I joined a nonprofit as its first (and only) staff member and they decided to invest in the Salesforce Platform shortly before I came on board. I knew that I needed to skill up quickly, so I applied for an infrastructure grant that included Trailhead Academy training. The first time I saw the product was in a 5-day Admin Essential course. Two weeks later I returned to do the Advanced Admin course. It was a lot of learning all at once, but it gave me a great overview of the potential opportunities ahead of me.

I use Trailhead to skill up in so many ways! For parts of the platform that I haven't used or don't use often, I complete badges to refresh my knowledge. I also love the general badges to build skills in areas like Management & Leadership.

A nonprofit approached me for support halfway through their implementation on the NPSP, as they were frustrated and ready to give up. Although I hadn't used Lightning and there were a bunch of new features, I completed Trailhead badges to get up to speed. Afterwards, I conducted in-person trainings with the staff to build their confidence and understanding of the system. Feeling a bit more empowered, they reinforced their skills by doing the badges themselves and eventually took the lead. I'm happy to report that years later, they still use Salesforce!

Working for a nonprofit and, in particular, one with a cause that was close to my heart, I felt unable to use the limited funds we had to invest in my own development. Thankfully, Trailhead has created the possibility for ongoing and accessible learning.

Being able to get hands-on with Trailhead fuels my ideas on ways to leverage the platform for my own organization. I actually earned a badge that inspired me to set up an internal Case Management portal for 50+ staff to log issues and track resolutions during a new implementation. The week before we were scheduled to go live, my husband got called for a double lung transplant and I had to relocate interstate. Fortunately, because of how I set up the portal, I was able to respond to logged issues remotely and the Admin team could see my activity and progress. A-MA-ZING!

What's great about Salesforce is that the potential is almost endless. You have the power to significantly change your users' entire working environment, so use that power cautiously. Make sure you spend time planning and testing your solutions before implementation so that changes are positive and impactful.

I established a small business, The Prowse Project, as a way to lend my skills to nonprofits. I love running my Salesforce interpreter sessions with nonprofits—it's a way to connect them to the platform and the potential, but in a language that connects to their work environment. Additionally, I've presented at Community Groups and Salesforce events.

The Trailblazer Community makes me feel empowered to achieve anything I can imagine. It means so much to have a “team” outside of your business. I feel inspired and supported to be successful. I feel like others have my back and I can ask a question and get an answer almost immediately (someone has been here before!).

It means taking risks and having courage to lead the way. Most importantly, it's about bringing people along with you.

By doing the #100DaysOfTrailhead challenge, I've proven to myself that Trailhead can be part of my regular learning if I make the personal commitment. Continuous learning is definitely part of my future.