Soapbox Engage Blog

When the Nathan Cummings Foundation came to us in search of a robust online application system integrated with their Salesforce instance to support their Nathan Cummings Foundation Fellowship, we jumped at the opportunity.

It was a great chance to use our Salesforce integration tools in Non-Profit Soapbox to support an outstanding fellowship program that empowers visionary world changers fostering social good.

It is also a great example of a foundation working with a B Corporation to foster social good.

Elements of online application management system for Salesforce

The following are the key elements comprising the online application management system for Salesforce:

1) Initial online fellowship application form submitting to Salesforce

The Nathan Cummings Foundation Fellowship process begins with a short application open to the public. This form submits to Salesforce and notifies staff when a new application is received.

Staff then review short applications and notify applicants they wish to invite to continue in the process through automated workflows in Salesforce.

2) Registration for web user accounts connected to Salesforce Contact record

Invited applicants are granted access to register for web user accounts by Soapbox verifying their status in Salesforce. These web user accounts are connected to the appropriate Salesforce Contact record.

3) Access to full application for logged in users for completion and submission

Logged in users are granted access to complete the full application including uploading supporting documents such as CVs, project budgets, and other required information. Applicants are able to save their edits as often as needed prior to final submission. Once submitted, they receive a confirmation email and are no longer able to edit their application while it is under review.

4) Ability for staff to return incomplete applications

When reviewing an application, staff may return that application to the applicant if something is found to be incomplete. By changing the status of the application in Salesforce, the applicant is notified via email and access to their online application is renewed so they may address the issue identified by staff and resubmit.

5) Special access for external reviewers to rate applications online

A team of external reviewers are provided web user accounts with special access so they may view all applications scheduled for review and rate them through an online form. These accounts are also tied to Contact records in Salesforce. This form submits their review to Salesforce where ratings across all external reviewers are tallied automatically for a given application.

"Tailored to meet our needs"

The end result is best summed up by Taina McField, Program Officer, Nathan Cummings Foundation Fellowship:

We had a vision for an online portal and application process and PICnet helped us actualize our goals. They demonstrated deep knowledge of Salesforce and were able to build a highly customized product that was tailored to our needs. We look forward to partnering with them in the future.

Online application management for Salesforce for your organization

Interested in gaining staff efficiencies and increasing applicant satisfaction by creating a robust online application system of your own? Contact us! We'd love to chat about what Soapbox and our Salesforce integrations can do for your organization.