The Salesforce ecosystem offers a myriad of opportunities for nonprofits. In fact, we could argue that there are so many opportunities and features that it’s hard to choose the best fit for your nonprofit.

Today, we’re exploring NPSP and Nonprofit Cloud, two options that are often mistaken for each other. We’ll explain what each offers and, more importantly, how to leverage it to the fullest.

Spoiler alert: while Salesforce is a powerhouse on its own, the best way to make the most out of your subscription is to think of it as a piece of the puzzle. It should seamlessly fit into your organization and integrate with your other solutions.

Before we get started, did you see our social media guide for nonprofits? We created it to help you leverage all your social media channels without spending ages on each platform. 

Now that we got that out of the way, let’s dig in!

Salesforce NPSP and Nonprofit Cloud 101

The Salesforce Nonprofit Success Pack (NPSP) was introduced in 2008 in an effort to empower nonprofits with the tools they need. It is essentially the same solution but with features designed to help nonprofits manage their fundraising and donors more efficiently.

Nonprofit Cloud is a more recent addition to the Salesforce ecosystem. As the name suggests, it is a cloud-based solution, not a managed package like the NPSP.

Unlike NPSP, it’s not the same CRM with a few nonprofit-specific alterations. The features are built specifically for nonprofits right out of the box, including a cool new Nonprofit Toolkit.

So what should you choose?

Salesforce NPSP vs. Nonprofit Cloud

The choice is fairly simple: if you’re not in the Salesforce ecosystem yet, you should go straight for the Nonprofit Cloud.

While NPSP has served nonprofits well for a while now, things are changing:

• NPSP has always been rather difficult to configure and integrate into operations. You typically had to hire a consultant to do that.
• The price is the same, so this is not a factor.
• Salesforce has launched Nonprofit Cloud to replace NPSP, not complement it.
• While you will still have support for NPSP, no new features will be added to it.

All these reasons point to a clear choice: get started directly with Nonprofit Cloud or migrate to it from NPSP by mid-2024.

You will not only gain access to better features but also future-proof your organization. You will eventually have to migrate, so we recommend you get a head start on this- the end of the year is very busy for nonprofits.

See a deep dive by Paige Van Riper, Director Partner Product Success – Nonprofit, who walks us through the key differences between the two products, as well as an overview of NPC. 

How Do I Migrate from NPSP to Nonprofit Cloud?

I’ll be honest with you: it’s not easy. You can check out some of the technical details for Nonprofit Cloud here.

While NPSP has an API, the migration itself is quite difficult, especially if you don’t have a dedicated in-house IT team.

This is one of the reasons why we don’t recommend migrating right now. NPSP is still fully functional. Even though new features aren’t developed for it, if the current setting has worked for you thus far, it will work for another few months.

More importantly, there is a learning curve with every new solution, even if it’s part of an ecosystem you’re already familiar with. So before making the switch to Nonprofit Cloud, take into account the time investment your team will need to learn how to use it to the fullest.

The migration to Nonprofit Cloud is easier if you use a dedicated consultant for it.

A few consultants that help nonprofits make the most out of Salesforce:

• Nexell is a Switzerland-based Salesforce consultancy for nonprofits. You can learn more about their story and how they can support you here. 
• Data Geeks Lab is a US-based consultancy on a mission to help nonprofits make the most out of their data. Check out how they use Salesforce and integration. 
• RedPath, a US-based Salesforce consultancy, can help you integrate any Salesforce solution in your organization. We’ve been working with them for a while now, helping dozens of nonprofits through them. Here’s how RedPath uses SyncApps. 
• CauseMic is a nonprofit consulting company that uses SyncApps in their own business and to help the nonprofits they advise build better marketing campaigns. In 2023, they absolutely smashed all our records by onboarding nearly all their clients on SyncApps. We’re incredibly proud of their trust in us and the remarkable business they’re building. Check them out — their resources on how to build, grow, and market a nonprofit are amazing!

Nonprofit Cloud Integrations — Can You Still Use Them?

Yes, very soon! The SyncApps team has already started working on Nonprofit Cloud integrations for Mailchimp, Constant Contact, ActiveCampaign, and others. They will be released in Q3 2024. Subscribe to our newsletter to be the first to learn about them:

In the meantime, we encourage you to keep using NPSP. If you’re an integration user, you already know how game-changing it can be to be able to migrate your data between platforms.

Not an integration user? Try the NPSP for Mailchimp integration or the NPSP for Constant Contact integration for $0. 

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