Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud for fundraising: features, benefits, and case studies

Fundraising poses significant challenges for nonprofits, with up to 87% struggling with donor fatigue, 85% facing difficulties maintaining donor involvement, and 83% finding recurring giving challenging. These issues can hinder nonprofits' missions and impacts.

To address these challenges, Salesforce introduced Nonprofit Cloud in 2023, offering powerful tools for donor management, engagement, and retention. As a result, nonprofits can enhance their operational sustainability and community impact by transforming their efforts with Salesforce nonprofit fundraising solutions.

At Noltic, we’ve successfully implemented Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud for multiple organizations. In this article, we share our insights on using this fundraising solution efficiently. 

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Success stories: how our clients use Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud for fundraising and what results they achieve

Ukrainian Catholic University: building stronger connections with donors

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When Ukrainian Catholic University (UCU) reached out to us, they had a clear goal: to build a better system for managing relationships with their donors. Donations were crucial to support scholarships, research, and international programs, but tracking contributions and communicating with donors was slow and fragmented. Information was scattered across departments, and much of the work had to be done manually.

We helped UCU move all donor data into Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud, connecting fundraising efforts with real-time donation tracking and automated engagement flows. For the first time, the university could personalize outreach, thank donors promptly, and plan giving programs without relying on spreadsheets.

The results came quickly:

• Fundraising campaigns became faster to launch and easier to manage;
• Donor engagement grew thanks to more personal communication;
• Data entry mistakes dropped, saving hours of manual work each week.

Salesforce helped UCU not just raise more funds but also strengthen the trust and loyalty of their donor community, something no spreadsheet could have achieved.

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Better Time Stories: delivering hope, powered by donations

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Better Time Stories was born from an urgent need to help Ukrainian refugee children feel closer to home. Their mission was simple yet powerful: to deliver interactive book sets, recorded with the voices of family members, to kids scattered across Europe.

But behind this mission was a race against time. The team had to process hundreds of donation-funded requests quickly and accurately. Their existing Salesforce setup, pulled together in a hurry when the war started, wasn’t ready to handle the scale. Mistakes, including incorrect addresses, duplicate deliveries, and lost donations, were far too costly.

We stepped in to rebuild their Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud environment to better manage Salesforce donations and improve delivery operations. We introduced address validation, fraud checks, and new delivery rules. We created a test environment to avoid real-world mistakes and set up new workflows for faster, cleaner data processing. 

The impact was immediate:

• Donations of €41,130 turned into thousands of successful deliveries across Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands;
• The number of delivered packages jumped 2.7 times compared to the period before improvements;
• Donation waste was minimized by ensuring one package per household and cutting errors in shipping.

With a better system in place, Better Time Stories could focus on bringing comfort and hope to children who needed it most, one book at a time.

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Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud and other popular industry solutions comparison

When it comes to nonprofit CRM solutions, Salesforce fundraising software stands out as the top choice, with 96% of customers indicating they would purchase from Salesforce again. Nonprofits worldwide trust Salesforce to manage donor relationships, enhance fundraising, and amplify their impact.

Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud was designed to meet the unique needs of nonprofits, and it achieves this without requiring any separate installation or third-party add-ons. It’s built directly on the Salesforce platform, giving nonprofits immediate access to fundraising, marketing, program management, and grant management tools, all in one place.

Unlike many industry solutions that require separate modules or integrations, Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud offers a full view of every donor and supporter, making it easier to personalize outreach, plan targeted fundraising campaigns, and make smarter decisions based on complete, up-to-date information.

Some of the key reasons nonprofits choose Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud include:

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Built-in nonprofit functionality

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Features like the Actionable Relationship Center, Business Rules Engine, and Data Processing Engine allow nonprofits to organize their data, automate processes, and improve decision-making without extra tools.

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Better donor management

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Nonprofits get a full 360° view of each donor, helping them run more personalized marketing and fundraising strategies.

