Thank you for those who joined our AMER Ask Me Anything (AMA) Session today on Weds, May 14th, 2025. Thank you so much to our fantastic hosts @Jennifer Lange @Stephanie Rebain and our lead @Rob OBrien!
We had a delightful conversation and as promised here are some of the resources shared as part of the live AMER Ask Me Anything Session.
Reminder: These live AMAs are not recorded to allow for open, honest conversations
Q: Been having trouble with sending emails through Campaign Member lists. The background keeps not showing up. Has anyone else encountered this? (using NPSP)
A: A theme change is coming: next release will use the new SLDS 2 (rounded) theme
Check these email template and campaign settings:
- Watermark Configuration: Ensure it’s properly enabled in the email template
- Template Type: Confirm compatibility with watermarks
- Campaign Status: Must be set to “Active”
- Campaign Member Status: Should be “Sent”
- Member List: Confirm recipients are included with no filters blocking delivery
Use search terms like: “Salesforce watermark on email to a campaign member list not showing”
Q: I’m working with a client to integrate Workday with Salesforce NPC. We added custom fields to the Gift Refund object to record data like the date the journal entry was created in the outside system, etc., but can’t update those or any fields after the record is marked as completed. I understand there are implecations to editing refund amount, status, etc. But what about custom fields? What about correcting a typo in the description? Any ideas on a workaround?
A: This is expected behavior for certain objects like Refund and Transaction in NPC.
Suggested Workaround:
- Add a temporary "Processing" status to delay marking the record as “Complete” until all final details are entered
Important note: avoid editing core refund fields like amount or status post-completion
Q:
I don’t work a lot with donations but have a client who want’s to set up Legacy donations with types like: land, monetary etc and these wouldn’t be closed until the donor passed away. What would be the best way to set these types up so it doesn’t mess with reporting or fail health checks because they will sit open for years? (Using NPSP)
A: Use Planned Gifts in NPSP (Salesforce’s term for legacy gifts)
- Create an Opportunity with stages like:
- Prospect, Proposal, Accepted, Estate, etc.
- Leave the stage at 99% (not closed) to exclude from reporting
- Remove the opportunity record type from standard reports
- Once the donor passes, transfer the record to “Estate” and assign a new contact if needed
Helpful resource: Planned Gifts Article from Cloud4Good
Q: Is there any workaround to see the whole long text area data in fields like comments in the reports. For ex: I would like to search the funds which contains the keyword "Youth" but the search only shows records which contains the word before 255 characters.
A: Not natively possible using search alone
Workaround:
- Create a formula field that checks for keywords (e.g., contains "Youth") and flags a checkbox
- Filter reports based on that checkbox
Q: What’s the best method to import Bloomerang data (15K+ records) into Salesforce NPC?
A: Avoid using Data Import Wizard for this volume — instead:
- Use Dataloader.io or Apsona (import object-by-object)
- Use account number as a unique identifier
- Suggested Import Order:
- Business Accounts
- Person Accounts
- Transactions
Avoid large record creation via Flow – you’ll likely hit platform limits
- Tip: NPC uses Gift Transactions (not Opportunities)
- NPC is still growing – keep learning!
- Other donation platforms that integrate well with NPC: Classy, GoFundMe, FundraiseUp (early-stage product)
Q: This is a general question, but is there anyone on this call in the DC area, or know anyone in this area? I could use a little hand holding while setting up my org. (On NPC)
A:
- Join the Washington DC Nonprofit User Group
- Reminder: Do not mix NPSP and NPC in the same org (person accounts vs. household accounts).
- NPSP isn’t going away soon, but NPC is the future of nonprofit Salesforce
Q: What reporting tools do others use for Salesforce Reports other than the built in Reports. We don't want to spend money on Tableau. I generally pull more complex reports using SOQL queries. What are others using? (NPSP and PMM)
A: Popular options include:
- Apsona – robust and nonprofit-friendly (note: pricing may change)
- Appiphony MergeConnect: https://appiphony.com/merge-connect
- SOQL queries – for more technical users
Each has tradeoffs depending on your team’s skills and budget
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Here are a few groups highlighted by our hosts:
