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Ten Reasons Your Non-Profit Should Use Salesforce

Posted June 17, 2008 By Jean Conover |

Yes, this article is a shameless plug for Salesforce, but with good reason. Our team at TradeMark Media has been using this customer relationship management (CRM) tool for over a year, and it has changed the way we collect and store our information.

We’ve successfully integrated this CRM with many of the Web sites we’ve developed and seen great results. Most of the Salesforce licenses are expensive, but as in most cases, you get what you pay for. That’s why we were excited to learn that Salesforce offers licenses of its Enterprise Edition to non-profit organizations for FREE!

So, if you’re a non-profit, here are ten reasons you might want to consider Salesforce:

1. Salesforce for Non-Profits – It’s Free!

Did I mention this is absolutely free? The Enterprise Edition starts around $125 per MONTH per user, so getting this edition free of charge is an obvious cost savings.

2. You Get up to Ten Licenses.

With the Salesforce donation, you not only get one user license, but ten! That means that ten different members of your non-profit staff or board (or even your volunteers) can have their own login and password to the CRM.

3. Special Non-Profit Templates.

The Non-Profit Templates are designed specifically with you in mind and are not offered to other customers. These templates are designed to help you manage your fundraising, report donations and store details about individuals.

4. It’s the Enterprise Edition.

If you’ve never used Salesforce before, you might be wondering what the big deal is about the Enterprise Edition. This edition is one of the most robust editions Salesforce offers. It includes advanced customization, integration, logic and workflow capabilities and gives you the ability to develop custom applications that run on Salesforce. This allows you to make Salesforce work just the way you need it to for your organization. Visit http://www.salesforce.com/products/editions-pricing/ to learn more about the different editions offered.

5. You Can Start Using It Right Away.

The first step to apply for the free non-profit license is to set up a 30-day trial account. You’ll receive an email within two to five days requesting your non-profit status proof. Once that is sent in, you will have approval before your 30-day trial is up. This allows you to get started even before your application is processed.

6. Non-Profit Demos.

If you want to learn more about Salesforce before you sign up or while you’re exploring the CRM during your trial, you can watch the non-profit demos. This is a good way to learn more and will help you make an informed decision about whether this is the right solution for you.

7. Technical Support and Service.

Salesforce offers the same customer service for their non-profits as it does for its other customers. You can find help online or call a representative whenever you need technical support. Plus, there’s no hidden cost associated with this service.

8. Non-Profit Resources.

Salesforce has created a non-profit resource on its Web site just for you. The categories are divided based on the level of user you are (“Just Looking,” ‘Getting Started,” “Intermediate,” and “Advanced.”), so you can find the information that relates specifically to your need and learn about new ways to use the CRM.

9. It’s Customizable.

Since you will have access to the Enterprise Edition, the way the CRM collects and stores information is completely customizable to your specific organization. This way, you don’t have to work around features that don’t make sense for your group’s needs.

10. You Can Integrate It with Your Web Site.

One of my favorite things about Salesforce is that you can integrate it with your Web site. We at TradeMark integrated Salesforce with our online request for information. So, every time someone fills out our online request form, I am notified by email. The information from the request is automatically updated in a new account in Salesforce, so I don’t have to re-enter any information.

TradeMark Media specializes in integrating Salesforce with our clients’ Web sites, so contact us if you are interested in learning more about how you can make Salesforce work for your non-profit!
Visit http://www.salesforcefoundation.org/Eligibility to find out if you are eligible for the non-profit licenses.

Many of our for-profit clients benefit from Salesforce as well. If your business would like to find out more, don’t hesitate to check out the different editions at salesforce.com or contact us with questions.

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