Six ways Salesforce can improve stakeholder communication in your nonprofit: with practical examples from our team

We recently came across a Forbes article outlining ways nonprofits can better understand their stakeholders. While tips like collecting data and communicating value are useful, they’re often time-consuming. That made us wonder: Why aren’t more nonprofits automating these tasks?

Despite many available tools, many nonprofits still rely on manual processes, which can lead to miscommunication and inefficiency. Salesforce, with its automation features, helps nonprofits transform stakeholder relationships.

In our experience, we've seen how Salesforce can tackle challenges like improving donor engagement and optimizing internal processes. If you’re dealing with communication inefficiencies, this article will show how automation can make a difference with real-world examples from our team.

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Success story #1: How Better Time Stories transformed stakeholder communication with smarter delivery

When Better Time Stories, a nonprofit helping Ukrainian children displaced by the war, launched, they faced significant communication challenges. With rapid growth and limited resources, the organization struggled to provide clear, consistent updates to stakeholders, including donors, volunteers, and families. The overwhelming volume of inquiries further strained their ability to respond on time, risking disengagement.

To address these issues, Noltic customized the existing Salesforce setup, creating a centralized communication platform for all interactions. Here's how we solved the challenges:

• Streamlined stakeholder communication: Salesforce became the hub for all stakeholder communications, providing timely updates and reducing confusion.

• Automated updates: Regular newsletters and updates were automated, ensuring stakeholders stayed informed without additional manual effort.

• Feedback mechanisms: Salesforce tools helped Better Time Stories gather and act on feedback, improving stakeholder satisfaction.

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The results were transformative. With Salesforce, Better Time Stories increased their impact significantly:

• €41,130.00 in donations used to send 2,400 packages across Europe (a 2.7x increase).
• Improved transparency and increased engagement with stakeholders.
• Faster response times and more efficient communication.

By transforming their communication processes, Better Time Stories can now focus on their mission with a clear, effective strategy that builds trust and engagement.

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Success story #2: How Freedom ID strengthened connections with stakeholders

Zenoo created the Freedom ID project to support Ukrainian refugees by providing a secure identity verification system, but it faced significant challenges:

• The complex verification process was confusing nonprofits and potential hosts;
• Many hosts didn’t know how to participate, leading to missed opportunities;
• Refugees were hesitant to accept help, making communication difficult;
• Refugees often needed immediate assistance, but slow verification created frustrating delays.

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To solve these challenges, our team created the architecture using the same solutions we had previously developed for Zenoo and adjusted them to match the nonprofit operations perfectly. Here is how we streamlined Freedom ID’s communication strategy using Salesforce:

• We reduced processing times by automating ID verification, allowing nonprofits to refer hosts easily;
• Nonprofits received prompt, organized support to handle referrals quickly;
• Easy-to-follow steps for hosts and nonprofits reduced confusion.

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The results:

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• More hosts joined, increasing shelter availability for refugees;
• Nonprofits could track referrals and communicate the next steps effectively;
• Stakeholders reported greater confidence in the platform;
• Refugees received assistance more quickly, addressing their urgent needs.

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Success story #3: Nova Ukraine’s approach to enhancing stakeholder communication during a crisis

As the full-scale russian invasion of Ukraine began, Nova Ukraine, a nonprofit providing humanitarian aid, struggled with communication challenges. The organization’s manual systems, based on Google Workspace, couldn’t handle the surge in donations and grant requests, leading to inefficiencies and missed opportunities. They faced challenges with:

• Outdated tools that made processing donations and grant requests slow and error-prone;
• The lack of a unified system resulted in poor tracking and communication with donors;
• Inefficient background checks and duplicate submissions slowed down the approval process.

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To address these issues, Noltic implemented a tailored Salesforce solution that accelerated Nova Ukraine’s operations:

• Automating donation and grant request processing reduced delays and errors;
• A single platform helped track and engage donors more effectively;
• Improved reporting built trust with donors by showcasing how funds were allocated.

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The Results:

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• Fundraising efforts saw significant improvement;
• Higher donor engagement with real-time updates;
• The system helped Nova Ukraine deliver over $112 million worth of aid.

