Salesforce for Nonprofits: Choosing Between Salesforce NPSP and Nonprofit Cloud (NPC)

When Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud entered the scene in 2023, it changed the game for social good organizations looking to maintain relationships with supporters. Its launch raised important questions: Is this new product an improvement on the Nonprofit Success Pack (NPSP)? How can an organization effectively connect all its applications to Nonprofit Cloud? What would a switch mean for an organization’s data quality?

In this article, we walk through the major factors that nonprofits should consider when choosing between Salesforce Nonprofit Success Pack and Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud, including the main differences between the two products and what to consider before undertaking a CRM migration.

What is Salesforce?

Salesforce is a CRM, a customer relationship management system, and an important tool among for-profit and nonprofit organizations alike. In basic terms, it’s a software solution designed to help organizations store information about their supporters and programs and facilitate outreach. Salesforce helps nonprofits track supporters, manage programs, log communications, and solicit donations.

Two of the most popular Salesforce solutions for nonprofits are Salesforce Nonprofit Success Pack and Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud, which we will compare below.

What is Salesforce Nonprofit Success Pack (NPSP)?

This solution traces its roots back to 2009, when it launched as a Salesforce Nonprofit Starter Pack. In 2016, the solution got a fresh name: Nonprofit Success Pack (NPSP). NPSP is an open-source application that sits on top of a user’s Salesforce instance and configures it for nonprofit fundraising. NPSP is available out-of-the-box for free within the Salesforce AppExchange. It’s worth noting that this NPSP is solely designed for fundraising; using your Salesforce license for other nonprofit operations like programs management or case management would require additional modules.

What is Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud (NPC)?

Launched in 2023, Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud (NPC) is an all-in-one platform designed for nonprofits. This powerful solution is built into the Salesforce core data model, unlike NPSP (we will get into detail on why that matters in the following section). Salesforce NPC includes built-in tools for fundraising, programs management, and outcome management.

Comparing Salesforce NPC to Salesforce NPSP

Unlike NPSP, Nonprofit Cloud was designed within the Salesforce platform itself. Generally considered to be more powerful than NPSP, NPC is a complete solution with tools for fundraising, outreach, programs management, and reporting. Its robust functionality comes with a larger price tag.

Salesforce NPSP is a highly customizable and versatile tool. Because it augments a customer’s Salesforce instance (as opposed to NPC, which is built into the Salesforce core data model), nonprofits can make the most of the open-source framework to suit specific organizational needs. Like other open-source resources, NPSP has an active community of users who share advice and best practices in online forums. Finally, NPSP is a free offering within the Salesforce AppExchange; it has no additional cost beyond an organization’s Salesforce licenses.

These are a few of the most salient differences between NPSP and NPC. Read on for more information to help identify which solution is the best fit for your organization!

Choosing Salesforce Nonprofit Start Pack (NPSP) versus Nonprofit Cloud (NPC) 

Get an expert’s opinion—consult a Systems Integrator.

A Systems Integrator is an excellent resource for helping any organization assess, select, and implement a CRM that meets their needs. A Systems Integrator (SI), also known as a Consulting Partner, will help you build the right systems architecture to map your data and create a detailed playbook for a successful data management strategy. They are excellent resources for recommending integration solutions and maintaining solutions over time. 

Omatic has many highly qualified Systems Integrators within its partner network to help make this decision. Salesforce, too, has in-house experts available for nonprofits. You can reach out to Salesforce directly for guidance on your needs.  

A majority of nonprofits report having five or more third-party systems beyond a CRM.

Review all your third-party data sources.

One of the biggest challenges with choosing a CRM is accounting for all the sources for data going into it. A comprehensive integration strategy is essential for future success. In our recent nonprofit trend report, 89% of nonprofit organizations reported using three or more third-party applications for everything from online giving and peer-to-peer fundraising, to email marketing, event management, and more. There are many ways to get third-party data into your CRM, each with benefits and drawbacks. Auditing your third-party systems and understanding your current data integration strategy will help shed light on your integration needs after implementing a new CRM. 

Third-party data integration options for Salesforce NPSP or Nonprofit Cloud 

• Manual data entry: The most time consuming and error-prone solution for moving data between systems, typically involving users importing data via spreadsheet files (e.g. Excel). We recommend limiting manual data entry as much as possible.  

