Fifteen years ago, Cloud for Good was born from a dream of transforming the impact sector through technology and a passion for helping others. Today, that dream and passion has led Cloud for Good to grow into an industry-leading Salesforce implementation partner with over 250 employees across North America. To celebrate Cloud for Good’s 15th birthday—and inspired by a certain technology company’s creative reflection of its birthday last year—we’re taking a look at a collection of numbers and stories (fifteen of them in total!) to reflect on how far along we’ve come over the years.
2010
The year Cloud for Good was founded. Tal began his Salesforce journey as the spokesperson and director of resource development for a nonprofit organization working with at-risk immigrant youth. During this time, he witnessed a great need for modern technology solutions that could help the communities that needed them the most. In his search for the right tool to help manage donors, participants, and volunteers, Tal learned about Salesforce and quickly discovered its potential for creating true, transformational change with technology. Tal adopted Salesforce into his everyday work shortly after, which sparked the inception of Cloud for Good.
Mentorship and Support
“My connection with Cloud for Good began long before I officially joined the team as a consultant,” shared Alexandra Klinger, Cloud for Good’s Director, Professional Services. “While working at a nonprofit, I had the opportunity to hire Cloud for Good to manage two Salesforce migrations. Being actively involved in both projects allowed me to develop a genuine appreciation for the process and for working closely with their talented consultants.”
“Although I didn’t have traditional consulting experience at the time, Cloud for Good believed in my potential and gave me the chance to prove myself. Over the past eight years, I’ve grown from an eager new Consultant into a Services Director on the NPO team, supporting countless nonprofits in achieving their missions. This journey has been shaped by the incredible mentorship and support I’ve received from my colleagues and leaders who have helped me develop both as a consultant and a leader. Today, I’m honored to pay it forward—mentoring and empowering the next generation of consultants to thrive and succeed.”
200+
The number of employees (affectionately known as Goodies) on Cloud for Good’s distributed team across the United States and Canada. It is also the number of birthday cards that Tal sends every year to each Goodie for their birthday.
When I joined back in 2018, the team was much smaller, small enough that we used to have a standing Friday meeting where everyone was able to share three things related to their week. Many times, it turned into more of a personal share about what they were planning for the weekend. We were a much smaller team than we are today but we still did big things for our clients and for the nonprofit community at large.
Tal has been an incredible leader in so many ways and has taken this company from a team of 1 to a team of 200+, supports some of the largest nonprofit organizations in North America, and with all of that he still manages to find time to send each employee a handwritten birthday card each year.
Relationships and Employee Connectivity
“At Cloud for Good, I’ve grown both personally and professionally, carving out a career that aligns with my mission and values,” shared Terimarie Degree, Employee Experience Lead at Cloud for Good. “Now in my third role in nine years, I am passionate about fostering inclusive, safe, and supportive spaces and I take pride in creating environments where everyone feels seen, valued, and supported.”
“I’m a people person—not necessarily extroverted, but someone who thrives on meaningful connections. I’ve been fortunate to build a path centered on connecting people in a remote environment through organizing virtual holiday celebrations (or even losing a spirited game of Mario Kart over the weekend!) to supporting employee resource groups I have developed as a connector and facilitator over the years. The relationships I’ve built at Cloud for Good are among my most cherished experiences. I’ve shared some of life’s biggest moments with my colleagues—attending weddings, child adoption ceremonies, and even having coworkers show up to support my poetry exhibition’s opening night. These bonds extend beyond work, and I’m deeply grateful for the support and camaraderie we’ve shared.”
60
In 2021, there were 10 Canadian-based employees on staff. Thanks to the efforts of the People and Operations Department, particularly our Talent Acquisition team, our Canadian team has now grown to 60 members to date over the course of three years.
I was the sixth Canadian to join Cloud for Good. Fast forward seven years later, the one thing I always tell anyone who’s recently joined the team about why I’ve stayed is that I’ve been here long enough to see us go through numerous evolutions, both good and challenging, and that’s built a deep trust in me about where we’re going and how we’re getting there. We’ve gone through growing pains, and I’ve experienced our leadership team continually listen to the team’s feedback and reorient us meaningfully based on our feedback time and time again.
Unchanging Values
“When my previous firm decided to close its operations, I started looking at other Salesforce consulting firms,” reflected Punita Virkud, a Cloud for Good Data Practice Lead. “I heard about Cloud for Good because the founder of my previous firm and one of my colleagues were working there during that time and I decided to apply. I knew from the website’s Cloud for Good Team page that people from diverse backgrounds were in Leadership positions, so I knew I had a chance to grow here!”
