Take Action Using Reports and Dashboards
Learning Objectives
After completing this unit, you’ll be able to:
- Use reports to analyze results of campaigns in NPSP and Salesforce.
- Customize an out-of-the-box NPSP Campaign ROI Analysis report.
- Define what dashboards are in NPSP and Salesforce.
- Navigate a pre-configured NPSP Campaign ROI Analysis dashboard.
Get Started with Reports in NPSP
Reports help you organize and make sense of insights within your data, and they’re critical to making your data actionable.
At first glance, creating reports in Salesforce can feel intimidating, but once you understand the key components of a report, the process is much more approachable. With a bit of preplanning and the support of tools like report types and Lightning Report Builder, you’ll be a reporting whiz in no time.
The most important thing to know before diving into report building is that much of the work is already done for you. Make sure you explore the following tools during your report planning phase.
- Report types: These are templates that determine which objects, fields, and records are available for use when creating a report.
- Lightning Report Builder: With the report builder you can customize the fields, layout, and filters for your report. You’re in control of how your data is displayed to ensure that the appropriate level of detail is available to report readers.
- NPSP pre-built reports: NPSP comes with dozens of prebuilt reports representing common reporting scenarios for nonprofit organizations. Use the prebuilt reports as a starting point and customize as needed to fit your exact reporting needs.
To see a step-by-step demonstration of how to customize a prebuilt report in NPSP, check out this video.
Get Started with Dashboards in NPSP
If reports are the launchpad for making data-driven decisions, dashboards are the flight path to help you visualize, share, and present the story your data is telling. Dashboards empower you to bring data from multiple reports into a single display.
Reporting and planning are key steps in creating a great dashboard. Before you build, make sure you have a solid understanding of the requirements of your dashboard. And set yourself and your users up for success by making strategic decisions about your dashboard’s format and accessibility to team members.
To learn what considerations you need to take during planning, and to see the outcome of a high-quality dashboard, check out the video.
Get Hands-on with Nonprofit Success Pack
If you want some practice with these concepts, we’ve got you covered. Download the Hands-On Training Guide to get started.
When you’re ready to keep going, join us in the next Trailhead module in the Begin with Nonprofit Success Pack series, Nonprofit Success Pack Administration Basics.
