Salesforce for fundraising automation: amazing examples and insights on how this can work for your company

Fundraising isn’t easy—and if you operate a nonprofit organization, you already know the challenges. Constantly decreasing donor involvement, keeping supporters engaged, and managing recurring giving is just the beginning. Research shows that up to 87% of nonprofits struggle with donor fatigue, 85% face challenges maintaining donor involvement, and 83% find it difficult to handle recurring donations. These numbers aren’t just statistics—they’re roadblocks that can keep you from fulfilling your mission.

But it doesn’t stop there. These obstacles often take a bigger toll than you might realize. Hours are wasted on manual data entry, clunky reporting processes, and donor communication that feels more generic than personal. Inefficiencies pile up, burnout spreads among your team, and opportunities slip away. Even worse, crucial decisions may rely on guesswork instead of clear, actionable data.

The good news? Salesforce offers tools that can transform how you approach fundraising. From automating tedious tasks to strengthening donor connections and delivering actionable insights, Salesforce helps nonprofits save time and focus on what truly matters: their mission.

In this article, we’ll show you how it works. Drawing from our experience, we’ll share three real-life examples where we’ve helped nonprofits use Salesforce to tackle fundraising challenges head-on. You’ll also get practical tips to bring these ideas to life in your organization. Let’s dive in and explore how you can make your fundraising more effective, less stressful, and ultimately more impactful.

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Case #1: optimizing fundraising with Salesforce, which resulted in €41,130 in donations

When Better Time Stories launched its initiative to provide storybooks to refugee families affected by the war in Ukraine, the mission was clear: offer comfort and connection through books for children. However, the road to success was paved with challenges that could have put their efforts at risk. That’s where our team stepped in.

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Challenges faced by Better Time Stories

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The project had been launched quickly to meet the urgent needs of the full-scale invasion, but the team soon found themselves struggling with several issues:

1. Manual errors and inconsistencies in the present Salesforce setup resulted in data issues and wasted time.
2. Malfunctions in the request form caused multiple book sets to be sent to the same household, stretching limited resources.
3. Refugee housing groups couldn’t input requests manually, creating logistical bottlenecks.
4. The system allowed Cyrillic characters and duplicate requests but lacked key contact and postal information validation features.
5. Expanding operations to Belgium, Germany, and Austria added complexity to the initiative.
6. Limited technical support of their Salesforce system.

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Our solution and approach

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When Better Time Stories approached us, they needed a partner to turn their challenges into opportunities. We started by carefully analyzing their Salesforce system, identifying pain points, and planning a roadmap for optimization.

Here’s how we tackled the project:

1. Fixed the request form and ensured that only one package could be sent per household, optimizing donation spending.
2. We introduced an option for manually inputting data, enabling smoother processing for group refugee housings.
3. Advanced address validation stages were added to eliminate incorrect information and prevent fraud.
4. By optimizing the system, we expanded delivery capabilities and enabled operations in Belgium, Germany, and Austria just in time for the holiday season.
5. Requests were categorized, creating a more efficient workflow for support agents.
6. We designed a flow to match donors with the families they helped, allowing for heartfelt thank-you messages after donations.
7. A safe testing environment was created to test data and changes without risking the live system.

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Deliverables and results

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Our efforts brought remarkable results for Better Time Stories:

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• Improved delivery success rate: Pre-optimization, only 70% of packages reached their intended recipients. Post-optimization, the success rate climbed significantly.
• Higher employee productivity: Organizing data within Salesforce allowed the team to process requests faster and more efficiently.
• Fewer postal issues: Country-specific address validation reduced errors and improved the reliability of deliveries.
• Minimized data loss: Testing processes prevented errors and ensured a smoother overall workflow.

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Case #2: how we boosted fundraising efficiency for Ukrainian Catholic University with Salesforce 

The Ukrainian Catholic University (UCU) is renowned for its high educational standards and transparent operations. However, even organizations with strong values can face operational hurdles. UCU struggled with fragmented processes and data scattered across various departments, which impacted everything from fundraising to recruitment and administration. They needed a smarter way to connect their efforts and achieve greater efficiency—and that’s where we stepped in.

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Challenges faced by UCU

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UCU’s operational challenges spanned multiple areas:

• Information was spread across documents, departments, and systems, making it nearly impossible to manage effectively;
• With stakeholders ranging from donors to students, alumni, and staff, UCU had no centralized solution to streamline these relationships;
• As a university that prides itself on integrity and excellence, UCU needed to optimize its processes to maintain its reputation and operational effectiveness.

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Our solution and approach

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UCU needed more than just a software solution—they required a comprehensive system tailored to their unique needs. We implemented Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud and customized it to bring their vision to life.

Here’s how we approached the challenges:

• We consolidated all dispersed information into Salesforce, creating a single source of truth for every department, from fundraising to international affairs.
• Structured the processes to automate UCU’s interactions with donors, alumni, professors, students, and partners, improving communication and operational workflows.
• We customized the platform to fit UCU’s specific needs, incorporating features for fundraising, student and employee management, and administration.

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Transforming fundraising with Salesforce

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Fundraising was a critical area of focus, and we designed solutions to meet UCU’s needs:

• Centralized donor management to track and manage donor interactions, gift commitments, and communications in one place, making engagement more effective.
• Automated tasks like donor acknowledgment and communication, giving staff more time to focus on fundraising strategy and relationship building.
• Enhanced transparency and reporting with real-time insights. UCU could show donors exactly how their contributions made a difference, reinforcing trust and long-term support.

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Results and outcomes

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The transformation was remarkable. Here’s what UCU achieved with their new system:

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• UCU’s journey toward efficiency started with a centralized data platform that became the backbone of their daily activities. Fundraising, recruitment, and administration, once time-consuming tasks, became faster and more manageable, giving the team space to focus on their mission.
• Personalized communication brought them closer to their donors, turning routine outreach into meaningful conversations that deepened engagement and trust.
• With real-time data and analytics at their fingertips, they could make smarter decisions—optimizing fundraising strategies and channeling resources where they mattered most. 

Their tailored Salesforce setup wasn’t just a tool; it was a partner that grew with them, offering the flexibility to adapt and expand as their goals and vision evolved.

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Case #3: how Nova Ukraine raised $14 Million more with Salesforce

For years, Nova Ukraine was using basic tools like Google Workspace as nonprofit fundraising software. But in February 2022, the organization faced a dramatic shift. As the humanitarian crisis escalated, the demand for their support surged, and their existing workflows couldn’t keep up. To carry on their mission of helping millions of Ukrainians, Nova Ukraine needed a system that could scale as quickly as the needs of those they served.

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Challenges faced by Nova Ukraine

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• For eight years, Nova Ukraine operated with manual tools. When their operations scaled rapidly, these tools became a bottleneck, making it difficult to handle the increased volume of donations and grant requests.
• With the growing scale of operations, managing donor information, processing grant applications, and ensuring transparency became increasingly challenging.
• The standard Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud setup couldn’t fully accommodate the unique processes Nova Ukraine required for handling donors and grant applicants.

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Our solution and approach

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Nova Ukraine turned to us for a Salesforce solution that would revolutionize their workflows and empower them to scale their impact. Here’s how we made it happen:

• We developed a system to manage grant requests, eliminating duplicates, simplifying background checks, managing approvals, financial fulfillment, and reporting results.
• Our team created a centralized system to aggregate existing and new donor information, ensuring transparent payment processing and streamlined data collection. Consolidated data allowed Nova Ukraine to understand donor demographics better and effectively target their efforts.
• We tailored the platform to Nova Ukraine’s unique needs, optimizing it for managing both donors and organizations applying for grants.
• We built a robust analytical system that provided real-time insights into donation flows, grant distribution, and operational efficiency.

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Results and outcomes

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The impact of the new system was immediate and transformative:

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• Centralized donor data and automated communication processes improved donor retention and brought in new donations.
• With clear data on donations and grant distribution, Nova Ukraine ensured transparency and built trust among stakeholders.
• The customized Salesforce system enabled Nova Ukraine to handle the surge in donations and grant requests without sacrificing speed or quality.

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Transforming fundraising impact

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Through these efforts, Nova Ukraine gained:

• Centralized information for easier management and engagement with donors;
• Automated personalized communication that strengthened relationships with donors;
• Real-time analytics that helped optimize fundraising strategies and resource allocation;
• Increased efficiency with automation. Optimized workflow reduced administrative work and freed up staff to focus on strategic initiatives.

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Enhancing nonprofit fundraising efficiency with Salesforce: top insights gathered from the implemented projects

Each nonprofit organization has its own processes, goals, and challenges. In our experience, the key to success lies in tailoring Salesforce to meet these unique needs. Whether it’s centralizing donor management, automating tasks, or building personalized donor relationships, the possibilities are vast when Salesforce is customized to fit the organization’s mission. Here are some of the top lessons we’ve learned through our work with nonprofits like Nova Ukraine, the Ukrainian Catholic University, and Better Time Stories:

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Unify your donor management information

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A unified platform can transform how you interact with donors. For Nova Ukraine and UCU, implementing Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud brought all donor information into one central system. From tracking interactions to managing gift commitments and personalizing communication, this system created stronger, more efficient donor relationships.

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Automate grant and donation processing

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Manually managing grants and donations is time-consuming and prone to errors. For Nova Ukraine, we built an automated system that eliminated duplicates, speeded up background checks, and managed approvals and financial fulfillment. This reduced the administrative burden and allowed staff to focus on strategic initiatives. Additionally, you can use Salesforce to:

• Automate thank-you letters to donors, improving engagement without extra work;
• Set up smart workflows to assign tasks to the right team members based on urgency and priority;
• Manage recurring donations, ensuring timely contributions.

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Demonstrate your transparency with detailed reports

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Transparency is essential for growing trust with donors and stakeholders. Both Nova Ukraine and UCU benefited from Salesforce’s real-time reporting capabilities, which allowed them to:

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• Showcase the impact of donations with detailed breakdowns;
• Highlight grant distribution results with live dashboards;
• Share transparent, up-to-date financial reports with stakeholders;
• This level of clarity helped both organizations maintain credibility and attract further funding.

