Why Salesforce?

Powerful

Over 50,000 companies and organizations are using Salesforce to manage their client, customer, and donor information. Salesforce includes powerful data management and reporting tools, like a built-in report builder that lets you easily create and share reports, and customized dashboards that target the informational needs of your staff - from volunteer coordinator to executive director. And because Salesforce is easy to use, you don't need extensive training or specialized skills to keep your data current and accurate.

Salesforce recently introduced the Nonprofit Starter Pack, which is a supported set of Salesforce additions tailored to the needs of non-profits. With it you can:

• Associate your contacts with households, keep track of donations, and do efficient fundraising mailings.
• Manage recurring donations and pledges.
• Track relationships amongst members and donors.
• Relate members and donors to organizations.
  

Customizable

Unlike many CRMs, Salesforce can be easily customized to fit your organization's existing and evolving needs. Adding new fields to your records can be accomplished through the web - no software skills required. Should you need additional functionality, Salesforce comes with an open API, which allows the large number of Salesforce application developers to extend it and integrate it with other tools (like Plone).  Current add-ons include integration with Microsoft Office, Quickbooks and other commonly used desktop applications.

Hosted

Salesforce is a hosted solution - there is no software to install or maintain, reducing your IT support costs and liablilities.  Salesforce takes care of the servers, the security and the software updates for you. For qualified non-profits, the Salesforce Foundation will donate 10 Salesforce enterprise edition licenses, and additional licenses can be purchased at an 80% discount.