AMER Ask Me Anything - Nov 19th  

Thank you to those who have joined our AMA earlier today (our LAST AMA of 2025)! Below is the report of our Q&A; thanks again to this month's panelists  @Arden Winner and @Becca Davis and our monthly host  @Rob OBrien. See you again in 2026 when our AMAs resume! 

Question:

What is the timing for native Salesforce support for merging Person Accounts with Contact Point Addresses? What are the recommended workarounds until then?

Answer:

A widely used workaround is the merge functionality provided by Apsona, which allows more reliable merging and data cleanup:  https://youtu.be/HPqFIqemqTQ?si=5a8jjUWEjCUQZcnR

• If you choose not to use a third-party tool, your alternatives are mostly manual processes (less recommended) or custom automation through Flow, which requires careful testing to avoid data loss.

Question:

Is anyone using Givebutter as a giving platform?. 

Answer:

Givebutter can work well for lightweight use cases, and integrations through Zapier tend to be manageable. For deeper insight, the Nonprofit App Advice group is a good place to browse reviews or ask for recommendations:  https://trailhead.salesforce.com/trailblazer-community/groups/0F94S000000kHigSAE

• Givebutter worked fine for basic giving, but for a gala they needed a more robust pledging system, 80% of their gifts came from in-room pledges.
• The lack of a native Salesforce integration was a major hesitation for long-term use.
• There are many similar platforms with native Salesforce integrations, which reduce long-term technical debt.
• Givebutter is great for cost-sensitive orgs (free pricing model), but scaling past simple use cases may be challenging.

TDLR: Good for smaller teams or simple online giving; may not be ideal for orgs that rely heavily on Salesforce automations or need sophisticated event/gala features. 

Question:

 Question about Affiliations in Salesforce NPSP -- Our team struggles with updating Affiliations (Accounts ↔ Contacts). It’s multi-step, users sometimes create duplicates, and we’re considering screen flows or inline editing. How can we simplify this and prevent duplicates?

Answer:

 There are a few approaches to improve this common NPSP pain point:

1. Screen Flow for Guardrails

A guided Screen Flow is often the best solution. It:

• Reduces confusion around lookup fields
• Walks users step-by-step
• Makes it harder to create unintended records
• Enforces required fields and validation logic

2. Create a Data Dictionary

A shared, clearly written data dictionary helps users know:

• Which fields to use
• How to search for existing records
• Definitions and expected formatsThis reduces user error and ensures consistency.

3. User Training & Re-Training

Most affiliation issues stem from:

• Users adding instead of searching
• Misunderstanding account vs. contact creation
  • Regular refreshers dramatically improve adoption.

4. Duplicate Management Rules

Turn on or tune existing:

• Duplicate Rules
• Matching Rules
  • These help catch duplicates at the moment of creation.

TLDR: A combination of  Screen Flows, training, and duplicate rules works best. Tech alone won’t solve it, change management is key. 

Question:

I’m trying to trigger an email alert using Flow but can’t get it to fire. Any advice?

Answer:

 Email alerts can be tricky due to configuration nuances. Here are the best steps:

1. Use Flow Debug

Debug mode will show you exactly where the Flow breaks, almost always the fastest path to a fix.

2. Check Sandbox Settings

Email deliverability may be disabled in a sandbox, preventing alerts from sending.

3. Validate Your Email Alert Setup

Ensure:

• The email alert references a valid email template
• The object supports email alerts
• The criteria evaluates to true in the testing scenario

4. Learn from the Flow Community

Trailblazer resources:

• Flow for Nonprofit Admins group: https://trailhead.salesforce.com/trailblazer-community/groups/0F94S000000kHgOSAU  
  (Mark Jones, the group owner, is a flow expert!)

• Trailhead feed reference: https://trailhead.salesforce.com/trailblazer-community/feed/0D54V00007XGS5jSAH

5. Migration from Workflow Rules

AMA attendees report that transitions from Workflow → Flow were smooth. Salesforce continues supporting Workflow Rules, but no new enhancements are planned. 

Question:

 Any notable Winter ’26 Release features beneficial to nonprofits? 

Answer:

 Yes ~ several! These features improve fundraising, volunteer management, program management, and admin efficiency.

Fundraising & Donor Engagement

• Enhanced Gift Entry Grid for fast batch entry (up to 200 gifts)
• Gift Planning App with actuarial tools for planned giving
• Philanthropic Research App using AI to surface new prospects
• Automatic Address Sync between Person Account and Contact Points

Volunteer Management

• New Volunteer Management Home
• Updated workflows for opportunities, jobs, and shifts
• Smart Matching to pair volunteers with roles
• Agentforce AI suggesting volunteers for unfilled shifts (Beta)

Program & Case Management

• Streamlined intake workflows
• AI-generated assessments and case notes
• Templates for attendance review and summaries

Admin & Platform Improvements

• Flow Builder upgrades: compare versions, improved debugging
• List views sortable by up to five columns
• Type-ahead search in list views

More highlights can be found in the Nonprofit Release Readiness Group https://trailhead.salesforce.com/trailblazer-community/groups/0F94S000000kHOXSA2