Higher Ed Dreamin’: Lessons in Boundary Busting and Data Clean-Up from Salesforce Trailblazers
Attending the recent virtual Higher Ed Dreamin conference gave us, two new Redpath consultants, invaluable insights into the evolving power of Salesforce within higher education. From breaking down barriers to fostering organizational unity, and tackling duplicate data woes, this event was an eye-opener. Below, we share two key sessions that resonated with us and the takeaways we’re excited to bring back to Redpath. Breaking Barriers with Cloud Power - Keynote by Dr. Carrie Marcinkevage, Penn State University In her keynote, Dr. Marcinkevage, also known as Dr. CRM, shared insights on using CRM to dissolve silos within higher ...
From Fragmented to Focused: How Nonprofits Can Break Down Data Silos to Drive Real Impact
Many nonprofits use a mix of tools: an event management software here, a spreadsheet there, a communications tool somewhere else. Each of these point solutions may solve a specific problem, but together they create an incomplete, siloed picture of your organization’s operations and impact. This blog explores why maintaining these data silos costs nonprofits much more than they might think and how consolidating systems can unlock new opportunities to drive lasting change. Why point solutions fall short for nonprofits Using point solutions to address specific needs is a common occurance. These tools are attractive because they’re often ...
6 Higher Ed Fundraising Stats to Shape Your 2025 Strategy
As a higher education fundraising professional, it can be easy to feel isolated from other universities and institutions. When you’re entrenched in planning campaigns, researching donors, and fostering supporter relationships, you may lose sight of the outside factors impacting your work. However, engaging with sector-wide trends and opportunities is essential to improving your university’s fundraising outcomes. As you develop your strategic plan for 2025, remember to assess external trends and circumstances in the higher ed fundraising sector that offer your institution both challenges and opportunities. To help you get started, we’ve compiled six essential higher-ed fundraising trends and statistics ...
Optimizing Campaign Success with Outreach Source Codes in Salesforce’s Nonprofit Cloud
Nonprofits rely on well-executed campaigns to drive donations and increase constituent engagement. With the introduction of Outreach Source Codes in Salesforce Fundraising in the new Nonprofit Cloud, organizations can now track, measure, and optimize the effectiveness of individual appeals within their campaigns across multiple outreach methods. This new feature enhances Salesforce's native campaign functionality, empowering nonprofits to precisely attribute donations to specific outreach efforts. As part of the broader nonprofit digital transformation, Outreach Source Codes represent a significant advancement in constituent relationship management and integrated fundraising solutions. Whether the appeal is through mass mailings, online ads, or events, Outreach ...
Important Update for Salesforce Users: Action Required for Microsoft Exchange Online Integration
On October 1st, Salesforce announced that customers using Microsoft Exchange Online must take specific actions regarding their Salesforce organizations to maintain seamless access to M365 integrations. If your company relies on on-premises environments, there’s no need for concern. As Microsoft moves forward with its Secure Future Initiative, it will be deprecating certain legacy features that will affect the Salesforce Outlook Integration in the months ahead. To help you navigate these changes, Salesforce has provided a comprehensive Knowledge Base article detailing the necessary steps. Additionally, you can review Microsoft’s documentation for more insights on timelines and required actions. Key ...
10 Grant Writing Tips & Tools for Sustained Success
Grant writing brings many benefits to nonprofits: reliable funding, new connections, sharpened skills, and generally elevated fundraising and operations. To succeed over the long run, though, you need the right tools and strategies. Jumping into grant writing with little preparation is a recipe for stress and confusion. Thankfully, it’s a learnable process. There are tons of tried-and-true best practices and tools that grant writing teams of all sizes rely on every day. If you already regularly seek and win grants, how sustained are your efforts? Is it a recurring priority or an ad hoc project that you undertake when ...
Crafting a Blueprint for Education Cloud: A Strategic Guide for Higher Education Leaders
For higher education institutions to find success, leveraging cutting-edge technology solutions is crucial. Salesforce Education Cloud stands out as a powerful tool for enhancing institutional operations and student experiences. To fully leverage this tool, higher education leaders and decision-makers need a well-structured blueprint that aligns with their institution's unique needs. This guide will walk you through crafting an effective blueprint, focusing on outcomes, priorities, needs assessment, evaluation, and the critical role of data. Understanding the Blueprint for Education Cloud A blueprint serves as a strategic plan that outlines how Education Cloud will be implemented to ...
Exploring Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud’s New Fundraising Features: Gift Commitments and Gift Transactions
Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud (NPC) takes a significant step forward from Nonprofit Success Pack (NPSP) by introducing powerful new features to streamline nonprofit operations. At the core of NPC’s enhanced fundraising capabilities are two key innovations: Gift Commitments and Gift Transactions. These features refine how nonprofits manage and record donations within Salesforce, offering improved clarity and functionality compared to NPSP’s Opportunity-based approach. Let’s explore how Gift Commitments and Gift Transactions work and how they relate to Opportunities in NPC. What are Gift Commitments? Gift Commitments are records that represent a donor’s pledge to contribute to your organization. They ...
4 Smart Ways To Keep Alumni Engaged in Your School’s Work
As an alumni relations officer, you know alumni engagement involves more than just sending an annual newsletter. It requires innovative opportunities for meaningful interaction, participation, and contributions that fit into alumni’s current lives. To spark creativity, we’ll explore smart strategies that build upon the basics of alumni management best practices. Each idea relies heavily on a strong higher education tech stack for staying organized and finding the insights you need to unlock the full potential of your alumni network. Experiment with these ideas to ensure your alumni remain active contributors to your institution. Send eCards on special occasions ...
How to Infuse Data into Your Major Donor Cultivation Plans
It takes more than a single request or a generic outreach plan to secure major gifts. Before you try to solicit a major donation for your nonprofit, you need to strategically build relationships with prospects that inspire trust, excitement, and belief in your organization. Building these relationships requires time, thought, and plenty of data. In this guide, we’ll explain how to create major donor cultivation plans infused with accurate, actionable data to help you succeed. With the right data at your fingertips, you can tailor your outreach efforts to each prospect and boost the chances of securing major gifts. ...