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Operational efficiency

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By bringing teams, programs, and supporters into one system, nonprofits can improve communication, collaboration, and day-to-day operations.

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Data-driven planning

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Nonprofit Cloud includes visual dashboards and detailed reports, helping organizations track fundraising performance, donor engagement, and overall program success.

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Affordable access

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Through Salesforce’s "Power of Us Program," eligible nonprofits can get 10 free subscriptions and discounts on additional services, making this powerful platform accessible even to smaller organizations.

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Constant innovation

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Salesforce continues to invest in the Nonprofit Cloud, regularly adding new features that respond to the changing needs of nonprofit organizations.

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Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud offers the most complete Salesforce fundraising CRM experience available today compared to other solutions. Here is how:

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Benefits of using Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud for fundraising 

Compared to other solutions, Salesforce for fundraising provides more flexibility and deeper insights. Here is why: 

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Increased donor engagement and retention

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Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud helps nonprofits maintain strong relationships with their donors through personalized communication and targeted campaigns. Studies show nonprofits using Nonprofit Cloud saw a 24% increase in donor retention. The platform's automation tools allow nonprofits to send timely and relevant updates, keeping donors motivated to continue their support.

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Improved campaign ROI

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With Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud, you can optimize your fundraising campaigns by leveraging data and analytics to make informed decisions. Reports found that nonprofits experienced up to 307% campaign ROI. This improvement is due to the platform's ability to track and analyze donor interactions, helping nonprofits allocate resources more effectively.

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Enhanced efficiency and productivity

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Nonprofit Cloud facilitates various administrative tasks, allowing staff to focus more on mission-critical activities. The Salesforce report highlighted that nonprofits using the platform saw a 50% productivity lift. To boost efficiency, Nonprofit Cloud can automate routine tasks, such as data entry, reporting, and donor communications.

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Stronger donor relationships

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Building and maintaining strong donor relationships is crucial for long-term success. Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud provides tools to help nonprofits better understand donor behavior and preferences. According to the Salesforce report, organizations using the platform reported a 23% increase in donor satisfaction. By leveraging CRM capabilities, nonprofits can create personalized experiences that resonate with donors, fostering loyalty.

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Data-driven decision making

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Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud offers advanced analytics and reporting tools that empower nonprofits to make data-driven decisions. With a Salesforce fundraising dashboard, nonprofits can visualize donor activity and campaign performance in real time. The report indicated that most US nonprofits find AI data insights valuable in strategic planning and decision-making. This capability enables nonprofits to identify trends, measure impact, and adjust strategies to improve outcomes.

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Key features of Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud for fundraising 

Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud offers a comprehensive toolset to help organizations manage their fundraising efforts efficiently. These tools enhance donor engagement, streamline operations, and provide valuable insights through data analysis. Below are some tips on how to use Salesforce for nonprofits and leverage its functionality to the maximum:

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Donor page

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One of the standout features of Nonprofit Cloud for Fundraising is the ability to create donor-centric pages. These pages showcase the power of visual storytelling and provide a seamless experience for donors.

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Here is how you can use it:

• Tailor communications based on donor interests and giving history.
• Send personalized thank-you notes and updates about the impact of their donations.
• Monitor the total contributions of each donor and identify major donors.
• Analyze donation trends to inform fundraising strategies.
• Identify and re-engage lapsed donors through targeted outreach.
• Use engagement scores to focus efforts on donors who need more attention.
• Segment donors for specific campaigns based on their giving history and interests.
• Observe campaign performance and make adjustments in real time.
• Keep track of donor participation in events and use this information to invite them to future events.
• Generate detailed reports on donor activities, donations, and engagement.

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Action launcher

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The Action Launcher is a flexible tool that allows organizations to trigger the specific functionalities they need. Salesforce for nonprofits enables you to tailor your approaches to suit your unique needs and objectives.

