouraged to use their volunteer time off (VTO) to volunteer at a school, plant trees or share their technical expertise with nonprofits through Salesforce’s Pro Bono Program.

For more info on how we are aligned with the SGDs, please read our

Social Impact Report

More info and links:

Salesforce’s commitment to the SDGs

SDGs: What are they?

How we support the SDGs

What SDG do you align with?

At Salesforce, we’re committed to supporting these goals:

Discover how Salesforce.org can help you improve efficiency and accelerate your impact.

Learn more about Salesforce for Nonprofits.