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What is the Difference Between Salesforce Nonprofit Starter Pack and Nonprofit Cloud? Choosing right for Your Organization
• Date: September 2024 •
Estimated reading time: 11 minutes
Estimated reading time: 11 minutes
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On March 14, 2023, Salesforce took a major step forward with launching Nonprofit Cloud, announced by Lori Freeman, General Manager at Salesforce for Nonprofits. This new suite of solutions was designed to replace nearly all previous nonprofit offerings with a new approach.
Since then, the platform has evolved rapidly, reshaping how nonprofits engage with technology and consulting services. Key changes, such as the disbanding of the Salesforce.org partner network and the introduction of Nonprofit Cloud, have made it more challenging for organizations to find consulting partners.
Salesforce’s history with nonprofits dates back to 2008 when it introduced the Salesforce Nonprofit Starter Pack, a free set of tools tailored to nonprofits. Over the years, the product evolved, becoming the Nonprofit Success Pack in 2016.
The new Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud (NPC) builds on these earlier initiatives. It provides real-time program tracking and AI-driven insights to help nonprofits reach fundraising goals and achieve wider impact.
In this article, we will detangle this massive offering for nonprofits and clarify NGOs' most pressing questions when moving to a CRM solution for program management.
Contents:
What is Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud?
Nonprofit Cloud Overview
Nonprofit Cloud is Salesforce's suite of solutions tailored specifically for nonprofit organizations. It is designed to help nonprofits manage and optimize various operations that support nonprofit-specific needs, like tracking impact and managing constituents, building better donor relationships, reaching fundraising, program management, and volunteer coordination, all within the Salesforce ecosystem.
Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud also aims to provide nonprofits with the technological resources to streamline workflows, enhance reporting, and improve data management, making it easier for nonprofits to achieve their missions.
Let’s clarify that for the nonprofit portion of Salesforce users, the transition to Nonprofit Cloud has been deal-breaking positive for two main reasons:
- Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud leverages standard components from other Salesforce Industry clouds, such as Healthcare Cloud and Financial Services Cloud, opening new avenues for innovation in the nonprofit sector.
- The move to Industry Clouds provides a more straightforward path for Salesforce to continue offering solutions tailored to nonprofits, reinforcing its commitment to this sector.
Key features of Salesforce CRM Nonprofit Cloud include:
- Program management for tracking and measuring program outcomes
- Constituent management for 360-degree view of your constituents
- Case management to support personalized donor care
- Grantmaking for end-to-end grant management
- Fundraising features, including donor management and donation management
- Outcome management to track your progress and measure results
However, there are possible limitations to be aware of both as a first-time and long-term Salesforce user:
- Nonprofit Cloud is more complex than its predecessors, requiring more expertise to implement and maintain
- Nonprofit Cloud might require additional customizations since it borrows features from other industries, but these features may not align perfectly with the way nonprofits operate
- When going with Nonprofit Cloud, one should expect a transition period during which some functionality may be missing or work differently. Nonprofit Cloud will not be fully functional until the data migration tool is available
- The move from assigning individual Account Executives to a team-based support model for smaller nonprofits, especially those with only the ten donated licenses, could result in nonprofits losing the personalized, one-on-one support they previously received
What is Salesforce Nonprofit Success Pack?
Nonprofit Success Pack Overview
The Nonprofit Success Pack is a foundational free package and tools designed for nonprofits using Salesforce.
NPSP offers features like donation tracking, grant management, and volunteer management and includes customizable reports and dashboards to help nonprofits monitor their operations and impact. It is highly flexible, allowing nonprofit organizations to tailor it to their needs.
Key features include:
- Donation management to track and manage donations, including recurring ones
- Constituent management of relationships with donors, volunteers, and members
- Program management module to monitor and track program outcomes
- Reports and dashboards for data analysis
- Marketing Cloud Engagement for Nonprofits to craft personalized email campaigns
- Outbound Funds Module to track grants and awards, manage funding requests, and oversee disbursements
But like any system, Nonprofit Success Pack has its limitations:
Person accounts, designed primarily for B2B organizations dealing with individual clients, are incompatible with the NPSP. It was built with a different data model in mind, which means person accounts are not supported. Nonprofits should use the standard account and contact model provided by NPSP instead.