Main purposes:

• Quickly log interactions such as phone calls, emails, or meetings with donors.
• Send personalized follow-up emails directly from the Action Launcher.
• Add and update donation records with new information or changes.
• Schedule tasks for follow-ups, reminders, or any other actions needed.
• Plan and schedule events and send out invitations.
• Set up workflow triggers to initiate actions based on specific conditions, like sending reminders for upcoming events.
• Create and modify custom actions tailored to specific needs and add them to the launcher.
• Assign tasks and share updates with team members quickly.

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Interest tags

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Interest Tags offer a straightforward method of categorizing donors based on their preferences and interests, facilitating communication and engagement strategies.

What you can do with Interest Tags:

• Categorize donors by their interests and preferences and organize records for easy access.
• Share content and updates relevant to your donors' specific interests.
• Create targeted appeals for donations based on donor interests.
• Follow up with donors based on their interests to keep them engaged and involved.
• Plan activities and invite donors to events that align with their interests.
• Match volunteers with activities and opportunities they are interested in.
• Track metrics and KPIs related to donor interests to inform your strategies.

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Action plans

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Action Plans outline the tasks and steps required to complete critical business processes, assigning priority, deadlines, and accountable persons to each task.

Use cases:

• Create personalized action plans for engaging with specific donors or groups of donors.
• Ensure that essential processes are followed consistently across the organization.
• Automate task assignments and reminders.
• Coordinate efforts among team members by clearly defining roles and responsibilities.
• Share progress with your team with real-time updates.
• Measure progress towards goals and ensure that critical tasks are completed on time.

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Donor giving summary

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This feature provides calculated insights into partner donations, simplifying contribution tracking and enabling informed decisions based on real-time data.

Here is how you can use it:

• Track donations and contributions made by partners;
• Use the summary to identify donors who have made significant contributions and may be potential candidates for major gift programs.
• Analyze giving trends to understand donor behavior and forecast future contributions.
• Generate custom reports for board meetings, donor briefings, or internal strategy sessions.
• Implement retention campaigns targeting donors who have a lapse in their giving.
• Communicate the impact of donations through detailed reports and stories that show how the donor’s contributions have made a difference.
• Provide transparency to donors about how their funds are used and the outcomes achieved.

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Interaction summaries

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This tool allows users to oversee every aspect of client and partner interactions, offering structured note-taking and compliant, role-based data-sharing options.

How interaction summaries can help:

• Use the interaction history to tailor communications based on past engagements.
• Ensure timely follow-ups by creating tasks and setting reminders based on past interactions.
• Adjust communication and engagement strategies based on insights from interaction summaries.
• Coordinate efforts by providing team members with access to detailed interaction histories.
• Use interaction summaries to prepare for meetings or calls with donors, volunteers, or partners.
• Generate detailed reports on interactions for internal reviews, board meetings, or donor briefings.

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Advanced techniques for improving fundraising efforts with Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud

Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud offers much more than just basic donor management. Nonprofits that want to elevate their fundraising can utilize advanced tools and features built into the platform. Here are some of the most effective techniques:

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How to get started with Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud 

Implementing Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud can significantly enhance your nonprofit's fundraising efforts and overall efficiency. Follow these steps to get started:

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Assess your organization's needs

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First, you need to conduct a stakeholder analysis by identifying key stakeholders, including internal members such as board members, staff, volunteers, and external parties such as donors, partners, and beneficiaries. Collect data on current processes and challenges and conduct interviews to explore specific issues more deeply.

Next, review current processes and systems. Map out your processes by visualizing current workflows and reviewing existing documentation. Evaluate the systems by listing all current software and tools and assess their performance and limitations.

Identify pain points and opportunities by analyzing challenges such as data entry errors and communication gaps and evaluating how these issues affect efficiency. Look for areas for improvement to facilitate processes and enhance communication. You can also consider new capabilities like advanced reporting and automation.

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Choose the right Salesforce edition

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Review each edition's Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud pricing and features to determine the best fit for your organization. Currently, there are four editions available:

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Nonprofit Cloud - Enterprise

Nonprofit Cloud—Enterprise is the market-leading CRM designed with purpose-built functionality for nonprofits. It is priced at 60 USD per user per month and billed annually. This edition includes the Nonprofit Data Model, Nonprofit Toolkit, accounting Subledger Growth, and Nonprofit Copilot Actions.

