Salesforce is a powerful customer relationship management (CRM) platform that can be incredibly beneficial for nonprofits. However, nonprofits have unique data management needs that can’t always be met with the Salesforce platform alone. This is where Salesforce Nonprofit Success Pack (NPSP) comes in.

What is NPSP?

NPSP is a free app built on the Salesforce platform specifically designed to meet the needs of nonprofits. It extends the functionality of Salesforce by adding custom objects and fields specifically relevant to nonprofit organizations, such as donations, grants, programs, and volunteers.

Standard Objects in Salesforce

Salesforce comes pre-built with a variety of standard objects, which are essentially data containers that hold information about different entities, such as accounts, contacts, opportunities, and leads. These objects can be customized to fit the specific needs of any organization, but they provide a solid foundation for managing data.

How NPSP and Standard Objects Work Together

NPSP leverages the power of Salesforce standard objects while adding a layer of customization specifically designed for nonprofits. Here’s a closer look at the relationship:

• Accounts and Contacts: In Salesforce, accounts represent companies or organizations. NPSP utilizes the standard account object but introduces the concept of “Households” within NPSP. A household account can group related contacts, such as a family unit, under a single entity. However, the introduction of Person Accounts in Nonprofit Cloud (a paid upgrade to NPSP) offers more flexibility for managing individual relationships.
• Opportunities: The standard opportunity object in Salesforce is used to track potential sales. NPSP adapts this concept to track potential donations, grants, and memberships. This allows nonprofits to manage the fundraising pipeline and forecast future income.
• Activities and Tasks: Standard activities and tasks objects in Salesforce can be used to track interactions with any object, such as contacts or opportunities. NPSP leverages these for tracking interactions with donors, volunteers, and program beneficiaries.
• Custom Objects: In addition to leveraging standard objects, NPSP introduces its own custom objects specifically designed for nonprofit needs. These include objects for managing donations, grants, memberships, programs, volunteers, and more. These custom objects work seamlessly with standard objects to create a comprehensive view of your nonprofit’s data.

Benefits of Using NPSP with Standard Objects

There are several benefits to using NPSP in conjunction with Salesforce standard objects:

• Increased Efficiency: By leveraging the familiar structure of standard objects, NPSP allows nonprofits to get up and running quickly with a CRM system that is already tailored to their needs.
• Improved Data Management: NPSP provides a centralized location for storing and managing all your nonprofit data, including donor information, program data, and volunteer activity. This improved data management can lead to better decision-making and improved program outcomes.
• Enhanced Reporting: Both Salesforce and NPSP offer robust reporting capabilities. When used together, you can generate comprehensive reports that track fundraising progress, measure program impact, and identify trends.
• Scalability: Salesforce is a highly scalable platform, which means that NPSP can grow with your organization. As your nonprofit grows and your data management needs become more complex, NPSP can be easily customized to meet those needs.

Considering the Upgrade to Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud

While NPSP is a free and valuable tool, it’s important to note that Salesforce offers a paid upgrade called Nonprofit Cloud. Nonprofit Cloud offers additional features and functionality beyond NPSP, such as:

• Person Accounts: As mentioned earlier, Nonprofit Cloud utilizes person accounts instead of households, allowing for more flexibility in managing individual relationships.
• Program Management: Nonprofit Cloud offers enhanced features for managing programs, including tracking program participants, measuring program outcomes, and reporting on program impact.
• Marketing Cloud Integration: Nonprofit Cloud integrates with Salesforce Marketing Cloud, which can be a powerful tool for donor acquisition and retention.

Conclusion

NPSP and Salesforce standard objects are a powerful combination that can help nonprofits manage their data more effectively. NPSP builds upon the foundation of standard objects to provide a comprehensive CRM solution specifically designed for the unique needs of nonprofit organizations. While NPSP is a free and valuable tool, upgrading to Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud offers additional functionalities that may be worth considering as your nonprofit grows.