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Nonprofit communication with stakeholders: what lessons can be learned from our cases?

Nonprofits often face tight budgets, but the right technology can make a big difference. According to the 2024 report, 93% of NGOs see a positive ROI after implementing Salesforce tools. The impact goes beyond numbers—it’s about smarter personalization, lower operational costs, and better team communication.

"In our experience, leveraging the right tools enables nonprofits to not only optimize their processes but also build stronger, more meaningful relationships with their stakeholders." – adds our Chief Revenue Officer Vlad Petrovych.

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Engage stakeholders early and often

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Engaging your stakeholders early on is key to understanding their needs and expectations. This proactive approach not only builds stronger relationships but also ensures your organization's goals align with what matters most to those involved.

When you create a stakeholder communication plan from the very start of a project, you’re setting the foundation for clear, effective communication throughout. A communication strategy adjusted for nonprofit organizations' needs helps you figure out the best ways to engage with your stakeholders and keep them in the loop every step of the way.

By getting stakeholders involved early, you can create a more precise roadmap for your projects. Take Better Time Stories, for example. They reached out to families and donors through surveys and feedback forms right from the beginning. These assessments gave them valuable insights that helped tailor their services and offer more personalized support to those who needed it most.

To keep things on track, consider setting up automated surveys or feedback loops. These features allow you to continuously gather input, adjust expectations when necessary, and maintain trust by staying in touch with what’s important to your stakeholders.

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Customize communication strategies

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Each stakeholder has different preferences for how they want to receive information. Whether it’s donors, volunteers, or beneficiaries, tailoring communication strategies ensures your messages resonate with each group.

Nova Ukraine is an example of how nonprofit communication strategies can be customized effectively. By aggregating donor information through Salesforce, they could target messages based on specific donor demographics. Such a personalized approach led to better engagement and higher fundraising efficiency. Moreover, building a comprehensive nonprofit communication plan helps ensure your messaging aligns with stakeholder expectations and needs.

Your organization can use CRM tools to track stakeholder data and segment your audience through donation history, volunteer activity, or engagement preferences to tailor your communication and ensure it’s relevant to each group.

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Implement feedback mechanisms

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Feedback mechanisms are essential for understanding stakeholder perceptions and improving communication strategies over time. They allow you to measure satisfaction and adjust your approach as needed.

Both Better Time Stories and Freedom ID used feedback tools to gauge stakeholder satisfaction, which provided valuable insights into their communication strategies. This ongoing feedback loop helped both organizations understand stakeholder communication requirements and fine-tune their outreach to strengthen stakeholder relationships.

Incorporate various feedback tools like surveys, focus groups, or direct outreach through your CRM system. Regularly assess this feedback and integrate it into your future communication planning to improve continuously.

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Foster two-way communication

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Effective communication is a two-way street. Listening to stakeholder concerns and responding appropriately builds trust and promotes stronger relationships.

For Freedom ID, fostering two-way communication was critical. By creating a responsive admin support system, they provided real-time updates to nonprofits and potential hosts about the status of referrals.

Establish dedicated communication channels for stakeholders to ask questions and provide feedback, such as live chat features, forums, or regular Q&A sessions. Ensuring timely responses will keep your stakeholders engaged and informed.

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How Salesforce enables stakeholders communication automation for your nonprofit

Salesforce offers a powerful suite of tools that can significantly enhance stakeholder communication for nonprofits, making it easier to automate and optimize various processes. Let’s take a closer look at features and tools:

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Automated donor engagement

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Salesforce allows you to set up automated email campaigns based on donor history, preferences, and engagement levels. By segmenting donor data, your organization can tailor messages to specific groups, ensuring the content resonates and fosters deeper connections.

For example, your nonprofit can use automated welcome emails to thank new donors and follow up with impact stories highlighting the difference their support is making. This personalized approach can increase donor retention and encourage continued contributions. For nonprofits managing recurring donations, Salesforce Subscription Management offers an easy way to automate subscription renewals and enhance ongoing donor relationships.

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Salesforce tools to use

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Let’s see what Salesforce solutions you can use to improve engagement and automate your marketing efforts. 

