Enterprise nonprofits connected through the Salesforce platform have built-in advantages when it comes to fulfilling missions while staying safe and compliant during an emergency.
Nonprofits and foundations that operated primarily onsite before the coronavirus pandemic are able to shift to at-home operations with the power of cloud-based applications. In addition, integrations available on the Salesforce platform allow nonprofits to continue fundraising efforts even when large in-person events have been cancelled.
Resources for Nonprofits Using Salesforce
Salesforce consultants and developers are on the case when it comes to finding innovative solutions to serve underserved people in the most critical moments.
The Power of Us Hub is a great resource for nonprofits using Salesforce — during a pandemic, or not. Taking it a step further, here are some of the best tools, applications, and services nonprofits can use to stay strong during and after the coronavirus pandemic.
Pro-bono Salesforce assistance for nonprofits
Salesforce Trailblazers believe strongly in Tech for Good, and many volunteer their expertise when it can benefit society as a whole.
Here is how nonprofits can connect to Salesforce professionals offering free services:
Salesforce.org Pro Bono Services - Matching nonprofits and higher education institutions to Salesforce professionals, the Salesforce.org Pro Bono program is great for projects with well-defined and narrow goals that take between 10-20 hours to complete.
While everyone has the best intentions, nonprofit executives should remain mindful of whose help they enlist for complex projects. Check LinkedIn and Trailblazer profiles to verify certifications and experience or qualifications before enlisting professional services from Salesforce volunteers.
Pro-bono services are great for smaller projects, however, nonprofit organizations may need to enlist a Salesforce.org partner for assistance with larger, ongoing, and more complex projects.
Tools for nonprofits available on the Salesforce AppExchange
Going beyond Salesforce Nonprofit Success Pack (NPSP), nonprofit organizations using Salesforce to accomplish their missions have a bevy of options available to meet new challenges.
These are free apps available on the Salesforce AppExchange, which were created by Salesforce subsidiaries:
Salesforce.org offers Volunteers for Salesforce, which helps manage your volunteer events and people. It manages volunteers, jobs, shifts, and hours, allowing you to track and report on all of the data as well as allow public signups via Sites pages on your website.
Crisis Response Application is a free application, which was created by Salesforce Labs. The app enables companies to respond to and manage a crisis in their community (pandemic, natural disaster, organizational events, etc.) to ensure employee well-being and business continuity. Compatible with Salesforce Care orgs and with existing orgs.
In addition to these free apps offered by Salesforce, visit the Salesforce AppExchange and search for solutions to find the best fit for your nonprofit organization’s challenges. Many solutions are offered for free or at a discounted rate for nonprofits.
The Salesforce AppExchange also offers a hand-selected collection of applications that solve unique challenges presented during the coronavirus pandemic.
Here are the different types of Salesforce-integrated applications available to nonprofit organizations:
Check for applications that manage donor and fundraiser data, support live virtual events, measure engagement, and provide vital communications through multiple channels.
Find a variety of ways to securely store, track, sign and generate documents in Salesforce.
Keep in touch with with donors, volunteers, employees, and the community your nonprofit serves through connectivity applications that integrate telephone, online chat and messaging, and every other channel your organization uses to communicate.
Applications are available to connect healthcare practitioners and administrators with vital health data collected in real-time, which can be used for contact tracing, reporting, and allocation of critical resources and staff.
Look toward the future with scenario planning
With virtual operations and experiences in place, the next step is to vanquish uncertainty. Use scenario planning to provide possible outcomes when planning for the future.
Organizations have used scenario planning for many years to provide a structured way to explore the impact certain situations can have on operational tasks. Scenarios are possible stories about how serious situations may unfold and how those situations can impact an organization.
When the initial crises are solved and reopening plans are in place, schedule a meeting with your organization’s stakeholders to discuss how scenario planning can remove some uncertainty if a similar situation happens down the road.
Contact Salesforce.org Partners for Nonprofit Salesforce Consulting
The CRM Science Salesforce consultant team works with enterprise nonprofits using the Salesforce platform. In fact, Salesforce recognized CRM Science with a 2019 Partner Innovation Award for revolutionizing business processes at a nonprofit organization that manages 26 senior living communities.
As an official Salesforce.org partner, the team loves solving Salesforce puzzles for organizations dedicated to creating positive social and economic change. Contact us to chat about your organization’s Salesforce puzzles.
