7 Tips to Start and Sustain Success with the NPSP

By: Missy Longshore, Principal, Longshore Consulting

The Nonprofit Success Pack is like a swiss army knife of social change goodness.

Have you heard that the NPSP is now the Nonprofit Success Pack? That’s right, the NPSP is stronger than ever as a versatile tool to serve nonprofits and foundations around the world with their CRM, fundraising, volunteer management, analytics, and other data needs!

Whether you’re already on Salesforce’s NPSP or are just getting started, Longshore Consulting recommends these 7 tips to succeed with the NPSP:

1. Make sure the NPSP is right for you

While the NPSP is fantastic for most organizations, there are some that may not need different aspects of NPSP functionality. Before you import all of your data, use your NPSP trial and ask plenty of questions in the Power of Us Hub.

2. Use Apps to Customize the NPSP

Now that you’ve chosen the NPSP, you can build a roadmap for how you will really trick out your Salesforce instance with apps from the Salesforce AppExchange. Does your nonprofit need to accept applications for an after school program? An online survey or forms tool that integrates with Salesforce can help. What about accepting online donations that get recorded as Donations in Salesforce? Again, there are many options. Just remember to pace yourself with a phased implementation. Salesforce success is a marathon, not a sprint.

3. Stay up to date with NPSP releases

The NPSP is updated every two weeks, automatically! Subscribe to the NPSP Release Announcements group in the Power of Us Hub to get announcements about what each release contains and find out what you need to activate.

4. Keep Learning

The Salesforce.org team has put together great webinars that you can access here on their web site anytime. And #AdminHour is the fun, free, interactive way to learn Salesforce and make improvements in your instance – all the details are available from Longshore Consulting.

5. Ask Questions and Get Help when Needed

The Power of Us Hub has well over 20,000 members that are eager to answer all of your questions. Check out the weekly Office Hours too for free expert advice from consultants.

6. Commit the Time and Resources

While the NPSP is free, committing to making Salesforce a success at your organization is a big investment. The NPSP is a community-driven product put together with love, but only you know how your organization works. Take the time, read the amazing documentation (see the ‘Getting Started’ tab), and complete the fantastic (and fun!) Trailhead badges, then apply it to your organization’s processes. Consider an implementation partner if you get stuck.

7. Focus on Adoption

Congratulations, you have the world’s best CRM! Now you need to tell your staff about it. Communicate with your team in terms of how they can use the NPSP to do their jobs – after all, you’re using Salesforce to make your lives easier. Show them how you’re making that happen and what they need to do to be a Trailblazer!