Nonprofit Salesforce Admin: It’s Ok to Ask for Help!

Managing a powerful platform like Salesforce (or any other CRM) comes with a unique set of challenges and this is especially true in the resource strapped nonprofit space. As a Nonprofit CRM Admin, I’m sure you’re used to wearing many hats and employing a “get it done” attitude. You don’t have to go it alone. In fact, nobody can go it alone.

Even the most well resourced Salesforce Admins reach out to the wider Salesforce community. They’re successful because they don’t operate in a vacuum. Knowing when to ask for help is crucial for ensuring the efficiency and effectiveness of your Nonprofit CRM. Let’s explore the signs indicating it’s time to ask for assistance, and what that assistance might look like.

Signs It’s Time to Ask for Help:

• Overwhelming Complexity: Over time, your CRM grows with automations, interconnected reports, and maybe even apps. This can cause the complexity of using and managing your CRM to become overwhelming. If you’re finding cascading effects when you make small changes, that’s a sign that you might benefit from some assistance.
• Lack of Technical Knowledge: Nobody can know everything! Learn to spot when you’re hitting your limits. Maybe you’ve been testing, testing, testing, and nothing seems to come out right, or you’re just feeling lost in the weeds and trying endless Google searches. These are signs you might need some additional technical help, either from inside your organization or out..
• Too Much Time Spent on Admin Tasks: Your technology should serve your nonprofit – not the other way around! Do you have mission-related responsibilities outside of managing your CRM? Do you find your admin duties are preventing you from taking action on those projects? Are you spending more time making adjustments than focusing on executing your mission? It could be time to call for help.
• Strategic Alignment Changes: Your CRM is an integral part of your organization’s strategic plan. As the plan changes, requirements for tracking and reporting data evolve as well. If this goes on for a while, these iterative changes add up – an outside perspective can be useful when it’s time to step back and take a wider view.

Where to Go For Help?

Ok, you’ve determined you need assistance to be more efficient and effective as a Nonprofit CRM Admin. What kind of help do you need? You probably know about some resources. Of course, Google is a good place to start. However, for help more specific to your organizational needs, here are a few other resources you may or may not know about:

• Self Service: Where’s the first stop? If you have the time, most CRMs have a Community , providing a collaborative space where you can connect with other administrators, share insights, and seek advice. It’s likely broken out into groups that focus on specific topics. Additionally, there are often YouTube “how-to” videos. Now, these “self service” options are free (which is great!) but they do require substantial time and effort on your part – resources that may be in short supply!
• Calling in the cavalry: While self-service options provide valuable support, there comes a point where working directly with nonprofit technology experts is the best path forward. Typically this support takes the form of Managed Services, and is designed to offer distinct advantages such as:
  • Expertise on Demand: Managed services provides a team of seasoned professionals with a wealth of expertise to help you on-demand.
  • Strategic Partnership: A managed services team works in tandem with your nonprofit, understanding its mission and goals to align your CRM strategically.
  • Proactive Maintenance: Engaging managed services ensures proactive monitoring, preventing issues before they impact your Salesforce environment.
  • Cost-Effective Solution: Bringing in a team of experts can be a cost-effective solution, sparing your nonprofit the need for additional full-time staff while maximizing the efficiency of your current team.
• Targeted Help: Sometimes you just need help with a very specific issue and you need it quickly. It might be a report that just isn’t working, a formula that needs a second set of eyes, or just some quick advice on a particular problem.

Conclusion:

Knowing when to ask for help is a hallmark of effective CRM administration. You don’t have to struggle through alone – there’s a whole community and ecosystem out there ready to support you! Teamwork makes the dream work 🙂

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