Volunteers for Salesforce – Nonprofit Catalog
Salesforce is one of the most popular options for nonprofits to manage donors and track programs. Specifically, Salesforce products can be especially useful for nonprofits looking for a fully customizable, scalable constituent relationship management system (CRM).
Nonprofits interested in Salesforce should assess the Salesforce Nonprofit Success Pack (NPSP). NPSP configures the base Salesforce CRM to facilitate a number of essential nonprofit tasks, giving you the ability to launch fundraisers, conduct program management, manage donors, and more.
The Salesforce platform can be customized and expanded through a variety of apps available for download on the Salesforce AppExchange. If you’re looking to run your volunteer programs through Salesforce, then explore Volunteers for Salesforce, an app that adds all the features you need to manage your volunteer program.
What is Volunteers for Salesforce?
Volunteers for Salesforce is a free open-source app that nonprofits can integrate into their Salesforce CRM. With this app, volunteer managers can manage volunteer programs by designing volunteer opportunity posts, creating schedules, and tracking key data about your volunteers.
For organizations interested in managing all of their programs, from fundraising campaigns to case management, through one unified system, Volunteers for Salesforce is an easy solution.
What are some features of Volunteers for Salesforce?
With Volunteers for Salesforce’s user-friendly tools, you can manage nearly every aspect of your volunteer program.
Sign-up management
Volunteers for Salesforce provides useful templates and systemized tools that allow nonprofits to create volunteer postings and list them on their website in a manner of minutes. Then, when volunteers apply for a position, the data they input will automatically sync with your CRM, so you can easily find everything you need to get in touch with new volunteers.
To make the most of this feature, consider integrating your website with your Salesforce CRM. You may need assistance from a Salesforce consultant to accomplish this, but doing so will allow you to better track engagement with your volunteer opportunity posts and provide real-time updates to volunteers browsing your website.
Scheduling
Volunteers for Salesforce has numerous scheduling tools that make creating recurring volunteer shifts and assignments simple and efficient.
Specifically, the volunteer shift calendar allows supporters to keep track of upcoming shifts and potentially discover other opportunities they may want to help out with. You can add relevant activities outside of regularly scheduled shifts to the calendar as well, such as scheduled training activities and appreciation events.
Communication tools
One of the most important aspects of a volunteer program is consistent and reliable communication between your nonprofit and its volunteers. Volunteers for Salesforce facilitates the process of getting in touch with supporters by creating individual volunteer records in your CRM that record their information, allowing you to send mass emails to them about new opportunities and easily get in touch with individual volunteers as necessary.
Having a detailed volunteer database to reference also allows you to segment your volunteers based on their skill sets, interests, and history with your organization. By doing so, you can create personalized messages that are relevant to the recipients, strengthening their relationships with your nonprofit.
How can I get started with Volunteers for Salesforce?
Once you’ve decided Volunteers for Salesforce is right for your nonprofit, you can download it for free off the Salesforce AppExchange. From there, if you encounter any issues implementing it or are looking to customize its features, you can partner with a Salesforce developer.
For nonprofits already familiar with and using Salesforce, implementing Volunteers for Salesforce is ultimately an easy and straightforward process. After integration, any data the app collects will flow straight into your CRM for convenient access.
Additional Resources
Nonprofit Catalog – Read up on more nonprofit essentials by exploring our Nonprofit Catalog.
Salesforce Experience Cloud Explained: A Beginner’s Guide – Salesforce Experience Cloud opens up valuable possibilities for creating online experiences that will encourage your supporters and volunteers to stay engaged with your organization. Learn more about its features in this guide.
Raiser’s Edge vs Salesforce: 5 Reasons Why You Should Switch – If you’re currently using another CRM, such as Blackbaud’s Raiser’s Edge, you may be curious about the differences between your current software and Salesforce. This helpful article can help answer your questions.
