This post was originally published on the Cloud for Good Netherlands site. The Dutch translation can be viewed here.
We all develop Salesforce!
Tuesday, September 19th was the first Salesforce NPSP and HEDA Community Sprint in Europe. Cloud for Good joined this two-day event in London to share knowledge gained from working with nonprofits across the globe. Our partnership with Salesforce.Org is expanding and we were excited to participate in the Sprint and hear from other partners and Salesforce users.
What is a Salesforce Community Sprint?
A Community Sprint is an open source event with one rule, PowerPoints are forbidden. Salesforce.Org organizes these Sprints so their employees can meet with customers and partners to collaborate on the development of the Nonprofit Success Pack (NPSP) and this Higher Education Data Architecture (HEDA). This inclusive event includes discussions about improvements to these nonprofit data models, laughter, collaborative communication and is topped off with coffee, croissants and a lot of Post-It notes!
The first Community Sprint outside the United States
Hosting the first community sprint in Europe gives the European market the opportunity to assist with the development of both open source products, while considering the unique needs of the marketplace. Improvements and additions are discussed, documented and deployed with lightning speed; sometimes even within a two-week time period.
During the Sprint, participants shared ideas with the entire group. Teams were then formed and more in-depth discussions took place, taking particular ideas to the “next level” by way of documentation, development and/or coding. After the Sprint, the ideas are then transferred to the NPSP and HEDA development teams.
What happens with these ideas?
The ideas that take shape during the Community Sprint are a product of customers, partners and Salesforce employees. There are many examples from past Community Sprints where the ideas that took form during the team discussions were implemented into NPSP, The Power of Us Hub or even turned into Trailhead modules. An example is Engagement Plans; a feature for planning donor engagement by automatically distributing tasks to a team. The idea to put these into practice started during another Community Sprint. Also, the popular “NPSP Basics” Trailhead module came to be during a Community Sprint.
The immense value of the community
Salesforce has promoted the sharing of knowledge among its users since the company was created. The growing community that is Salesforce, the Ohana, has created solutions that are woven into the market and embraced by all who use them. All parties involved benefit from the sharing of time and information via multiple channels. Salesforce User Groups, Chatter Groups, and in-person events all contribute to the success of the platform and its users. The Community Sprint landed in London and provided a unique opportunity for European Salesforce enthusiasts to come together and further define a solution that will provide transformation value to the nonprofit community for the foreseeable future. Salesforce helps and will continue to help nonprofits have a broader impact on the constituents they serve, providing the tools to help them focus more on their missions, while creating positive changes in the world.
Did you miss the Sprint?
While this was the first European Community Sprint, there’s no need to worry. There will be more to come! If you were unable to attend, you can still get involved by visiting the Power of Us Hub. It’s a valuable, close knit online community for nonprofit Salesforce users. If you are looking for answers, it’s a great tool to find them. Post your questions in the Chatter feed and people eagerly respond and share their insights and knowledge. Nonprofits work together in the Hub to help each other maximize their usage of the Salesforce platform. Jump in and answer a question when you know the answer, it’s a great way to engage with others who are walking in your shoes. If you have an idea to share, post that in the Ideas Chatter Group. Just like at a Community Sprint, you can share your ideas and they just may be included in the next release of the NPSP or HEDA. Don’t miss out on a great opportunity to share your ideas with the Salesforce Community, and you can do it from the comfort of your desk chair or couch!
We look forward to seeing what will be included in the upcoming releases. If you have ideas or want to connect with one of our consultants to learn more about how you can put Salesforce into action at your nonprofit, contact us today. Our team hopes to see you at the next European Sprint.
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