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1. Salesforce Marketing Cloud

Use Marketing Cloud to create targeted, personalized email campaigns to engage donors. You can craft and distribute emails that are tailored to specific donor segments, ensuring that each message speaks directly to the recipient's interests and giving history.

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• Use donor data to segment your audience by factors such as giving history, interests, and engagement levels.
• Create email templates for various types of communication, such as thank-you notes, newsletters, or impact reports. 
• Automate workflows to trigger emails based on donor actions. For instance, after a donor contributes, an automated thank-you email can be sent immediately, enhancing the donor's experience and encouraging future support.
• With Marketing Cloud’s analytics features, you can monitor key engagement metrics like open rates, click-through rates, and bounce rates. This data helps you refine your email strategies, adjusting based on what content resonates most with donors.

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2. Salesforce Pardot

Pardot, Salesforce’s marketing automation tool, allows you to automate lead-nurturing campaigns and track donor engagement.

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• Create an automated email series to stay in touch with prospects and cultivate long-term relationships.
• Integrate Pardot with Salesforce CRM to keep donor information up-to-date and accurate across both platforms.
• Track and score leads based on how they interacted with your communications. You can prioritize the most engaged donors to focus on high-value relationships.
• Track the success of email campaigns, measure engagement, and adjust content based on donor feedback.

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3. Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud

Organizations can also use Nonprofit Cloud to centralize donor data, track donations, and engage with supporters more effectively.

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• With its built-in features, you can automate donor acknowledgment processes and set up recurring donation reminders.
• When a donor contributes, you can send an automated acknowledgment, ensuring they receive immediate recognition for their support.

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Streamlined donation processing

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Automation is key to making donation processing more efficient. By automating tasks like acknowledgment emails, receipt generation, and donor data entry, you can ensure timely responses and maintain accurate records. Additionally, automation reduces the administrative burden on staff and enhances the donor experience by providing quick, reliable acknowledgment.

For example, when a donation is made, an automatic thank-you email can be sent to the donor, along with a receipt for their records. This extra step boosts donor engagement and helps maintain transparency and trust. Additionally, automating donor data entry ensures that records are always up to date, making tracking donations and managing relationships easier.

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Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud practical use

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Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud is an integrated platform designed to meet the specific needs of nonprofits. It helps automate donation processing, track donor relationships, and simplify financial record-keeping—all while reducing manual tasks and minimizing errors.

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• Create automated workflows to send personalized thank-you emails and receipts immediately after a donation is made.
• Integrate with donation platforms, automatically capturing donor information and updating records in real-time, hence eliminating the need for manual data entry, reducing administrative workload, and ensuring that donor records are always accurate.
• Track donations from multiple sources (online, in-person, events), centralizing all data in one place. A single data hub helps you to manage and report on fundraising efforts easily, ensuring transparency and accountability.
• Generate detailed donation reports and track fundraising progress, evaluate campaigns, monitor donor engagement, and identify areas for improvement.

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For instance, when donors contribute through an online platform integrated with Nonprofit Cloud, their information is automatically entered into the system. The system then triggers a personalized thank-you email, including a receipt for their records. The donation is then logged, and detailed reports are generated for your team to monitor fundraising performance. This fully automated process saves time and ensures a smooth experience for both staff and donors.

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Efficient volunteer management

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Efficient volunteer management is crucial for nonprofits, but it can also be time-consuming. By automating scheduling and reminders, nonprofits can ensure volunteers stay informed about upcoming shifts and opportunities, enhancing their engagement while reducing the administrative burden on staff.

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Salesforce tools to use

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Salesforce offers wide customization options that can be adapted to your nonprofit’s specific needs, from scheduling shifts to tracking volunteer hours and performance. You can create automated workflows to send reminders to volunteers about upcoming shifts or events, helping them stay on top of their commitments without burdening staff.

For example, volunteers can receive automated notifications when they are scheduled for an upcoming shift. After their shift, you can automatically send thank-you messages to show appreciation for their time and effort, helping to build stronger relationships.