The state and country picklists feature helps maintain data accuracy by allowing users to select from standardized lists rather than manually region information. However, this feature might be limited if your nonprofit operates in regions not covered by the standard picklists or requires highly customized state and country data management.
Batch data entry and legacy batch gift entry were discontinued on October 1, 2020, and as of July 13, 2021, legacy Batch Gift Entry is no longer supported. While one can still access existing batches, you cannot process them using these outdated tools. Nonprofits use the Gift Entry tool to handle batch data entry and gift processing.
Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud vs. Nonprofit Success Pack
Nonprofit Cloud vs NPSP
While both NPSP and Nonprofit Cloud are designed to help nonprofits manage their data across fundraising, program management, and grant-making, they are different offerings for several reasons. Let’s list the key differences.
1. Architecture and Features
Nonprofit Cloud (NPC) includes all NPSP features and expands with advanced tools for impact measurement, and grant and program management.
NPSP is a set of managed packages installed in Salesforce, while Nonprofit Cloud is built directly into the Salesforce platform. NPSP’s primary focus is basic donor and relationship management, making it ideal for smaller nonprofits or those just starting with Salesforce.
Here’s what you need to know about the feature difference between the two:
- NPC includes tracking for both Programs and Services on Objects and Schedules, a feature that NPSP does not have
- Nonprofit Cloud supports Person Accounts, with Household Accounts being optional and enhanced with more relationship functionality. In contrast, the Nonprofit Success Pack only uses Household Accounts and does not support Person Accounts
- NPC provides advanced automation tools like Omnistudio, the Business Rules Engine, and Apex and Flow. Thus, it offers more sophisticated automation capabilities than NPSP, which relies mainly on Flow and Apex
- Nonprofit Cloud introduces the Actionable Relationship Center (ARC), a new graphical tool for visualizing relationships, not available in Salesforce NPSP
- Nonprofit Cloud offers a new Program Management module, with some renamed objects, replacing the one in NPSP
2. Implementation and Customization
Migrating from NPSP to Nonprofit Cloud is not just an upgrade but a full re-implementation, which can be costly and complex for nonprofits with extensive customizations and integrations. While Nonprofit Cloud has the potential to reduce technical debt and address existing limitations, the transition process can be disruptive and resource-demanding.
On the other hand, the Nonprofit Starter Pack is a more straightforward choice for organizations looking for flexibility since it still offers vast customization options.
Here is how it works on a real example from our practice: NPSP provided the tools to effectively manage donor relationships, track engagement, and optimize outreach efforts for a global procurement initiative. Twistellar helped implement NPSP and define donor and engagement journeys within Salesforce by providing strategic guidance and support, ensuring GDPR compliance and data integrity.
3. Pricing
Nonprofit Cloud is more expensive than NPSP, though users of both receive their first ten licenses for free through the Power of Us Program.
Due to its expanded functionality and scalability, Nonprofit Cloud has higher costs. It costs $60/month per user for Enterprise and $100/month per user for Unlimited as of 2024. Our blog already has a detailed guide about Salesforce Industries products, including Salesforce Nonprofit Success Pack pricing.
Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud pricing
NPSP is free to use with paid add-ons, making it perfect for organizations on a budget. Smaller nonprofits typically use NPSP's contact and account management features. Although many of these organizations may not need the expanded functionality of Nonprofit Cloud, every case has to be considered individually.
4. Target Audience
Both solutions are aimed at nonprofits optimizing their operations, but Nonprofit Cloud (NPC) offers broader capabilities for impact-driven organizations.
Simply put, Salesforce NPC provides tools for high-volume fundraising. NPSP, on the other hand, has limitations in scalability and flexibility. It is more suitable for small to mid-sized organizations, offering essential tools without the complexity of larger solutions.
