PART 1
Many non-profits and associations are you using Salesforce® Non-Profit Success Pack (NPSP) for managing their fundraising, donations, constituent, members, volunteers and other aspects of running such an organization.
Have you ever come across a dilemma when hiring a Salesforce® consultant? How do you know which Salesforce® consultant is best for your non-profit or association?
If you are one such Salesforce® user. Don’t freak out.
We all know that Salesforce® is undoubtedly the unsurpassed CRM tool. But still, if you have questions like; will Salesforce® solve all my challenges of managing a non-profit or an association? The answer to the above question is YES! But there is a condition.
Unless you know how to maximize and optimize your Salesforce® usage, you will not be able to get the best returns from it. In the absence of complete knowledge, you might start feeling that you have a CRM platform that does not fit your organizational requirements.
An expert Salesforce® consultant can help you with all the support your organization needs. As a result, you get the required Return on Investment (ROI) and Return on Relationship (ROR). A consultant with experience of working with non-profit, charity and associations will help you with a good plan. They will also support your team every step of the way as you grow in your non-profit operations
Yet, a word of caution here. There is a sea of Salesforce® consulting firms, so finding the right one can be an overwhelming task.
In this blog, I am sharing answers to some commonly asked questions to help you chose the right Salesforce® consulting partner. A Salesforce® consulting partner who understands your vision helps you achieve your goals faster.
Let us find out how –
FAQ #1
What role a Salesforce® consultant will play in my nonprofit organization or association.
When selecting Salesforce® consultant for your non-profit organization you need to know what exactly you want. Your Salesforce® consulting partner can influence your organization in many ways. Hence, it is important to understand what role they will play to help you meet your business goals. For better understanding list your expectations before starting the evaluation and hiring process.
An unclear vision will create more confusion for your internal team. And we are sure you will not want them to lose focus, time and money.
FAQ #2
Should we involve our internal team in the hiring process?
Yes, it is important to involve your team, when hiring a Salesforce®, consultant. This will help you get clarity on the following aspects-
· Do a detailed analysis of how effective is your current CRM strategy.
· Ask for the user feedback on the current setup.
· Get rid of unnecessary tools.
· What are your goals for Salesforce®, implementation?
· What operations do you plan to manage through Salesforce®,?
There are so many ways by which Salesforce® as a CRM tool and consultants together can influence your business. You will have to be as specific as possible about your expectations. This way, you will save time in connecting only with the consultants who have experience in delivering similar results.
FAQ #3
How to do budgeting for hiring a Salesforce® consultant for your non-profit organization
Plan a realistic budget for your Salesforce® consultation. Get a reality check of how much you can spend on your Salesforce® services for your non-profit associations before moving ahead. An expert Salesforce® consultant can put your organization on the path to success. But their services do not come for free. So put together a sensible budget that covers all the expenses you will have.
Let us understand this better with the example below –
Consultation cost- A Salesforce® consultation cost will vary on the type and scale of your project. Still, it is important that you know the ballpark amount that your top selected consultants will charge.
This price will vary depending on the number of user licenses, the Salesforce® edition, and any additional service you may need.
Integration costs- Based on your business requirement, you may have to integrate third-party applications from AppExchange. Also, account for this additional cost. Decide which apps and features are most needed in your CRM as per your business needs.
It will help you narrow down the list of consultants if you know how much you will be able to spend on your Salesforce® project. There is nothing to worry if the list of shortlisted companies is small. It makes your search more focused and efficient.
FAQ #4
Can we also work with a Salesforce® consultant with no experience of non-profits?
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My suggestion will be to work only with a Salesforce® consultant with non-Profit & association experience.
Now that you have plotted out a Salesforce® strategy for your organization and put together a budget aside. Now, it is time to launch your search for the right Salesforce® consultant for your non-profit firm.
Most of the consultants will share their portfolio, success stories and customers list on their websites. You can assess the type of work they have done in the past and get an idea of the outcomes.
It is obvious that any consultant you consider should know Salesforce® in and out. If you are migrating data or integrating multiple platforms, find out if they have experience and expertise to help you with this.
You may come across firms who offer broad technology consulting services that can cater to a wide variety of needs. Dig deeper by checking out the projects they are experts of. Check out their online case studies or ask the firm to share their portfolio.
Also, find out what kind of organizations have they worked with. Compare yourself to their past clients to get an idea of the scale and size they have experience working with.
Hiring a Salesforce® consultant is comparable to hiring a new employee in your team. You should ask all the applicable questions. Make sure the volunteer and non-profit programs they have worked on in the past have some similarity to yours. Just having knowledge of Salesforce® is not enough. They need to know how they can best use Salesforce® to meet your specific project goals of your non- profit organization and association.
FAQ #5
Will my consultant make a tailor-made plan for my non-profit organization?
Like already stated above, it is always beneficial to work with a Salesforce® consultant experienced in managing a non-profit organization. Such a consultant can craft a specific technology services plan for your goals.
Your selected consultant could have worked on many Salesforce® projects in the past. However, this will be the first time they would be working with your organization. Hence the beginning stages of your engagement level should reflect that in their strategy or plan.
Decision makers along with the consulting team should work together to decide what efforts are most important to your mission? Which of your programs really push your cause forward? Do you thrive because of your sprawling volunteer program? Do you need a way to raise awareness and boost advocacy initiatives? So on and so forth.
What fundraising strategies bring in the most revenue? Knowing what tactics are already working can help inspire a larger strategy. Does your annual fundraising event have a special place in your community? Do text-to-give campaigns resonate with your contributors? Are you maximizing your peer-to-peer fundraising reach?
Give higher priority to a partner who takes a client-focused approach. Choose a partner who is enthusiastic to learn more about the operations of your non-profit organization. A generic plan that does not account for individual nuances will leave you with an ill-fitting technology strategy.
What does success look like for your team? Since you have already established your goals for Salesforce®, make sure you and your consulting partner know how to measure your progress.
For some non-profits, just getting an organized view of data is all they need. While others may have more specific requirements in mind. It could be an increase in fundraising revenue or more segmented outreach strategies.
It is highly important that you and your Salesforce® consultant for your the same page. From the very beginning be clear of your goals and how the platform helps you achieve it. But do remember, if your team is not clear about your vision, they will have a hard time communicating it to an external vendor.
If you can’t answer the most important questions on your own, head back to step 1 to start some more brainstorming!
I hope with the guidance shared above, you will be able to select the best Salesforce® consultant specialized in serving non-profit and associations.
Stay tuned for more tips in part 2 of this blog.
