What are the differences between managed packages for nonprofits and the new Nonprofit Cloud?
NPSP and other managed packages, like the Program Management Module or Volunteers for Salesforce, have been built on the Salesforce platform and are “managed” (or “updated”) by Salesforce or the third party that built them. They use a specific nonprofit data model.
The new Nonprofit Cloud, however, is built using a different data model. It is not a managed package, but rather an end-to-end technology solution built by Salesforce on the Salesforce platform. When Salesforce rolls out three platform updates each year, the new Nonprofit Cloud receives the same updates that are common across all Industry Clouds, plus other nonprofit-specific functionality, and do not rely on package “managers” to update it.
It enables nonprofits to take advantage of powerful features – such as Business Rules Engine, Data Processing Engine, and OmniStudio – that nonprofits did not have access to before, but that other Industry Clouds on Salesforce have been able to leverage for years. Nonprofit Cloud includes the core layer of functionality that allows you to manage things like accounts, contacts, leads, opportunities, cases, and campaigns as well as Program Management, Case Management, and Grants Management.
Fundraising was not included in the initial release of the new Nonprofit Cloud, but it is being rolled out starting in fall of 2023.
Fundraising in Nonprofit Cloud will address three key aspects:
1. Managing a portfolio of major donors and philanthropic partnerships with indicators of propensity to give.
2. Mass market fundraising supported by segmentation.
3. Optimizing fundraising operations.
Can nonprofits still get NPSP and other managed packages?
You can still get (or continue using) NPSP and currently available managed packages from the “old” Nonprofit Cloud, such as those for fundraising, program management, case management, and volunteer management.
However, you now also have the option of becoming an early adopter of the new Nonprofit Cloud instead. This can be an alternative worth considering if you want to take advantage of the advanced features available in the core Salesforce platform.
Are 10 donated licenses still available?
The 10 donated licenses are still available for either NPSP / managed packages or the new Nonprofit Cloud. Here’s how it works:
- If your nonprofit has 10 donated licenses of NPSP through the Salesforce Power of Us program, and you intend to stay on NPSP, then there is no change.
- If your organization has 10 licenses and wants to move to the new Nonprofit Cloud, you can work with your Salesforce account manager to move your licenses to the new Nonprofit Cloud. The move to the new Nonprofit Cloud will require a migration.
- If your nonprofit is moving to Salesforce as a new customer and applying for 10 donated licenses through the Power of Us program, you will have a choice between getting 10 donated Sales/Services licenses (which you then add the free NPSP managed package to) or 10 donated Nonprofit Cloud licenses.
What if my nonprofit is already using NPSP?
If your organization is already using NPSP and other managed packages, you might be wondering if you need to migrate to the new Nonprofit Cloud now. The answer for most organizations at this point is no, it’s not time to migrate.
Here’s why: NPSP is built on a different data model, so going to the new Nonprofit Cloud will not necessarily be a quick process. Salesforce is not doing a forced migration from NPSP to the new Nonprofit Cloud at this point. NPSP is a product that is serving thousands of nonprofit customers, and Salesforce is planning to continue to support it.
That said, if you are seeing new and exciting features of the new Nonprofit Cloud (such as artificial intelligence), and you’re curious about what it could do for your nonprofit, now is a good time to start researching and planning what a migration to the new Nonprofit Cloud would look like and when it would make the most sense to make the move.