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Nonprofit Cloud - Unlimited

Nonprofit Cloud—Unlimited offers comprehensive CRM power and support for nonprofits. It costs 100 USD per user per month, billed annually. This version incorporates all the features of the Enterprise Edition, plus additional storage and automation, the Premier Success Plan, and a full sandbox. It also provides 24/7 toll-free support and expert coaching.

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Nonprofit Cloud Einstein 1 for Sales

Nonprofit Cloud Einstein 1 for Sales builds on the Unlimited Edition by adding Einstein for Sales, Data Cloud, Nonprofit Cloud, Slack, and more. This edition costs 300 USD per user per month and is billed annually. It includes all Unlimited Edition features, Einstein for Sales, Data Cloud and Experience Cloud, Salesforce Maps, Scheduler, Enablement, Slack Enterprise Grid, and Slack Sales Elevate.

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Nonprofit Cloud Einstein 1 for Service

Nonprofit Cloud Einstein 1 for Service also builds on the Unlimited Edition, focusing on enhancing service capabilities. It includes Einstein for Service, Data Cloud, Nonprofit Cloud, Slack, and more. This edition costs 300 USD per user per month, billed annually. It offers all features of the Unlimited Edition, plus Einstein for Service, Data Cloud and Experience Cloud, Service Cloud Voice, Digital Engagement, Einstein Conversation Insights, Salesforce Scheduler, and Slack Enterprise Grid.

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Sign up for Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud

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Visit the Salesforce website and sign up. You can also review the Power of Us Program, which provides eligible nonprofits with ten free licenses and discounts on additional services. To apply:

• Go to the Power of Us Program application page.
• Fill out the application form with your organization’s information, including your nonprofit’s mission, budget, and staffing details.
• Submit the required documentation to prove your nonprofit status.

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Prepare your data

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Organize and clean your existing data, ensuring accuracy and proper formatting for import into Salesforce. Preparation may include the following steps:

1. Review current data for completeness and correctness.
2. Remove duplicates, correct errors, and standardize formats.
3. Map your existing data fields to Salesforce fields to ensure a smooth import.

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Set up your Salesforce environment

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Log in and customize the platform according to your needs. Define roles and set permissions for your team members to ensure proper access. Next, configure your security settings to protect sensitive information. Prepare your environment by customizing objects, fields, and page layouts to match your processes.Import your dataSalesforce offers special tools to migrate your data. You can use the Data Import Wizard for straightforward import or the Data Loader for more complex transfer. After migration, validate your imported data to ensure everything is correctly transferred and formatted.

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Train your team

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Leverage Salesforce’s training resources, like Trailhead and webinars, and provide team training.To begin with, we recommend the following trails:

• Nonprofit Cloud for Fundraising: Quick Look;
• Salesforce for Nonprofits Basics;
• Salesforce for Nonprofits Readiness.

Consider joining the Power of Us Hub, a community of Salesforce nonprofit users, to share experiences and get advice.

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Implement key features

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Ensure that your nonprofit organization fully leverages the platform’s capabilities. Here are the steps you need to take:

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Set up donor profiles:

• Create custom fields to capture essential information such as contact details, giving history, and communication preferences.
• Import existing donor data into Salesforce using tools like the Data Import Wizard or Data Loader.
• Use segmentation features to group donors by attributes such as donation frequency, amount, and engagement level.

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Track interactions:

• Log all interactions with donors, including calls, emails, meetings, and event participation.
• Set up reminders for follow-up activities to ensure timely engagement.

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Campaign management:

• Set up fundraising campaigns in Salesforce, defining goals, target audience, and timelines.
• Monitor campaign performance in real time using dashboards and reports.
• Use Salesforce’s automation tools to streamline campaign tasks, such as sending emails and tracking responses.

