Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud VS NPSP: a detailed comparison with insights from our team
After reviewing discussions on social media and hearing directly from our clients, we see many of you grappling with the same concerns about Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud (NPC) and Nonprofit Success Pack (NPSP). Questions like, "Is NPSP still supported?", "Is it worth migrating?" and “Which one will work best for our needs?” are common. Choosing between these two Salesforce nonprofit solutions can feel daunting — especially with all the time, budget, and effort a decision like this requires.
At Noltic, we've been working with nonprofit organizations of all sizes, helping them implement Salesforce solutions that align with their missions. This experience has given us a deep understanding of nonprofits' unique challenges and how customized solutions can help to achieve them.
Let us share key differences, benefits, and considerations to guide you toward the best choice for your organization.
Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud and NPSP in action
Let's take a look at two projects we’ve implemented to show how Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud and NPSP can fit different needs and goals. These real-life examples highlight how each solution can address unique nonprofit challenges.
How we helped enhance fundraising and daily operations with Nonprofit Cloud
When the Ukrainian Catholic University (UCU) reached out to us, they had a clear goal: they wanted to centralize their operations across departments to make it easier to manage relationships with donors, students, academic staff, and partners. UCU, a prestigious university in Lviv, is well-known for its academic excellence, innovation, and transparency. With a thriving international community and a commitment to high standards, they needed a system that would support their growing network and simplify complex processes.
Our team implemented Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud, fully customizing it to fit UCU’s unique ecosystem. This solution gave UCU a unified platform for managing fundraising, recruitment, and communications. One key feature was the Customer 360 Platform, which allowed them to automate workflows, connect seamlessly with third-party tools, and keep all essential data in one place. For example, we integrated Salesforce with Google Drive, Gmail, and Google Sheets to allow smooth data sharing and make daily collaboration easier.
One of the highlights of this project was helping UCU optimize its fundraising efforts. By personalizing donor communications, automating donation tracking, and supporting planned and annual giving processes, UCU could enhance its engagement with donors, strengthening relationships that sustain its mission. Additionally, we integrated a live chat feature on the university's website to make it easier for prospective students to ask questions and receive quick responses.
Reflecting on this project, Liubomyr Medvid, one of our top Salesforce developers, shared:
“Working with UCU was more than just implementing technology. It was about creating a support system for an institution that values education and community impact. With Nonprofit Cloud, UCU is now set up to continue expanding its reach and growing its support network.”
This partnership wasn’t just a project for us — it was a collaboration built on shared values. With UCU’s new Salesforce setup, their journey to modernized management has just begun, and we’re proud to be part of their ongoing success.
Implementing Salesforce Nonprofit Success Pack, which resulted in fulfilling 3,000+ requests and distributing $78M in aid
When Nova Ukraine reached out to us, they were facing a huge challenge: as the need for humanitarian aid in Ukraine surged, their existing tools just couldn’t keep up with the scale and speed required. They had been helping Ukraine since 2014, but when the war escalated in 2022, everything changed. In just one year, they managed to reach over 3.6 million people, providing essential supplies, food, shelter, and even evacuation support. To keep up with this rapid growth, they needed a system to handle their increased requests and donations smoothly.
We partnered with Nova Ukraine to customize the Salesforce Nonprofit Success Pack, creating an automated and transparent system for handling requests, tracking donations, and managing donor communications. This setup included anti-duplicate logic to avoid repetitive requests, automated validation to streamline approvals, and a better system for tracking in-kind donations and grant requests. We also integrated Salesforce with various payment methods to handle donations from different platforms, ensuring everything was centralized and accessible.
As Vlad Petrovych, our CTO, added:
“Helping Nova Ukraine organize and streamline their processes was incredibly rewarding. Knowing that our work allowed them to reach more people faster and with fewer resources is a true testament to the power of the right tools in the right hands.”
NPSP VS NPC: what’s the difference?
Both the Nonprofit Success Pack and Nonprofit Cloud offer powerful tools for nonprofits, but they’re designed with slightly different goals and user bases in mind.
NPSP has been a go-to solution for thousands of nonprofits, especially those needing core CRM functions tailored to nonprofit work, like managing donors and tracking donations. While NPSP still serves many organizations and is fully supported by Salesforce, it’s no longer getting major updates. Hence, some nonprofits look for options with more advanced, up-to-date features.