Salesforce for Nonprofit Organizations: Which Solution Should You Choose?
Let’s break down and sum up three scenarios we often encounter as Salesforce Certified Nonprofit Cloud consultants.
You don’t currently have a Salesforce/CRM solution
If you're considering Salesforce, consider whether you need advanced program management, your budget constraints, and if there are features you require that NPSP lacks. Going for Nonprofit Cloud is a good fit for those needing a customizable and comprehensive solution since it offers more advanced features, low-code options, and enhanced support.
You’re currently using the Nonprofit Success Pack
If you’re currently using NPSP or strongly considering it, you might wonder if you need to migrate to Nonprofit Cloud. The short answer is no, you don’t have to migrate now.
You’re currently using Salesforce, but not a nonprofit solution
If you're already on Salesforce, you have options. Transitioning to a Nonprofit Cloud requires setting up a new org. On the other hand, implementing NPSP as an add-on is less intensive. Assess your current solution, budget, and missing features to determine whether a change is necessary or if your existing setup still meets your needs.
In summary, Nonprofit Cloud is the go-forward solution by Salesforce for nonprofits, offering a large degree of feature parity with NPSP but with some additional benefits and limitations. NPSP remains available for new and existing customers.
- 4x Certified Salesforce Developer at Twistellar"If your nonprofit is smaller with more straightforward fundraising and donor management needs, NPSP is the ideal choice. It’s a free, customizable solution that adapts Salesforce CRM specifically for nonprofits.
For larger or rapidly growing organizations, Nonprofit Cloud is the better option. It provides a comprehensive, scalable platform with advanced tools for fundraising, program management, marketing, and analytics. While it comes with additional costs, its robust features are designed to support more complex operational needs.”
To Wrap Up
In conclusion, while transitioning to Nonprofit Cloud presents both opportunities and challenges, Salesforce remains committed to serving the nonprofit sector.
Understanding the differences between NPSP and Nonprofit Cloud and finding the right Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud implementation services to navigate this transition will be key to success for organizations.
If your nonprofit needs advanced automation and customization within Salesforce, Twistellar offers a free consultation. With extensive experience in implementing and configuring Salesforce solutions for nonprofits, we will be happy to assist you in optimizing the CRM to better manage donors, volunteers, and programs.
FAQ: Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud and NPSP
FAQ: Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud and NPSP
Sales Cloud is a Salesforce product designed for businesses to manage their sales processes. It focuses on features like lead management, opportunity tracking, sales forecasting, and customer relationship management (CRM). Businesses use Sales Cloud to streamline their sales operations and increase revenue.
Nonprofit Cloud is specifically built to meet the needs of nonprofit organizations. It includes the Nonprofit Success Pack (NPSP), which offers tools to manage donor relationships, fundraising campaigns, program management, volunteer coordination, and grant tracking.
Nonprofit Cloud is specifically built to meet the needs of nonprofit organizations. It includes the Nonprofit Success Pack (NPSP), which offers tools to manage donor relationships, fundraising campaigns, program management, volunteer coordination, and grant tracking.
To determine which clouds are available in your Salesforce org, navigate to Setup and search for Company Information. In this section, under Installed Packages, you’ll find a list of all the products and features installed in your org, including any specific clouds like Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, or Nonprofit Cloud. Additionally, you can review your licenses in the Company Information section to see which Salesforce products and features your organization is licensed to use.
Salesforce Marketing Cloud for Nonprofits is a comprehensive digital marketing platform tailored to nonprofit organizations' unique needs. It enables nonprofits to engage with their supporters through personalized, multi-channel marketing campaigns. The platform offers tools for email marketing, social media engagement, mobile messaging, online advertising, and advanced analytics.
If you need help configuring or implementing Salesforce Marketing Cloud for Nonprofits, please contact us for a free consultation.
If you need help configuring or implementing Salesforce Marketing Cloud for Nonprofits, please contact us for a free consultation.
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