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Personalize your communications with donors

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Generic messages no longer work in today’s world. Donors want to feel valued, and personalization is key. Nova Ukraine used Salesforce to craft timely, meaningful messages, showing donors how their funds were being used. This approach strengthened relationships and boosted donor retention.

You can go further and utilize more Salesforce capabilities to:

• Send tailored thank-you messages based on donation history;
• Re-engage lapsed donors with customized campaigns;
• Segment your audience to target specific donor groups;
• Use dynamic templates for emails, letters, and event invites;
• Integrate with marketing tools like Pardot or Marketing Cloud to create automated campaigns.

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Analyze your fundraising performance

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Fundraising without data insights is like navigating without a map. Salesforce equips nonprofits with the tools to measure and improve their strategies effectively. For Nova Ukraine and UCU, we developed systems to track donor engagement, analyze campaign success in real-time, and assess grant distribution against organizational goals.

Additional Salesforce analytics tools include:

• AI-driven insights with Einstein Analytics to predict donor behavior;
• Visual tools for trend analysis, helping organizations adapt quickly to changes;
• Custom reports for board meetings and stakeholder presentations.

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Manage grants digitally 

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Handling grant applications manually is not scalable. Nova Ukraine’s digital grants management system, built on Salesforce, facilitated their processes by:

• Automating application review and approvals;
• Integrating financial fulfillment, ensuring funds were distributed without delays;
• Providing transparent reporting on how grants were allocated.

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"Digital grants management with Salesforce gives nonprofits control and flexibility. You can help more people with fewer resources," says Vlad Petrovych, our CTO and Noltic's co-founder.

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Consolidate donation data

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Nova Ukraine faced a challenge: donations were coming in through over a dozen platforms. Consolidating this data manually was time-consuming and error-prone. With Salesforce, we created a unified system to:

• Integrate data from all approved donation platforms.
• Simplify compliance and reporting requirements.
• Ensure every donation is accounted for, providing transparency to stakeholders.

"Salesforce integrations bring order to chaos. Even with dozens of platforms, everything funnels into one dashboard, making it easy to track and report," explains Vlad.

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Want to improve your fundraising efficiency? We know how to help you with Salesforce 

Fundraising isn’t just about raising money—it’s about creating meaningful relationships, managing resources effectively, and achieving your nonprofit’s mission. But let’s face it: no two nonprofits are the same, and neither are their challenges. That’s why a one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work—even with a powerful platform like Salesforce. To truly make an impact, you need to adapt your Salesforce setup to meet your organization’s unique needs, goals, and processes.

Since 2017, we've been consulting, designing, and implementing Salesforce solutions across various industries and organizations. With over 110 delivered projects and a team holding more than 300 Salesforce certifications, including 10 Salesforce Certified Architects, we have the expertise to transform your nonprofit fundraising operations.

Our team specializes in tailoring Salesforce to enhance your fundraising efficiency through:

• Customized Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud implementation. We configure Salesforce to align with your unique workflows, whether it's managing donors, processing grants, or analyzing campaigns.

• Automation of repetitive tasks. By automating processes like donation processing and donor communications, we help reduce manual effort and minimize errors.

• Enhanced donor engagement. Utilizing Salesforce's tools, we assist in creating personalized campaigns and communications to strengthen relationships with your supporters.

• Improved transparency and reporting. We design dashboards and reports that provide real-time insights into your fundraising performance, aiding in informed decision-making and demonstrating impact to stakeholders.

• Scalable solutions for future growth. As your nonprofit evolves, we ensure your Salesforce solution scales with you, adapting to new challenges and opportunities.

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FAQs

Can Salesforce help nonprofits with campaign management?

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Yes, Salesforce, particularly the Nonprofit Cloud, offers comprehensive tools to help nonprofits manage campaigns effectively. You can plan, execute, and track campaigns, whether they’re for fundraising, events, or outreach. Nonprofit Cloud enables the segmentation of donor and supporter lists, personalized communication, and real-time performance tracking. This allows you to optimize campaigns, measure success, and engage your audience more effectively.

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How can Salesforce help nonprofits with donor retention?

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Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud is designed to enhance donor retention by providing a centralized view of each donor’s history and interactions. Nonprofits can automate tasks like follow-up emails, thank-you notes, and renewal reminders, ensuring donors feel valued and engaged. The platform’s reporting and analytics features help identify trends and uncover opportunities to strengthen relationships. By enabling personalized communication and consistent outreach, Nonprofit Cloud supports long-term donor loyalty and increased retention rates.

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How does Salesforce integrate with other tools and applications?

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Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud integrates seamlessly with other tools and applications to create a unified ecosystem for your organization. It supports integrations with platforms for marketing, accounting, event management, and more, using open APIs such as REST and SOAP. Features like Salesforce AppExchange and MuleSoft make it easy to connect Nonprofit Cloud to your existing systems. These integrations ensure that donor data, campaign insights, and financial information flow smoothly, reducing manual data entry and improving overall efficiency.