Using Salesforce and Mailchimp to streamline your nonprofit

Want to save time and improve donor communication for your nonprofit? Integrating Salesforce and Mailchimp can help. Here’s how:

• Sync donor data automatically: Keep Salesforce and Mailchimp records updated without manual work.
• Track email performance: Monitor opens, clicks, and bounces directly in Salesforce.
• Manage lists easily: Automatically handle unsubscribes and ensure compliance.
• Boost donor engagement: Use synced data to create personalized, automated email campaigns.

This integration works seamlessly with tools like the Nonprofit Success Pack (NPSP), NPC, and platforms such as SyncApps. Nonprofits like CAHME have seen a significant increase in email open rates and a rise in donations since implementing SyncApps in 2024. Ready to get started? Keep reading for setup steps and best practices.

Mailchimp for Salesforce integration walkthrough

Setup Requirements and Initial Configuration

To get started with integrating Salesforce and Mailchimp, you’ll need to prepare a few tools and accounts. Here’s what you need to know:

Tools and Accounts You’ll Need

For Salesforce:

• A Salesforce edition with API access enabled.
• Compatibility with platforms like PatronManager, Raiser’s Edge, the Nonprofit Success Pack™ (NPSP), and NPC.

For Mailchimp:

• An active Mailchimp account.
• Manager-level access or higher.

For the Integration Platform:

• A SyncApps account (free plan available for up to 100 records).
• Nonprofit organizations can enjoy a 25% discount on annual subscriptions.

Setting Up Your First Integration

1. Log in to Salesforce and Mailchimp
   • Use your Salesforce credentials to access Salesforce in Step 1 of the integration.
   • Use the Mailchimp API Key to authenticate in Step 2 of the integration.
2. Choose your options in the integration (250+ prebuilt automations)
   • Steps 1 and 2 are Salesforce and Mailchimp options
   • Step 3 is Field Mapping
   • Step 4 is Filtering and Segmentation
   • Last Step is scheduling
3. Complete Set Up and book a call with our experts to review
   • All trials come with our concierge service with experts in your SaaS.
   • Review all your options and explore your team’s needs during a live call.

For example, CAHME successfully integrated Salesforce and Mailchimp in June 2024.

“24/7 Support is fantastic!!! And now our Salesforce and Mailchimp talk to each other! So much money and time saved!“

~ Stacey Rowand, Director of Information Systems

Quick Configuration Tips

• Perform the Step 3 Field Mapping in a single session directly in SyncApps.
• Afterward, configure the synchronization settings and any necessary filters.

Next, we’ll dive into setting up two-way data synchronization to ensure your donor records stay updated seamlessly.

Data Sync Management for Nonprofits

A two-way sync between Salesforce and Mailchimp ensures donor records stay accurate and up-to-date, supporting automated marketing and reporting efforts.

Two-Way Contact and Donor Updates

This bidirectional sync keeps donor details consistent across both platforms. Salesforce acts as the primary record keeper, while updates from Mailchimp, such as profile changes via the Update Profile form, are reflected in Salesforce for existing and new records.

Steps to set up two-way sync:

1. Turn on features like hard bounce mapping, checkbox field mapping, Groups and Tags feature, Multi-Groups, and many more.
2. Establish rules for updates, particularly for changes made through Mailchimp’s Update Profile form in Steps 2 and 3 of your integration.

Data Mapping and Quality Control

• Match Salesforce contacts, leads, accounts, and person accounts and custom fields with corresponding Mailchimp audience fields.
• Premium Mailchimp accounts allow mapping of up to 80 fields.
• Regularly review mandatory fields in both systems to avoid errors when updating back to Salesforce and Mailchimp forms to Audiences.

Tips for maintaining data quality:

• Periodically audit field mappings to meet changing data needs.
• Check sync status by reviewing reports in SyncApps.
• Ensure that proper user permissions (including integration-only users) are set in both Salesforce and Mailchimp.

With clean, synced data, you can create targeted email campaigns in Mailchimp that resonate with your audience.

Email Marketing Automation Setup

With your two-way sync in place, it’s time to set up email automation. Use the synced Salesforce-Mailchimp data to create personalized email campaigns that respond to donor actions automatically.

Donor List Segments and Custom Content

Salesforce lets you organize donors into segments based on campaign membership, custom fields, or specific field criteria. To keep your segments effective:

• Activate automatic syncing to update segments and remove opted-out contacts using SyncApps features in Step 2, using Full Sync.
• Regularly review and adjust settings to ensure your audience(s) stay accurate and useful.

Email Campaign Automation Rules

Create email sequences that are triggered by donor actions:

• Set up automated emails for events like first donations, renewals, or anniversaries.
• Monitor key metrics, including open rates, click-through rates, bounces, unsubscribes, and conversions.
• Use this data to improve subject lines, calls-to-action, sending schedules, and list management.
• Sync metrics back to individual donors in Salesforce in real-time.

Measuring Donor Engagement Results

Once your email automation is up and running, the next step is to evaluate its impact. Tracking donor engagement helps you identify which campaigns are working and where you can make improvements.

Tracking Email and Donor Activities

With daily syncing of Mailchimp campaign data and hourly audience updates, you get a clear view of donor interactions.

Metric Type: email engagement tracking the opens, clicks, and bounces to recipients gauges deliverability and donor interest.

Donor Conversion: Lead sources and conversion rates highlight the success of the acquisition channels.

Revenue Performance: Campaign revenue and donations gained will show the financial impact of your campaigns.

Dashboards are essential for visualizing these metrics. They provide a clear picture of your campaign performance.

Only 31% of nonprofits can accurately predict revenue from their fundraising efforts.

How to Measure Success

• Use the SyncApps Campaign Metrics feature to ensure campaign stats sync in real-time.
• Monitor donations and household accounts in Salesforce.
• Build dashboards that combine Mailchimp and Salesforce data to track engagement, donor acquisition, and revenue performance synced via SyncApps.

US Nonprofit Guidelines

US nonprofits need to adhere to federal communication rules and maintain accurate data to protect donor relationships. Here are three key areas to focus on:

1. CAN-SPAM Compliance
   • Set up automated processes in Salesforce to handle unsubscribes, bounce notifications, and address updates efficiently.
2. Data Management
   • Leverage Mailchimp metrics and Salesforce formulas to tag and sync contacts, ensuring consistent and reliable segmentation.
3. Quality Assurance
   • Check that Salesforce and Mailchimp campaign stats are syncing correctly regularly using SyncApps reports.

Conclusion: Making the Most of Your Integration

SyncApps simplifies the connection between Salesforce and Mailchimp, automating donor data management and communications. It can handle syncing up to 100 million records and can sync every 2 minutes on our Professional plan.

“Blown away by the product’s power and team responsiveness.” – Danny B., Science Gallery International

Here’s how to get the most out of your integration:

• Map fields effectively: Ensure all necessary data flows seamlessly between platforms.
• Automate lead creation: Save time by letting automation handle new entries.
• Monitor syncs regularly: Keep an eye on data accuracy.
• Segment your audiences: Group donors for targeted communication.
• Track delivery and click rates: Use this data to fine-tune your campaigns.
• Analyze engagement metrics: Understand Audience growth and campaign success.

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