Soapbox Engage Blog

NPSP Day made its way back to New York City earlier this month, bringing together Salesforce nonprofit professionals for a day of collaboration, skill-building, and problem-solving at The Center. Attendees shared valuable insights, discussed innovative tools, and explored strategies to maximize the impact of mission-based organizations using Salesforce.

The purpose of an NPSP Day is for nonprofit staff, consultants, and Salesforce admin to come together to share knowledge, pose questions, and solve problems to benefit the nonprofit and education sectors' use of the Salesforce Nonprofit Success Pack. With the arrival of the new Nonprofit Cloud in an already rapidly shifting nonprofit tech landscape, spaces to gather and strategize as a community are more important than ever.

With over 70 attendees ranging from seasoned Salesforce admins to nonprofit leaders just beginning their Salesforce journey, the day was packed with hands-on sessions, thought-provoking discussions, and practical takeaways. From diving into the latest AI-powered tools and strategies to exploring best practices for data integrity, reporting, and event management, NPSP Day New York delivered invaluable insights for organizations aiming to work smarter, not harder.

Here’s a recap of the key takeaways and standout moments from this dynamic and inspiring day!

Table of Contents

• AI and Data Cloud: Revolutionizing Nonprofit Workflows
• Dashboards and Reporting: Unlocking Insights with Customization
• 3rd-Party Apps: Tools to Boost Productivity
• Data Integrity: Keeping Your Database Clean
• Page Layouts: Streamlining User Experience
• Data Import/Export: The Right Tools for the Job

AI and Data Cloud: Revolutionizing Nonprofit Workflows

The AI & Data Cloud session highlighted how nonprofits can embrace emerging technologies to transform their operations and donor engagement strategies. From automation to data summarization, these tools are creating opportunities to maximize impact while reducing manual workloads.

• Agentforce and Data Cloud: Agentforce must be built on top of Data Cloud for optimal functionality.
• AI Certification Opportunity: The AI Associate Certification is free through 2025, offering an accessible way to deepen your AI knowledge. Learn more.
• Real-World AI Use Cases: Summarizing unstructured data like Form 990s; Chatbots to handle donor interactions and FAQs; Strategizing communications for lapsed donors.

Dashboards and Reporting: Unlocking Insights with Customization

The Reports/Dashboards group shared practical tips for creating powerful dashboards and reports:

• Use filters for dynamic dashboards (e.g., "This Year" or "Last Year").
• Leverage row-limited reports to add insightful charts like “Top Donors” or “New Members.”
• Customize dashboards with text, images, and links for added context.
• Subscribe to reports based on triggers (e.g., only receive alerts when data is present).
• Show the same data differently with flexible visualizations—side-by-side bars, stacked charts, or pies!

3rd-Party Apps: Tools to Boost Productivity

One of the most exciting aspects of NPSP Day is discovering tools that can help nonprofits get more done with fewer resources. The lightning round of 3rd-party apps introduced a mix of free, freemium, and paid solutions that streamline workflows, improve data quality, and supercharge Salesforce functionality.

• Data Management: Salesforce Inspector, DLRS, Apsona, and DemandTools.
• Advocacy Solutions: Soapbox Engage Actions app, VoterVoice, Quorum.
• Event Management: Funraise, GiveLively, Classy, Click & Pledge, Soapbox Engage Events app.
• Efficiency Boosters: Rollup Helper, Clone This User, Lightning Messaging Utility.

Data Integrity: Keeping Your Database Clean

Data integrity is critical for effective nonprofit operations, and the data integrity breakout session emphasized strategies to maintain high-quality records. Attendees discussed proactive measures to ensure clean data and tools to address common challenges before they grow into larger issues.

• Define and Enforce Data Standards: Create a policy for incomplete records; Use free tools like Salesforce Labs’ Data Quality Analysis Dashboards.
• Proactive Reporting: Build a “Dashboard of Zeros” to monitor and fix data issues early.
• Prevent Errors at Entry: Use validation rules, screen flows, and pre-filled forms to eliminate common mistakes.

Page Layouts: Streamlining User Experience

A well-organized page layout can make a world of difference for Salesforce users. This session focused on practical steps to clean up cluttered layouts and optimize them for better usability and efficiency, ensuring everyone on the team can easily find the data they need.

• Audit field usage with tools like Field Trip to identify unused fields.
• Conduct user testing to ensure updates meet team needs.
• Experiment with Dynamic Forms for more adaptable layouts.

Data Import/Export: The Right Tools for the Job

Data import/export is a critical task for many nonprofits, and this session explored tools and tips to make the process smoother and more reliable. Attendees left with confidence in their ability to handle even complex data migrations.

• Free Options: Data Loader, Workbench, Salesforce Inspector.
• Paid Solutions: DemandTools, Apsona, OwnBackup.
• Pro Tip: When using Excel VLOOKUPs, always reference the 18-digit Salesforce ID to avoid errors.

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Once again, NPSP Day has showcased the power of collaboration and knowledge-sharing within the Salesforce nonprofit community. Several attendees shared how the day reignited their inspiration and provided a renewed sense of hope amid challenging and uncertain times. This spirit of connection, support, and impact is what NPSP Day—and Soapbox Engage, the facilitator of NPSP Day— are all about.

The day would not have been possible without the wonderful facilities and staff of The Center, our host for the day. We encourage you to check out the incredible work they are doing to support New York’s LBGTQ+ community.

Want to join a future NPSP Day? Check out upcoming opportunities here!