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Donation management:

• Integrate online donation forms with Salesforce to automatically capture donor information and donations.
• Set up and manage recurring donations, tracking them separately for reporting purposes.
• Implement matching gift programs and track employer contributions.

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Personalized communications:

• Use Salesforce’s email marketing tools to create and send personalized emails to donors and supporters.
• Connect your social media accounts to Salesforce to track and engage with supporters across platforms.

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Engagement tracking:

• Maintain a comprehensive history of all engagements with each donor or supporter.
• Use engagement scoring to identify highly engaged donors and tailor your strategies accordingly.

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Program tracking:

• Create custom objects to track program-specific data, such as beneficiary information, service delivery, and outcomes.
• Use Salesforce’s reporting tools to measure and report on the impact of your programs.

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Volunteer management:

• Set up volunteer profiles, capturing their skills, availability, and interests.
• Use scheduling tools to manage volunteer shifts and track participation.

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Grant lifecycle:

• Set up tracking grant applications, including deadlines, status, and key documents.
• Manage grant reporting requirements by tracking deliverables and outcomes in Salesforce.

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Reports:

• Use Salesforce’s Report Builder to generate customized reports on various aspects of your operations, such as fundraising performance, donor engagement, and program outcomes.
• Set up dashboards to visualize key metrics and track progress toward your goals.

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Data analysis:

• Leverage Salesforce’s analytics tools to gain insights into donor behavior, campaign effectiveness, and program impact.
• Use these insights to make informed decisions and optimize your strategies.

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Automate processes:

• Set up workflow rules to automate repetitive tasks, such as sending acknowledgment emails or updating donor records.
• Use Process Builder to create more complex automation workflows, such as multi-step approval processes.

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Task management:

• Automatically allocate tasks to team members according to preferred criteria.
• Set up reminders and alerts to ensure tasks are completed on time.

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Monitor and optimize

Regularly track performance using Salesforce’s reporting tools, gather feedback, and make necessary adjustments. Key activities include:

• Setting up and customizing reports and dashboards to monitor key metrics.
• Collecting users' feedback to identify areas for improvement.
• Making data-driven adjustments to processes and configurations.

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Implement Nonprofit Cloud and improve your fundraising efforts with us

At Noltic, we specialize in helping nonprofits grow their impact by implementing Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud tailored to your fundraising goals, your team, and your mission.

We are a Summit Salesforce Consulting Partner with a strong record of delivering solutions that go beyond technical setups. Our team knows that fundraising is the lifeline of your organization, and our goal is to build systems that help you raise more funds, strengthen donor relationships, and operate more efficiently.

We bring unique expertise to nonprofit projects:

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Deep Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud experience

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We’ve helped numerous organizations and NGOs move their fundraising operations into Salesforce, personalize their donor communications, and track donations more accurately.

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Data integration and migration skills

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We ensure that your existing data, regardless of its fragmentation, is cleaned, structured, and safely migrated into Salesforce.

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Automation and personalization experts

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From setting up donor journeys to building custom fundraising workflows, we automate what matters without losing the personal touch.

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Strong nonprofit partnerships

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Our work often extends beyond one-time projects. We form long-term partnerships with many of our nonprofit clients, providing ongoing support, system expansion, and consulting.

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Proven commitment to social impact

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We don’t just work with nonprofits, we support them. Several of our nonprofit projects have been delivered on a partly pro bono basis because we believe in the missions behind them.

Whether you need a brand-new Nonprofit Cloud setup, a fundraising optimization project, or help scaling your operations, we have the experience and the passion to get you there.

