Dreamforce 2024: Nonprofit Cloud and the Future of Nonprofits on Salesforce
Dreamforce is Salesforce’s annual event, bringing together its community to learn, network, and share big announcements. This year, Salesforce focused on Agentforce, a tool designed to help companies build AI agents. These agents extend teams, such as customer service, by automating responses and streamlining workflows. New AI tools aim to boost how teams work, helping them be more efficient. For our nonprofit clients, we’re most excited about the latest enhancements to Nonprofit Cloud.
Nonprofit Cloud: Evolving to Meet Nonprofit Needs
Thousands of nonprofits have relied on the Nonprofit Success Pack (NPSP) for years. In 2023, Salesforce introduced Nonprofit Cloud, allowing nonprofits to use the core Salesforce platform. Built on the Industries model, Nonprofit Cloud offers powerful tools like Business Rules Engine, Actionable Lists, and OmniStudio. These features are part of the core platform and by incorporating nonprofit functionality to the platform, not managed packages, nonprofits can benefit from innovations across industries.
The latest Nonprofit Cloud version focuses on Program and Case Management, and the investment in Fundraising and Grants Management is gaining traction. Two key sessions at Dreamforce, available on Salesforce+, highlight the future of fundraising and the future roadmap for Nonprofit Cloud, explain what’s coming in the Winter ‘25 release (October 2024) and what is planned for the year ahead.
Waiting for the Right Time to Adopt Nonprofit Cloud?
Many nonprofits are taking a “wait and see” approach to Nonprofit Cloud. Organizations using NPSP may hesitate to switch until all key fundraising features are available. Others, starting fresh with Salesforce, are eager to try Nonprofit Cloud’s innovative tools. Each nonprofit needs to assess its goals and requirements to determine the best path forward. Partnering with an expert can help build a clear roadmap.
What’s Coming in Winter ‘25?
The Winter ‘25 release brings key enhancements to fundraising features, including the Gift Data Model to track commitments, designations, and soft credits. Updates to batch gift entry and Source Codes will improve multi-channel appeal tracking.
Portfolio management and Action Plans will simplify donor cultivation. While further fundraising enhancements are coming in 2025, current features are strong enough for most organizations to manage daily operations.
Gift Designation and Gift Tribute Objects are two components of the Gift Data Model.
What’s Next?
Volunteer management is a much-needed feature that has yet to arrive in Nonprofit Cloud. Many nonprofits depend on volunteers, and Salesforce has announced plans to add Volunteer Management to the 2025 roadmap. Don’t expect this to be a reworked version of the Volunteers for Salesforce (V4S) package. This new feature, built from the ground up with nonprofit input, will include automation for volunteer managers and a Volunteer Portal.
AI and the Future of Nonprofits
Dreamforce also highlighted exciting AI capabilities. Generative AI could draft donor summaries or proposals, while predictive AI might offer service recommendations or participant alerts. Nonprofits interested in AI should start by setting up an AI Governance structure, including risk assessments and data quality standards. Clean data is essential for any successful AI project. Even if you’re not ready for Agentforce, now is the perfect time to clean up your data.
Ensuring your organization has an AI Governance and Data Governance structure, in addition to clean data, can prepare you to be ready to adopt AI.
Prepare for the Future of Nonprofit Cloud
Salesforce continues to expand its offerings for nonprofits, supporting their missions with cutting-edge tools. Whether you’re focused on program delivery, case management, grantmaking, or fundraising, Nonprofit Cloud is the future. If you’ve been waiting to see how it evolves, now’s the time for a second look. Connect with our Salesforce experts to dive into the details and start planning your next steps.