On the other hand, Nonprofit Cloud is Salesforce’s latest offering for nonprofits and includes newer features aimed at more complex needs. Designed for both new and existing Salesforce users, Nonprofit Cloud goes beyond CRM basics to include advanced analytics, AI capabilities, and more sophisticated tools for managing relationships and impact. It’s ideal for organizations looking to leverage the latest technologies to expand their reach and deepen their engagement.
Core Features of NPSP
Here’s how the Salesforce Nonprofit Success Pack can support a nonprofit’s core operations with practical tools to handle everything from fundraising to volunteer management:
Fundraising tools
NPSP’s fundraising features cover all the essentials for managing donations, campaigns, and donor relationships. You can track every donation, pledge, grant, and in-kind contribution in one place and even automate recurring donations. As for campaign planning, you can use tools for audience segmentation and targeting. Plus, integrations with payment gateways and marketing tools make it easy to handle donations efficiently.
Program management
For program management, NPSP offers features to track activities, allocate resources, and measure impact. You can set specific goals for each program and keep track of outcomes, making it easier to see the effectiveness of your work. This setup benefits nonprofits with complex programs or multiple initiatives, keeping everything organized and aligned with your mission.
Volunteer management
You can store volunteer information, track their hours, and match them to roles based on skills and availability. NPSP helps with everything from recruiting to scheduling, ensuring your volunteer operations run smoothly and your team fully engages.
Reporting and analytics
You can create custom reports on donations, program results, or volunteer activities and access interactive dashboards for a quick overview. Automated report scheduling also keeps your team and stakeholders informed.
Cohorts and segmentation
The segmentation features in NPSP allow you to group supporters based on demographics, behavior, or level of involvement. You can target communications to specific groups, making your outreach more relevant and personalized. For instance, you can tailor messages for first-time donors or long-term supporters.
Personalized content and engagement
With tools for email marketing, social media integration, and automation, NPSP makes it easy to deliver personalized messaging. You can send tailored follow-ups and automated updates, creating a more meaningful connection with each supporter.
Grant management
Grant management features let you track every stage of the grant process, from application to reporting. NPSP includes compliance monitoring and automated reminders to keep you on top of deadlines, making it easier to stay accountable and collaborate with team members involved in the grant process.
Donor management
NPSP also helps nonprofits build and sustain strong donor relationships. You can keep detailed donor profiles, track giving history, and prioritize outreach efforts based on donor behavior. Centralized data helps build long-term connections and foster donor loyalty.
Functionalities of the new Nonprofit Cloud
The Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud offers advanced features that go beyond what NPSP provides. Built on the Salesforce platform, Nonprofit Cloud integrates deeper functionality, enhanced customization options, and cross-sector capabilities, making it suitable for nonprofits with complex needs.
Constituent management
Nonprofit Cloud offers a more sophisticated approach to managing relationships with donors, volunteers, and program participants than NPSP. Tools like Person Accounts and Party Relationship Groups make it easier to handle complex relationships between constituents, such as family or household groups, and across different organizational contacts.
Program management
Similar to NPSP, Nonprofit Cloud allows you to track program activities, goals, and outcomes. However, it adds a more structured framework for managing large-scale programs across multiple services, including the ability to track detailed data on service delivery, resource allocation, and the impact on beneficiaries.
Case management
Unlike NPSP, Nonprofit Cloud includes case management capabilities. This feature is especially useful for nonprofits involved in direct service delivery, such as health and social services. It allows staff to manage cases for individuals or groups, document interactions, set follow-up actions, and assess needs, creating a more comprehensive support experience.
Fundraising
Both NPSP and Nonprofit Cloud offer fundraising tools, but Nonprofit Cloud enhances this with tools designed for complex campaigns and donor journeys. It includes features like the Actionable Relationship Center to gain insights into donor engagement and access to Salesforce’s more advanced marketing tools, giving organizations a deeper understanding of donor behaviors and preferences.
Grantmaking
Nonprofit Cloud goes beyond simple grant tracking. It offers specialized grant management features for managing the entire grant lifecycle, from application and award to reporting and compliance. The solution includes automated workflows, compliance checks, and budget tracking, enabling more organized and transparent grant processes.
