Manage Programs with Salesforce

Learning Objectives

After completing this unit, you’ll be able to:

Describe how organizations use Salesforce to manage and optimize program delivery.
Explain options for managing your programs in Salesforce.

Prerequisites

This module jumps right in with Program Management Module (PMM). We recommend you start by completing the Salesforce for Nonprofits Basics Trailhead module to learn how PMM could fit with Salesforce.org’s other products and features to benefit your nonprofit.

Mission: The Center of Your Organization

Program and service delivery depends on the ingenuity, dedication, and energy of your entire team. It requires an ability to translate a mission into real-world action, identify the right services, vet and retain volunteers, find affordable and functional resources, and collect and analyze data that demonstrates impact.

And while you may be changing the world and moving mountains—or, if you work for an environmental organization, keeping those mountains right where they are (thank you!)—that doesn’t mean managing your programs has to be grueling. You make progress on your mission when you spend time meeting your goals, not sifting through spreadsheets.

Enter Salesforce for Nonprofits.

Nonprofit staff help clients at a food pantry.

There are many ways to manage your mission and programs using Salesforce. And because every organization is different, the way you use it is going to be different, too. There’s no one correct answer.

One option for nonprofits and other organizations to manage programs in Salesforce is to use Program Management Module (PMM)—a managed package and custom data model built by Salesforce.org—then add ready-made apps or create custom solutions tailored to their missions. In this module, we explore the basics of PMM.

Note
Salesforce for Nonprofits includes both integrated platform solutions and managed packages. This module provides information about PMM, a managed package. For information about platform solutions, see the Manage Programs with Nonprofit Cloud trail linked in the Resources section. If you’re not sure which solution your organization uses, check with your Salesforce administrator.

Let's start exploring PMM by reviewing how it works with other solutions to provide your organization what you need to manage your programs.

Start with Nonprofit Success Pack

For nonprofits of any mission, PMM works best with Nonprofit Success Pack (NPSP).

NPSP, a free product, gives you tools to record useful data for program management. It includes household account records to track your contacts’ households, and relationship records to track their family bonds, friendships, and other connections.

You can learn about NPSP using the links in Resources.

Install Program Management Module

When added to NPSP, PMM is a foundation on which you build program data and processes in Salesforce.

Installing PMM in your Salesforce org gives you a Salesforce app and data structure that includes the objects and features you need to manage your programs and services, like service schedules, program engagements, and bulk service deliveries. It also comes with ready-to-use reports and dashboards that you can apply to your mission.

Add Tools from AppExchange

To add features to PMM, you can find and install apps from AppExchange, our marketplace of solutions from Salesforce and our partners.

Apps can quickly give you custom Salesforce fields, objects, and features to fill a specific function. For example, you could use AppExchange apps to add surveys, integrated forms, petition management, and ticket sales to your programs in Salesforce.

One app to consider is Nonprofit Cloud Case Management, a Salesforce.org managed package built to work with PMM and help human-service case managers and their organizations streamline workflows and focus on client needs. Check out the Nonprofit Cloud Case Management Basics module in Resources to learn more.

Build Custom Solutions

Looking for something more specific? You can always build custom solutions to add more features to all these tools.

The goal of customizing is to create perfectly tailored solutions for your programs, your staff, and your mission. Keep in mind that customizing takes time and skill from someone with experience, like a great Salesforce admin or consulting partner.

Now that you can trace the path to creating your perfect program-management experience in Salesforce, let’s explore PMM in more depth. We start in the next unit with PMM’s data model.