Today we hosted our October Ask Me Anything - shoutout to our monthly host @Rob O'Brien and this month's panelists @Jordan Berger @Libby Ziemelis

. Check out our Q & A below:  

Q - Speaking of Dreamforce! What tips do you all have for first timers? I am fortunate to attend this year for the first time after many years of working with Salesforce.

A - 

• Bring comfy shoes! 
  • Pack light but smart - a portable battery pack/charger, a reusable water bottle (stay hydrated!), and a light jacket (San Francisco weather is unpredictable, and A/C inside can be cold).
• Go with a Goal and Pre-Plan 
• Familiarize Yourself with the Venue and WHERE things are
• Feel free to reach out and network with folks before Dreamforce via Linkedin
• Make time to re-charge! 

Connect with your community!

Check out the Nonprofit Community Meetup https://reg.salesforce.com/flow/plus/df25/sessioncatalog/page/catalog/session/1755800393403001LAUN

Join us at

Q - Trying to implement Volunteers for SF, and trying to make it less ugly! :)

A -  

• Volunteers for Salesforce Support:  https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sfdo.v4s_faq.htm&type=5
• https://www.salesforceben.com/volunteers-for-salesforce-app-a-deep-dive/
• https://www.galaxydigital.com/blog/tips-and-tricks-for-managing-volunteers-with-salesforce

External Builder Tools: Tools like llamasite (https://llamasite.com/) are third-party builders that can potentially simplify creating branded, front-facing sites that interact with your V4S data, often without deep code knowledge.

Alternate AppExchange Solutions: If V4S doesn't meet your needs or the custom development is too much, explore native, paid alternatives on the AppExchange:

• HandsOn Connect: A full-lifecycle volunteer management platform built specifically for Salesforce. It is a true native app that offers a more comprehensive, out-of-the-box solution with a public-facing site.

AI Tools can also be helpful and of course experience cloud

Q - in Non Profit cloud I am not able to view the Volunteer Mgmt App, though Volunteer Initiative is available. When will that be available? it might be due to winter release which is pending. But which month will it release?

A -  The Volunteer Initiative object is part of the new NPC data model, confirming you have the underlying functionality. The full "Volunteer Management App" experience (with all the refined user interfaces, tabs, and dashboards) may depend on your organization's specific release date/instance, or simply ensuring the latest components are added to your App Launcher and permission sets are correctly configured. 

• DB Services Overview: https://dbservices.com/blog/volunteer-management-in-salesforce-nonprofit-cloud (Discusses the new functionality)
• Nonprofit Release Readiness Group: A must-join for the latest release news.
  • Link: https://trailhead.salesforce.com/trailblazer-community/groups/0F94S000000kHOXSA2

See also Trailhead:  https://trailhead.salesforce.com/trailblazer-community/feed/0D5KX00000Kf9E10AJ

Q - Do you recommend V4S as an alternative to Volunteerhub? Does it require community licenses?

A - Shifts are available to you as a guest user, it doesn’t require an authenticated user to see that data. The site that comes with NPSP will allow them to see their data. 

Community Licenses (V4S): When using V4S, to allow volunteers to sign up for shifts and see their personal history on a public-facing portal, you typically rely on unauthenticated guest user access for viewing shifts. For volunteers to see their own data, submit hours, and manage their

profile, they may need to be authenticated. 

Q - To create Volunteer (person) will I use the contact person object.

A -   Yes, you will use a person account (person + account, meshed together). Person account for volunteers and donors

Q - On Licenses

A - Volunteer management is very new, NPC is set by permission set licenses. If you need more you’ll have to ask your AE 

SFDC Help:  https://trailhead.salesforce.com/trailblazer-community/feed/0D5KX00000Kf9E10AJ

https://dbservices.com/blog/salesforce-nonprofit-cloud-implementation-guide

A: Manage future givers with campaigns, and assign tasks for people from those campaigns. You can track them in the campaign ~ think about also how your accounting is tracking that information too.

Depending on the number you can also do a scheduled flow

Q - When is the next release for volunteer management

A - The newest enhancements for Nonprofit Cloud Volunteer Management are part of the Winter '26 release, which is rolling out starting around mid-to-late September 2025.

• General Release Information:
  • Salesforce Trust: https://trust.salesforce.com/ (Find your instance and check its specific maintenance schedule)
• Nonprofit-Specific Release Notes:
  • Nonprofit Release Readiness Group in TBC: Join this group! It is the single best place to get updates specifically for NPSP and NPC.
    • Link: https://trailhead.salesforce.com/trailblazer-community/groups/0F94S000000kHOXSA2?tab=discussion

See also Salesforce Inspector Reloaded: https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/salesforce-inspector-relo/hpijlohoihegkfehhibggnkbjhoemldh

Release information:  https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=000383330&type=1 See also: https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=release-notes.rn_ru.htm&release=248&type=5

Q - Volunteer Opportunities, looking to explore more on the nonprofit side.

A -

• Catchafire: www.catchafire.org (Connects nonprofits with skilled volunteers for projects)
• Tech Collective is another great community resource for technology and skill-based volunteering. 
• Jobs/Networking: If you're looking for roles or to learn about how other nonprofits operate their programs, the Jobs Group in the Trailblazer Community is a great place to connect.
  • Link: https://trailhead.salesforce.com/trailblazer-community/groups/0F94S000000kHeISAU?tab=discussion