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What’s new in Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud for fundraising

The Salesforce Winter '25 Release introduced significant updates for nonprofits seeking to enhance their fundraising operations. Here’s what’s new:

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Smarter fundraising operations

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Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud for Fundraising now offers several new features to make donor management and gift processing easier:

• Bulk creation of outreach source codes to track fundraising campaigns more efficiently.
• Donor briefs are generated automatically, helping fundraisers prepare for major donor meetings faster with the right insights.
• Pledge management improvements allow nonprofits to credit pledges as revenue and track soft credits accurately.
• Gift entry enhancements in Salesforce donation management, including syncing person account addresses with primary contact points, matching donors with external IDs during gift entry, and batch updates of tax receipt statuses.
• Fundraising analytics is now more powerful with Nonprofit Intelligence for Fundraising, helping nonprofits visualize donor activity and giving trends directly in Salesforce.

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Easier grant management

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Nonprofit Cloud for Grantmaking now lets grant managers:

• Create, publish, and review progress reports using a simple form framework.
• Review all submitted grant applications on a single page, add comments, and rate them in one window, making the entire grant review process much faster and more organized.

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Einstein Generative AI support

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Salesforce has introduced Einstein Generative AI features for nonprofits, allowing teams to:

• Summarize important information automatically.
• Create polished, board-ready versions of grant applications quickly.
• Save time on manual writing and focus staff efforts on relationship-building instead of paperwork.

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New Provider Management capabilities

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Nonprofits can now utilize Provider Management to capture and track service provider details, including facilities, specialties, and services. Organizations can refer constituents to external providers to map available support options more efficiently and accurately. Additionally, nonprofits managing large numbers of supporters and volunteers can streamline volunteer matching, scheduling, and engagement with Volunteer Management tools. 

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Improved data management

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CSV Data Management now allows nonprofits to review errors before importing gift records and bulk uploading donation data into Nonprofit Cloud.

Data Processing Engine enhancements include scheduled data refreshes, better handling of rollups, and support for complex data transformations using the Salesforce Data Cloud runtime.

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Updates to Nonprofit Success Pack (NPSP)

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The Nonprofit Success Pack, still used widely for fundraising, has been updated for better security. Smaller improvements, like a correction to the French abbreviation of "Ms.," also make it more user-friendly for global nonprofits.

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Conclusion 

Fundraising is a significant challenge for nonprofits, with issues like donor fatigue, engagement, and recurring giving often hindering success. Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud addresses these challenges with its powerful features, including Donor Pages, Action Launcher, Interest Tags, Action Plans, and Donor Giving Summaries. These tools enable nonprofits to enhance donor engagement, streamline operations, and make data-driven decisions, ultimately improving fundraising outcomes.

At Noltic, we have extensive expertise in implementing Salesforce solutions. As a Salesforce Summit consultant partner, we have delivered more than 120 projects successfully. Our team is equipped to help your organization leverage Salesforce for fundraising goals and maximize impact.

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FAQs 

How much does Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud cost?

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The cost can vary depending on your organization's specific needs and scale. Two pricing plans are available to accommodate budgets while providing access to powerful Salesforce CRM for nonprofits and engagement tools. 

• Enterprise Edition. A single platform to fund, deliver, and measure impact. ($60/user/month).
• Unlimited Edition. Unlimited platform power and support for nonprofits. ($100/user/month).

Read more details on the Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud page. 

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Is Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud difficult to use?

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Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud is designed to be user-friendly and intuitive, even for organizations with varying levels of technical expertise. It offers features that can be adapted to fit your nonprofit's specific workflows and goals. Additionally, Salesforce provides extensive training resources, including online tutorials and community support.

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What if my nonprofit has limited resources or technical expertise?

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Salesforce understands the diverse needs of nonprofits and offers support tailored to organizations with limited resources or technical expertise. They provide discounted or free licenses through the Power of Us program, which includes access to training, implementation support, and a community of nonprofit peers. Moreover, Salesforce partners and consultants like Noltic can offer specialized assistance to help your nonprofit optimize its use of Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud.

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How can I learn more about Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud?

You can visit Salesforce's official website to learn more about Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud. They provide comprehensive information about the features, benefits, and success stories of nonprofits using the platform. You can also attend webinars, join online communities, or request a demo to see firsthand how Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud can support your organization's mission and growth.