Manage Programs with Salesforce
Learning Objectives
After completing this unit, you’ll be able to:
- Describe how organizations use Salesforce to manage and optimize program delivery.
- Explain options for managing your programs in Salesforce.
Before You Begin
Before you start this module, consider completing the following recommended content.
Mission: The Center of Your Organization
Program and service delivery depends on the ingenuity, dedication, and energy of your entire team. It requires an ability to translate a mission into real-world action, identify the right services, vet and retain volunteers, find affordable and functional resources, and collect and analyze data that demonstrates impact.
And while you may be changing the world and moving mountains—or, if you work for an environmental organization, keeping those mountains right where they are (thank you!)—that doesn’t mean managing your programs has to be grueling. You make progress on your mission when you spend time meeting your goals, not sifting through spreadsheets.
Enter Salesforce for Nonprofits.
There are many ways to manage your mission and programs using Salesforce. And because every organization is different, the way you use it is going to be different, too. There’s no one correct answer.
One option for nonprofits and other organizations to manage programs in Salesforce is to use Program Management Module (PMM)—a managed package and custom data model built by Salesforce—then add ready-made apps or create custom solutions tailored to their missions. In this module, we explore the basics of PMM.
Let's start exploring PMM by reviewing how it works with other solutions to provide your organization what you need to manage your programs.
Start with Nonprofit Success Pack
For nonprofits of any mission, PMM works best with Nonprofit Success Pack (NPSP).
NPSP, a free product, gives you tools to record useful data for program management. It includes household account records to track your contacts’ households, and relationship records to track their family bonds, friendships, and other connections.
You can learn about NPSP using the links in Resources.
Install Program Management Module
When added to NPSP, PMM is a foundation on which you build program data and processes in Salesforce.
Installing PMM in your Salesforce org gives you a Salesforce app and data structure that includes the objects and features you need to manage your programs and services, like service schedules, program engagements, and bulk service deliveries. It also comes with ready-to-use reports and dashboards that you can apply to your mission.
Add Tools from AppExchange
To add features to PMM, you can find and install apps from AppExchange, our marketplace of solutions from Salesforce and our partners.
Apps can quickly give you custom Salesforce fields, objects, and features to fill a specific function. For example, you could use AppExchange apps to add surveys, integrated forms, petition management, and ticket sales to your programs in Salesforce.
One app to consider is Nonprofit Cloud Case Management, a Salesforce managed package built to work with PMM and help human-service case managers and their organizations streamline workflows and focus on client needs. Check out the Nonprofit Cloud Case Management Basics module in Resources to learn more.
Build Custom Solutions
Looking for something more specific? You can always build custom solutions to add more features to all these tools.
The goal of customizing is to create perfectly tailored solutions for your programs, your staff, and your mission. Keep in mind that customizing takes time and skill from someone with experience, like a great Salesforce admin or consulting partner.
Now that you can trace the path to creating your perfect program-management experience in Salesforce, let’s explore PMM in more depth. We start in the next unit with PMM’s data model.
Resources
- Salesforce Help: Manage Your Programs with Program Management Module (PMM)
- Trailblazer Community: Program Management Module (PMM)
- Trailhead: Nonprofit Cloud Case Management Basics
- Salesforce Help: PMM and NPSP
- Trailhead: Salesforce for Nonprofits Basics
- Salesforce AppExchange: Nonprofits
- Trailhead: Manage Programs with Nonprofit Cloud