Outcome management
Nonprofit Cloud offers advanced tools for measuring and managing outcomes. Organizations can set clear goals, track progress, and report more thoroughly than in NPSP. This feature is valuable for nonprofits that need to demonstrate the measurable impact of their programs to funders and stakeholders.
Integration and customizability
Built directly on the Salesforce platform, Nonprofit Cloud offers access to tools like the Business Rules Engine, Data Processing Engine, and OmniStudio for more customization options. This integration allows nonprofits to connect with other Salesforce solutions, such as Financial Services Cloud and Health Cloud, providing access to features and workflows tailored to those sectors.
Person Accounts and Party Relationship Groups features
Nonprofit Cloud uses Person Accounts to manage individual contacts separately from organization accounts, which is particularly helpful for nonprofits that work directly with people in addition to businesses. Party Relationship Groups make it easy to link related contacts so nonprofits can see and manage interconnected relationships, such as family members, corporate sponsors, or key advocates.
Cross-sector collaboration
Nonprofit Cloud enables nonprofits to work seamlessly with partners across different sectors, such as healthcare providers, financial services, or education partners. Organizations can collaborate on multi-disciplinary programs and expand their support networks more effectively.
Life Events feature
This feature allows organizations to track significant milestones or events in a constituent's life, such as graduations, relocations, or family changes. By understanding these life events, nonprofits can deliver more personalized support and engagement that aligns with each person’s journey.
Actionable Relationship Center feature
Nonprofit Cloud provides a centralized view of all interactions and relationships. This feature helps nonprofits see the full picture of their engagement with each individual or organization, making it easier to tailor outreach and respond proactively to changes in engagement levels.
Accounting Subledger feature
Nonprofit Cloud includes an Accounting Subledger that integrates with financial systems, facilitating the reconciliation of donations, grants, and other financial transactions. This provides nonprofits with a more efficient way to track financial data and improves reporting accuracy.
Comparative analysis: NPSP vs. Nonprofit Cloud
To help you understand the key differences between NPSP and Nonprofit Cloud, we’ve created a detailed comparison table that breaks down each solution's features, functionality, and ideal use cases.
NPSP or Nonprofit Cloud: our tips for choosing the right solution
Each nonprofit is unique, so we consider several key factors to recommend the best solution for your needs.
Organizational size and complexity
NPSP is great for small to medium-sized nonprofits. If your organization needs straightforward tools for managing donors, tracking donations, and handling simple constituent records, NPSP offers all that for free. Plus, it’s customizable, making it a solid fit for organizations that want to tailor their setup but may not have a large budget for extensive features.
Nonprofit Cloud offers a wider range of tools for large or complex nonprofits that handle extensive programs, marketing campaigns, and in-depth impact measurement. This solution integrates smoothly with other Salesforce products and provides advanced features for those managing complex projects and workflows. It comes with additional costs, but it's often worth the investment for organizations that need a comprehensive system.
Existing Salesforce infrastructure
If you’re already using NPSP, switching to Nonprofit Cloud can be a big step, as the two have different data structures. However, Nonprofit Cloud is built on top of NPSP, which means you don’t have to start from scratch. It’s possible to transition and add Nonprofit Cloud’s advanced features on top of what you already have. We recommend talking with Salesforce experts to ensure a smooth migration.
For organizations new to Salesforce or those looking to expand with Salesforce’s advanced tools, Nonprofit Cloud may be a more efficient starting point. Its integration with other Salesforce products and third-party applications makes it an excellent choice if you’re looking to build a robust and interconnected technology stack from the ground up.
Budget constraints
As a free option for nonprofits, NPSP is ideal for organizations with limited budgets. In addition to cost savings, NPSP has a large user community for support, which can reduce the need for expensive help with setup and maintenance.
Nonprofit Cloud requires a paid subscription, which can be a significant investment for some organizations. However, large organizations with the budget for it often find its extensive features to be a valuable long-term investment. The Power of Us Program also provides discounts, helping reduce costs for qualifying nonprofits and educational institutions.
Level of customization required
NPSP is customizable, allowing nonprofits to tailor the system to their specific needs and workflows. However, this level of customization may require more setup effort and technical resources, especially if your organization needs to integrate NPSP with other systems.
Nonprofit Cloud is also customizable, but it comes with many built-in advanced features that reduce the need for heavy customizations. Tools like the Business Rules Engine, Data Processing Engine, and OmniStudio provide extensive capabilities, so many organizations find they can configure the platform with less effort than NPSP.