“We have grown a lot from when I started to where we are now, but the values have remained the same. Cloud for Good is a place where I can bring my own self to every day. It’s a place to constantly grow, learn, and make mistakes. A place where I get to work with smart and kind people. A place where I can contribute not only to our client projects but also to our Diversity and Inclusion initiatives and internal assets. What keeps me here are these values, our mission-driven projects, and the people I get to work with.”
3000+
How many unique Salesforce implementations we are proud to have completed for clients over the last fifteen years.
As an endlessly curious and innovative person, there are three things that have kept me working at one company for 10 years:
- Interesting Work: No two projects are the same, and each one is a new opportunity to learn and grow my skills and knowledge. The wide range of nonprofits I’ve worked with have kept me from getting bored.
- Career Path Flexibility: I’ve had the opportunity to switch my career direction multiple times within the same company to keep trying new things and following my strengths as they develop.
- Consistent Values: While the company culture and rhythms change as they should when a company grows from 20 to 200+ employees, the values have stayed the same, and these are values that align with my personal ones.
A Cloud Hat
“I met Tal for the first time at an NTEN Nonprofit Technology Conference,” Kestryl Lowrey, Cloud for Good’s Managing Director, Technology Services shared. “I was working in the industry and looking for a Salesforce partner. The cloud hat that Tal was wearing at the Cloud for Good booth stood out. It was a bit silly, yes, but the hat made anyone wearing it seem more approachable. Tal and I talked a bit, and Cloud for Good came onto my radar as a thoughtful and knowledgeable potential partner.”
“Fast forward a couple years, and I was looking for a change from my nonprofit IT director role. Cloud for Good had stayed in my mind as an excellent Salesforce partner for nonprofits, and I realized it made sense for my next career move because in consulting I could have a greater impact on more missions and get more exposure and access to all the cool things that Salesforce had to offer.”
1500+
The total number of fundraising programs we’ve helped our clients transform with the power of Salesforce. From Excel, Raiser’s Edge, Blackbaud CRM, Banner Advance and more, we’ve been able to not only transform the technology our clients are using, but use each project as an opportunity to evaluate the business processes, creating efficiencies along the way.
After fifteen years driving complex transformations at leading consulting firms, I came to realize how much the nonprofit and higher education sectors stood to benefit from the same technical expertise and innovation typically reserved for the corporate world. These organizations, tasked with managing critical operations and substantial budgets, often lacked access to the tools and strategies they need to maximize their impact. Joining Cloud for Good gave me the opportunity to help bridge that gap and focus my skills on making a real difference where it’s needed most.
In my role as Chief Operating Officer, I’ve seen firsthand how the right combination of strategic planning, technical innovation, dedicated staff, and disciplined execution can empower organizations to achieve incredible results. From implementing advanced student success analytics that help universities better serve their students, to developing enterprise-level fundraising platforms that enable nonprofits to grow their impact, I’ve been privileged to help mission-driven organizations realize their potential.
Mission-Driven Work
We’re doing well, while doing good. Not only are our Goodies passionate about Salesforce, but they are also passionate about our client’s missions. Almost all of our Goodies either come from nonprofit or education institutions or are deeply involved in their communities.
“After several years of working with the Salesforce platform, I wanted to be in a more consultative role but enjoyed being a part of an organization with purpose aside from profits, and randomly discovered Cloud for Good while searching for consulting firms,” shared Rob Sobalvarro, Lead Architect, Education at Cloud for Good. “I’ve stayed at Cloud for Good because of the focus on missions. I get to do work that ultimately supports organizations that are making an impact on the world, solve challenging problems every day, and work with a great team.”
“One of my most memorable projects at Cloud for Good was a Commerce Cloud-focused project I served as the solution architect on. We spent a lot (I mean A LOT) of time internally testing what we developed before the project’s go-live. On launch day, we could count the number of bugs reported at launch on just one hand, so I was very proud of how thoroughly our team worked to ensure we delivered a solid solution, which meant more fundraising dollars were getting to our client.”
1000+
How many total certifications the Cloud for Good team has earned to date. Keeping up with all of the products that Salesforce has developed—many of which Cloud for Good has contributed towards the design—has enabled our team to grow in its certification count to stay on top of Salesforce’s product suite. On average, our consultants hold at least 5 certifications.