• Native integrations: Integrations that come out-of-the box with Salesforce and connect with many (but not all) third-party systems. These integrations are often free and easy to set up, but also very limited in customization options and how you can transfer certain data.  

• Custom integrations: Integrations that have been built in-house using custom code to address an organization’s unique data needs. This option is typically very expensive, and often requires on-staff or contracted developer time to build and maintain.  

• Application integration solutions: Solutions specifically built to facilitate data movement between applications and CRMs. These solutions are more affordable than custom integrations and are equipped to handle complex data requirements, with Omatic as the preferred solution for many nonprofits.  

Ask whether today’s data integration solution will meet tomorrow’s needs.  

Many organizations rely on manual data entry more than they realize. Ask members of your team—including volunteers—how much time they spend getting records into Salesforce NPSP or your existing CRM. Any amount of time more than 15 minutes a week is an opportunity for automation.  

If you rely on native integrations, consider whether they are meeting your needs. Are all data points being captured and mapped accurately between systems? Do you struggle with duplicate records? Supplementing or replacing native tools with more sophisticated integration solutions can fill the gaps and lead to more trust in your data.  

If your organization built custom integrations for Salesforce NPSP, it’s important to understand that they will need to be rebuilt in Salesforce NPC.  This means your in-house developers or data engineers will have to spend time rebuilding these bespoke integrations, monitoring their effectiveness, and addressing errors—requiring expensive maintenance each time the organization adds a third-party platform. 

When native integrations and manual data entry are not meeting your organization’s needs and you do not have the luxury of an in-house developer team to build and maintain a custom integration solution, the best option is to explore application integration solutions.  

Process makes perfect.  

Whether your organization has chosen Salesforce NPSP or NPC, forming a data management strategy will be important for future outcomes. Once you have audited all the sources you will need in your CRM, you are ready to get a strategy for making a CRM transition that aligns with your organization’s mission and minimizes the risk of unreliable data. We recommend the following steps for creating a data management strategy:

1. Set your current business goals and priorities

Think about what you’re trying to achieve with your integration. Are you hoping a new CRM will make it easier to expand your donor base? Would you like to improve your processes around retaining current donors? Tying your implementation to clear goals for your organization early on will make a difference later. 

2. Audit current data sources and applications

Nonprofits are using more third-party applications than ever. Take a close look at all the tools your teams use, from ticket selling and auction platforms to event management and email marketing systems, so you can get a complete look at all the data points that are relevant for your organization. 

For example, are you tracking event attendance in your CRM? If so, are you using event attendance information to inform your year-end gift solicitations? When all your systems share data seamlessly, your team can spend less time filling in gaps and more time tailoring its development approach. 

3. Map out integrations to assess your current methods and gaps

Once you have a picture of all the third-party systems in use at your organization, think about how you map those data points from one system to another. Do you have a process for transferring data efficiently? Consider how your organization addresses data errors, merges duplicates, or migrates data into a new location. 

4. Outline integration requirements 

Think back to your answer to the first question: What are your organization’s goals? Your integration requirements should help further these goals. If your current data transfer process is time-consuming and manual, it might lead to stale or error-prone data. Adding automation as an integration requirement will help you focus on honing a strategy that will serve your mission. 

5. Invest in solutions and define enhanced processes 

With a clear sense of your goals, data sources, processes, and requirements for improvement, the last step is to invest in the solutions that will connect your applications and help you implement new processes.  

Conclusion: Build your data integration strategy, then choose your CRM 

Selecting a CRM that will work best for your organization is a complex process. To have lasting success with any CRM you implement, you need a comprehensive data management strategy to ensure that data is accurate, connected, and actionable for all stakeholders in your organization. 

About Omatic 

Thinking about making the move to Salesforce NPSP or Nonprofit Cloud? Omatic helps over 3,000 nonprofits solve their integration needs. Learn more about our integration solutions or reach out to discuss how your organization can set up the right data management strategy.   

Continue learning 

Watch the full recording of Navigating Salesforce for Nonprofits: From NPSP to Nonprofit Cloud on demand.