Long-term strategic goals
NPSP is suitable for organizations that currently have straightforward needs and don’t anticipate rapid growth. If donor management and basic fundraising tracking are your primary focus, NPSP is likely a good fit.
If you’re planning to grow and will need advanced tools for program management, marketing, and data-driven insights in the future, Nonprofit Cloud provides scalability. With the ability to integrate with other Salesforce products, it’s ideal for organizations looking to expand their tech capabilities over time.
How we can help your nonprofit grow with Salesforce solutions
At Noltic, we’re committed to helping nonprofits make a bigger impact by using Salesforce in ways that truly fit their needs. As a top-level Salesforce Summit Partner, we work with organizations of all sizes, guiding them through each step to create solutions that work seamlessly with their goals.
We start with a detailed consultation to understand your unique situation. We analyze your current infrastructure, discuss your short- and long-term goals, and plan any necessary migration steps. Our team ensures a smooth transition to your chosen Salesforce solution, whether that’s adapting NPSP or implementing Nonprofit Cloud from scratch.
Our team has over 300 Salesforce certifications and 110 successful projects under our belt, and we’re always ready to dive in and understand what makes each nonprofit unique. From custom implementations to secure data migrations, we make sure the solution is right for each organization. And it doesn’t end there; we provide ongoing support to ensure teams get the most out of their Salesforce setup.
FAQs
Why invest in Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud if NPSP is free?
NPSP is a great start for nonprofits, but Nonprofit Cloud offers advanced features for growing organizations, including:
- Comprehensive tools for managing fundraising, grants, and volunteers.
- Advanced analytics for deeper insights with Tableau CRM.
- Better automation for tasks like donor management and workflows.
- Integration with other Salesforce products for a unified experience.
- Scalability to handle growth without hitting limits.
If you need more than basic functionality and want to future-proof your operations, Nonprofit Cloud is worth the investment.
Can I migrate from NPSP to Nonprofit Cloud?
Yes, it’s possible to migrate from NPSP to Nonprofit Cloud, but it requires careful planning due to differences in data structures and the complexity of each solution. Since Nonprofit Cloud is built on NPSP’s foundation, existing users can access new features. However, moving to Nonprofit Cloud may require data migration, reconfiguring workflows, and customizations to fully utilize the platform’s advanced tools. Working with Salesforce experts is highly recommended to ensure a smooth transition, assess data compatibility, and help plan each stage of migration to minimize downtime.
What are the technical requirements for NPSP and Nonprofit Cloud?
Both NPSP and Nonprofit Cloud operate on the Salesforce platform, requiring a stable internet connection and a compatible web browser (such as Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge). For organizations using advanced features in the Nonprofit Cloud, additional server resources and storage may be needed to handle the larger data sets and integrations. Nonprofit Cloud also requires more bandwidth and processing power for tools like the Business Rules Engine or OmniStudio. Make sure to check Salesforce’s system requirements and consider upgrading infrastructure if your nonprofit plans to expand its use of Salesforce products.
What level of technical expertise is required to implement and maintain each solution?
NPSP is designed to be accessible, so nonprofits with limited technical resources can set it up with moderate technical expertise, especially if only using its core features like donor management and basic reporting. Nonprofit Cloud, however, involves more advanced tools, requiring greater technical knowledge for configuration, customization, and integration. It’s recommended to work with Salesforce-certified professionals to implement Nonprofit Cloud, especially if you plan to integrate other systems, customize workflows, or leverage advanced analytics. This level of expertise ensures optimal configuration, data security, and a seamless user experience for your team.
Can I integrate NPSP or Nonprofit Cloud with other systems?
Yes, both NPSP and Nonprofit Cloud are highly adaptable and support integrations with third-party systems. For NPSP, common integrations include payment processors, email marketing platforms, and volunteer management tools. Nonprofit Cloud, being more flexible and expansive, offers enhanced integration capabilities across Salesforce’s ecosystem, including Financial Services Cloud, Health Cloud, and more, as well as external applications like ERPs, accounting systems, and data visualization tools. Integration requires careful planning to align data formats, APIs, and workflow logic, so it’s wise to work with experts to assess your specific needs and ensure seamless connectivity across platforms.
.webp)
together