Breaking the certification numbers down, they include: 404 Consultant Certifications, 230 Admin Certifications, 174 Developer Certifications, 80 Architect Certifications, 56 Associate Certifications, 47 Marketing Certifications, 24 Salesforce Certified Associate Certifications, 18 Designer Certifications, and 11 Technical Consultant Certifications.
The Salesforce ecosystem is continuously evolving, and Cloud for Good encourages a culture of learning, expanding and trying new things. The grass never dies under our feet, because we are always learning, evolving, inspiring to try new things and growing our footprint in the Salesforce ecosystem.
A Whirlwind Trip to Memphis
“When I joined Cloud for Good, I was one of only five people working for Tal, and only the second person who was working remotely,” reflected Francis Scudellari, Data Practice Lead at Cloud for Good. “The company was still very young with much growing to do. You might say it was more of a cloud puff than a full-grown cloud.”
“Back then, no Hubs existed yet to exchange and share information, so those of us in the nonprofit Salesforce space had a quaint little Google group instead. One day, Tal posted to that group letting the world know that Cloud for Good was hiring. I was doing freelance Salesforce implementations and looking for a change. I took a chance and sent in a resume. That led to a couple of virtual chats with Tal and eventually a whirlwind visit to Memphis where, back in 2012, Cloud for Good operated from a physical office. Tal asked me to make the trip to that city of Blues and barbecue to fill out HR paperwork and get up-to-speed with Cloud for Good’s then-methodology. I booked a very early morning flight and when I arrived Tal picked me up from the airport. I had a tour of the office and I got to spend time with my new team over a lunch that introduced me to a Memphis delicacy: fried pickles. I also got a spreadsheet that laid out the steps for setting clients up to use NPSP and included instructions for installing an unmanaged package Cloud for Good had developed and customizing picklists and sales processes. As a fun fact, data migration back then involved copying and pasting client data into a templated spreadsheet. It was quite a different time.”
130+
The number of client organizations who we have migrated to Salesforce from Blackbaud as part of our Blackbaud to Salesforce migration initiatives. This is an accomplishment we are particularly proud of in empowering our clients to be more successful in their missions.
An early project that sticks out for me is a Raiser’s Edge migration that I did for the Menlo School in my first year at Cloud for Good. I had joined the project to do the data migration and ended up as the lead consultant for the project about a month in. It was a moment of growth for me to move into that role. As I worked to deliver what Menlo School needed for the project, I found that I was able to deliver in ways that satisfied the client. It was incredibly fulfilling for me to bring my expertise to help Menlo School achieve its mission and feel the client’s appreciation for that. I continue to feel that satisfaction on projects that I work on, and that’s a big part of what keeps me here.
Partners
Our partnerships have been central to our 15-year journey as Kurt Robinson, Enterprise Account Executive at Salesforce, reflects: “Cloud for Good is a valued and trusted partner, and I have 100% confidence that any digital transformation project will be a success if Cloud for Good is involved. The Cloud for Good team has the knowledge and discipline to lead organizations through the journey of future-proofing their technology footprint.”
1
The number 1 holds a special place at Cloud for Good—it symbolizes so much of what makes us unique. We’re proud to be the first Salesforce partner to develop a national apprenticeship program, Talent for Good, which is recognized by the U.S. Department of Labor. We’re also pioneers in going live with Education Cloud and Nonprofit Cloud, and in building a solution on Commerce Cloud for the education space. As one of the first implementation partners to work with the reimagined Nonprofit and Education Clouds, the number 1 truly reflects our leadership and innovation. And at its heart, it also represents the humble beginnings of Cloud for Good, starting in the one-bedroom apartment where Tal first launched the company.
To Fifteen Years and Beyond
When asked about what aspect of Cloud for Good he is most grateful for throughout the last fifteen years, this is what Tal had to say:
“I’m grateful for our Goodies. They are truly at the heart of everything that Cloud for Good does. They are our company. They are the best team in this industry. I’m grateful for our customers that trust us to help and create transformational value at their organizations. I’m also grateful to our partners, specifically Salesforce, for their partnership and their collaboration. Because together, we’ve all built solutions throughout the years that amplify educational and nonprofit missions through our cross-cloud Salesforce implementations—and together, we’re committed to continuing innovation within our impact sector, and excited to see what the future holds.”
Happy birthday, Cloud for Good! Here’s to fifteen years and beyond of growth, success, achievements, milestones, connections, and impact!
