Thought Leadership

Ideas and strategies to help purpose-driven organizations create greater, lasting impact.

Latest Posts

To CRM or not to CRM: Is that the question?

To CRM or not to CRM: Is that the question?

When evaluating your needs and choosing to implement a CRM solution, I recommend starting by asking the five W’s: Who, What, Where, When and Why....
Custom Code: Are you ready?

Custom Code: Are you ready?

It is an interesting dichotomy that while writing custom code allows you to manipulate the system in very sophisticated ways, every bit of custom code that...
At Project's End: Separation Anxiety and User Adoption

At Project’s End: Separation Anxiety and User Adoption

Some of the biggest angst for my clients comes at the end of a project. Wrapping up an implementation brings all sorts of mixed feelings: pride...
12 Ways Dreamforce is Hard

12 Ways Dreamforce is Hard

Read 12 reasons why Dreamforce is hard to wait for. See you at Dreamforce 2013....
Best (of the Best) Practice with Salesforce

Best (of the Best) Practice with Salesforce

There’s a lot of talk about Best Practice in the nonprofit sector, and having consulted on projects large and small, I want to take moment to...
Better Living Through Training and Documentation

Better Living Through Training and Documentation

As a system administrator, it’s not only your job to ensure that reports are created, data is kept clean, and new fields and workflows are created....
Ensuring Training Success

Ensuring Training Success

Whether you arrange for training from a consultant, manage it yourself, or use some combination of the two, there are a few techniques you can employ...
Using Salesforce to Cultivate Donor Relationships

Using Salesforce to Cultivate Donor Relationships

From finding new donors, growing gifts from existing supporters, or managing the back-end fundraising efforts, Salesforce helps organizations establish and grow donor relationships in addition to...
Ready To Start With Your Implementation? Think Again

Ready To Start With Your Implementation? Think Again

You choose a platform, signed with an awesome implementation partner who can translate your needs into technology, and you are extremely excited to get started. Wait…...
The Power of US Hub

The Power of US Hub

Are you sometimes confused about where to go to get the answers you need in using Salesforce at your nonprofit? As you may have discovered there...
Why Chatter is Great for Nonprofits

Why Chatter is Great for Nonprofits

Chatter is a social networking tool that lives inside Salesforce and helps people collaborate with colleagues. Here are some ideas for how you can start using...
Pre-Checking: Good for Baggage, Bad for Email Opt-In

Pre-Checking: Good for Baggage, Bad for Email Opt-In

In the case of email opting-in, it pays to hold off on pre-checking any opt-in actions. The theory behind this restraint is that constituents should take...
Salesforce Analytics 101: Report Types

Salesforce Analytics 101: Report Types

When you’re creating a Salesforce report, the first thing you have to choose, before you even get to the report builder, is the Report Type. The...
Is a Salesforce Community the Right Fit for Your Nonprofit?

Is a Salesforce Community the Right Fit for Your Nonprofit?

If you can find value in sharing your Salesforce data with constituents, a Salesforce Community might be right for you! Salesforce Communities expand your database beyond...
Planned Gifts: Tips and Tricks for Managing in Salesforce

Planned Gifts: Tips and Tricks for Managing in Salesforce

Planned gifts, or legacy gifts, are something we often discuss with clients who use or are looking to use Salesforce to manage fundraising data and processes....
Laptop displaying bar charts and papers. Text: 8 TIPS FOR CREATING A GREAT ANNUAL REPORT

8 Tips for Creating a Great Annual Report

The process of developing your organization’s Annual Report should be a satisfying task of reviewing progress toward your goals, deciding on photos and profiles to include,...