Decatur, GA, United States
Meet Amanda, Atlanta Nonprofit Community Group Leader, Salesforce consultant, and Salesforce World Tour Atlanta Golden Hoodie recipient, September 2017.
Trailhead helped me learn more complex admin tools like process builder and flow, and I totally fell in love with this work.
Do you remember when you first heard about Salesforce? How did you get started with Salesforce?
I learned of Salesforce while I was the Grants Manager at Atlanta Legal Aid. I was responsible for applications and stewardship of several million dollars in grants every year, and I was managing it all from a spreadsheet. One night, my wife came home and told me that the foundation where she worked was considering using Salesforce. As soon as she showed me how I could customize the platform, I knew I would apply for the donated licenses from Salesforce.org. It wasn't long before I had customized NPSP to help me keep track of all of those grants. I was so impressed with the platform that I convinced the rest of the organization to use Salesforce for all of our donation management. By the time I left Atlanta Legal Aid, I knew I wanted to find a job where I could work with Salesforce all the time.
How did you decide to go all in on Salesforce?
I was a fundraiser for nonprofit organizations for 15 years. I worked with so many great organizations with missions I really cared about. And the work was meaningful, but I eventually burned out. One day I realized that the things I really liked to do—reports, mail merges, data clean up—were the things no one else in my organization ever wanted to handle. The light bulb went on. I realized that I should change careers and work with data systems for a living. That was just before Trailhead started, and I wondered how I would do it. I watched as many Dreamforce videos as I could, and I went to Community Group meetings. Once Trailhead came out, I was able to learn so many more complex admin tools like process builder and flow, and I totally fell in love with this work.
Are you the only person learning on Trailhead at your company, or does your whole team or company embrace it?
Working for a Salesforce Partner, Trailhead is a key part of our company's training plan. We have our “Sherpa-Palooza” coming up, where our team will compete to earn new badges and certifications. It's a great opportunity for us to enhance our skills and fill in any gaps on our team as new products and features are announced.
What impact has the Trailblazer Community had on your Salesforce experience?
I have been a member of the Atlanta Nonprofit Community Group since 2015 and became a co-leader in 2017. It's been great to connect with and help others in the Trailblazer Community, and it has really enhanced my overall Salesforce experience. No matter where you are in your Salesforce journey, you can always find (and give!) a helping hand.
How will Trailhead be a part of your future?
I learn something from Trailhead every week. It's the first place I look when I hear about something that I want to incorporate into my practice.
What message do you have for people new to Salesforce/Trailhead or considering learning Salesforce skills?
There are so many opportunities in the Salesforce ecosystem. I love that you can come to Trailhead and get a taste of the work to see if it's a good fit. And if it is, you can learn by doing, and it's free!