• Use Salesforce Volunteer Management to automate the scheduling process for volunteers, ensuring that shifts are filled and volunteers are notified with minimal manual input. Salesforce Calendar can also help schedule and track volunteer shifts, automatically assigning them to available spots.
• With Salesforce Flow Builder, you can automatically send email or SMS reminders to volunteers about their scheduled shifts or upcoming opportunities to ensure they are aware of their commitments without requiring manual tracking.
• Set up workflows to send follow-up thank-you messages or surveys, enhancing the volunteer experience and gathering feedback to improve future engagement.

"Creating a custom Salesforce solution for volunteer management can significantly reduce the time spent on administrative tasks while enhancing volunteer engagement. By automating scheduling and communication, nonprofits can focus more on their mission and build stronger relationships with their volunteers," says Noltic’s CRO, Vlad Petrovych.

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Enhanced reporting and data accuracy

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Automating the generation of reports and ensuring data accuracy is crucial for nonprofits that need to make quick, informed decisions. By using Salesforce, you can automatically pull data from across departments and generate real-time insights into key performance metrics such as fundraising performance and stakeholder engagement.

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Salesforce tool to use

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Salesforce offers powerful Reports and Dashboards for Nonprofits features tailored to the needs of charitable organizations, enabling them to create customized, real-time reports. These tools centralize data from various departments, helping you make informed decisions quickly and more accurately.

• Create dashboards that update in real-time with metrics like donation trends and volunteer engagement, giving teams immediate visibility of performance.
• Set up automated reports that pull data from different departments, saving time and providing consistent, up-to-date information.
• Access and analyze data in real-time, ensuring fast, data-driven decision-making.
• Share dashboards and reports across teams for better collaboration and aligned decision-making.

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Improved case management

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Efficient case management is essential for nonprofits that serve beneficiaries. Salesforce helps automate workflows to ensure timely service delivery and effective communication, fostering trust and satisfaction. 

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Salesforce Case Management practical use

You can automate workflows, track progress, and ensure timely follow-ups. For example, automated alerts notify team members of required actions when a new case is created, ensuring no case is overlooked.

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• Automate tasks like sending alerts for follow-ups or required actions, ensuring smooth case progression.
• Keep track of each case’s status and actions in one place, providing real-time updates to the team.
• Tailor case fields and statuses to fit your nonprofit's needs—for example, track beneficiary information like household size or income level for more detailed case management.
• Automate notifications to keep both staff and beneficiaries informed.
• Generate reports to track service delivery and identify improvements.

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Collaborative partner engagement

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Salesforce helps streamline communication by automating updates and providing shared dashboards tp ensure that all stakeholders, including partner organizations, stay aligned and informed, enhancing overall collaboration.

For example, nonprofits can use Salesforce to create dedicated groups where partners receive project progress updates and share real-time insights. 

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Salesforce tools to use

Below, we are explaining what tools you can use for collaboration with your partners. 

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1. Salesforce Chatter

Chatter is a social collaboration tool within Salesforce that enables real-time communication between team members and external partners. It allows partners to join groups, comment on posts, and share updates on projects, ensuring everyone stays in the loop.

Create a Chatter group for their partner organizations, where they can post updates about ongoing projects, share documents, and collaborate on key decisions. Partners can comment on posts, ask questions, and contribute ideas, fostering a collaborative working environment.

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2. Partner Relationship Management (PRM)

PRM in Salesforce allows you to manage relationships with external partners in a centralized platform. It provides them with access to shared dashboards and project updates, helping everyone track progress and stay aligned.

With PRM, your collaborators can access customized dashboards to view the status of joint projects, funding details, or volunteer activities and act more effectively.

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3. Collaborative Dashboards

Salesforce enables the creation of shared dashboards that provide real-time insights into project progress, performance metrics, and key data. These tools can be customized for each partner, ensuring they have access to the most relevant information.

You can set up a shared dashboard where partners can monitor fundraising goals, see the progress of grant applications, or track volunteer participation in real-time.

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4. Experience Cloud

Experience Cloud enables your organization to create dedicated portals or communities for your partners, providing a space for secure, seamless collaboration. You can share updates, documents, and key performance metrics, helping partners work together more effectively.

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Automated grant tracking

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Tracking grants efficiently is essential for nonprofits, and Salesforce helps automate the process. By setting up alerts for deadlines and required documents, nonprofits can ensure all stakeholders stay informed throughout the grant application process.

For example, nonprofits can automate reminders for grant application deadlines, keeping everyone engaged and ensuring that no steps are missed.

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"Salesforce helps nonprofits stay on top of grant deadlines and documentation, automating tasks that would otherwise be manual, which frees up teams to focus on more strategic activities," says Vlad Petrovych, our CRO.

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Salesforce tools to use

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1. Grants Management:

‍Track every stage of the grant application process, from submission to reporting, with automated workflows that reduce manual tracking. Salesforce can send automated notifications about grant deadlines and required documents, keeping team members on track.

2. Automated Alerts and Reminders:

‍Set up alerts to notify team members of upcoming deadlines or missing documents, ensuring timely completion. For example, Salesforce can send reminders when a document is due or a grant application is approaching its deadline.‍

3. Customizable Dashboards:

‍Create dashboards to track grant progress, view key dates, and share updates in real-time with team members.

4. Document Management:

‍Store all grant-related documents securely within Salesforce, ensuring easy access and compliance.

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Facing challenges in your nonprofit? Let us show you how Salesforce can help

At Noltic, we’ve been consulting organizations of various sizes, helping implement Salesforce solutions since 2017. With over 110+ delivered projects, a 4.9 rating on AppExchange, and more than 300 Salesforce certifications, our experience spans across various sectors, including nonprofits. Our team of 10 Salesforce Certified Architects is dedicated to delivering high-quality solutions with a detailed focus on your needs.

We understand the challenges nonprofits face, such as limited resources, managing donor relationships, or coordinating volunteers. That’s why Salesforce’s powerful suite of tools can help streamline operations, improve stakeholder communication strategy, and optimize your workflow. Whether you need automated donor engagement, better grant tracking, or enhanced volunteer management, we’ve got you covered.

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Here’s how we can help:

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• Customize Salesforce Marketing Cloud to send personalized, automated emails and strengthen relationships with donors.
• Automate grant application workflows and ensure timely follow-ups with Salesforce’s comprehensive tools.
• Simplify scheduling and reminders with Salesforce’s customizable solutions for managing volunteers.
• Enhance communication with partners through shared dashboards and real-time updates.
• Set up automated alerts and case tracking to ensure timely service delivery to beneficiaries.

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FAQs

What are some common Salesforce integrations for NGOs?

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Salesforce offers several integrations that are beneficial for nonprofits, including tools for donor management, fundraising, and communication. Common integrations include Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud, which helps NGOs manage donor relationships and track donations, Marketing Cloud for automated email campaigns and engagement, Volunteer Management Systems like Volgistics, and Payment Processors such as Stripe and PayPal for online donations. Additionally, Salesforce integrates with accounting platforms like QuickBooks and Xero, along with project management tools such as Asana or Trello, helping NGOs streamline operations across different departments.

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How can NGOs ensure data security and privacy within Salesforce?

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NGOs can ensure data security and privacy within Salesforce by leveraging its built-in security features. Salesforce offers role-based access control, allowing you to limit access to sensitive data depending on user roles. Encryption options, such as Salesforce Shield, help protect data at rest and in transit. Regular audit trails track changes to data, ensuring accountability. NGOs should also implement two-factor authentication for user logins, conduct regular security audits, and follow best practices for data governance to protect beneficiary and donor information.

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What are the costs associated with using Salesforce for an NGO?

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Salesforce offers flexible pricing plans tailored to the needs of nonprofits. Many NGOs can take advantage of Salesforce’s 10 free licenses for nonprofit organizations, which is a great starting point for smaller organizations. For larger or more complex needs, additional licenses or tools, such as Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud, may incur costs. Prices depend on the number of users, features required, and level of customization. Salesforce also offers discounts for nonprofits, and it's advisable to consult with a Salesforce representative to get a tailored pricing plan that fits your organization’s needs.