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Nonprofit Cloud Consultants
Training & Certification Guide

Are you a Nonprofit Cloud Consultant (project lead, architect, developer, business analyst, etc.), working with nonprofit customers?  This guide will help you learn the knowledge and skills you need to help nonprofit customers be successful.  There are six sections, reflecting the areas of expertise needed to be an effective Nonprofit Cloud Consultant.  These sections also correspond to the six areas of expertise required to pass the Nonprofit Cloud Consultant Certification Exam.  

Use this training guide to prepare for the exam, which is currently in beta testing and is expected to be generally available in December 2018.

In order to sit for the Nonprofit Cloud Consultant Certification beta exam, you must currently hold the Certified Administrator credential as a prerequisite.

Salesforce.org Nonprofit Cloud Program Partners should require all consultants to complete this learning path, as part of their training.

Section 1. NPSP Settings and Administration

The Nonprofit Success Pack (NPSP) is the foundation of Nonprofit Cloud.  Consultants should understand how to administer, configure, and customize any nonprofit customer org with NPSP installed. 

 1.1Given a set of requirements, use NPSP Settings for people (Leads, Contacts, and Accounts) management defaults.
New! TRAILHEAD: Fundraise with Nonprofit Success Pack
New! TRAILHEAD: Administer Nonprofit Success Pack (NPSP)
What is an Account Model? (article)
Convert a Lead to a Contact (article)
Parent-Child Data Skew (article)

 1.2Given a set of requirements, use NPSP Settings to set up and troubleshoot Relationships.
Nonprofit Success Pack and Translation (article)
Manage Relationships Settings (article)

 1.3Given a set of requirements, use the NPSP Settings to set up donation (Opportunity) management defaults.
Soft Credits Overview (article)
What Happens When I Delete an Account? (article)
Individual Donor Management with Salesforce + NPSP (article)
Things to Know Before Enabling Customizable Rollups (article)
Manage Multiple-Payment Donations (article)
Customize Opportunity (Donation) Names (article)

 1.4Given a user requirement to track on-going (more than one) donations in Salesforce, use the NPSP Settings to enable recurring giving functionality that meets the requirements.
Recurring Donations - Overview and Setup (article)
Recurring Donations versus Opportunity (Donation) Payments (article)
Create Custom Installment Periods for Recurring Donations (article)

 1.5Given an error message through NPSP, determine whether it is an NPSP issue and appropriate next steps.
Edit or Reschedule NPSP Scheduled Jobs (article)
Troubleshoot the Nonprofit Success Pack (article)
 1.6Given a requirement to ensure system cleanliness, run the Health Check tool and implement recommended changes.
Common Health Check Errors (article)
Data Hygiene Schedule and Actions for New Admins (article)

 1.7Explain the differences between the NPSP release schedule and the Salesforce release schedule, including considerations for declarative and custom development during the deployment stage of an implementation.
Keep up with NPSP and Salesforce Releases (article)
Clone Compact Layouts to Preserve Your Changes (NPSP) (article)

 1.8Given a requirement to manage multiple addresses for a nonprofit constitutent, be able to define the Adress Management functionality and configure the standard state and country picklists functionality to work with the Address, Contact, and Account objects.
State and Country Picklists for NPSP (article)
Address Management Overview (article)

 1.9Install and configure NPSP according to best practices in an existing Salesforce org.
Install Nonprofit Success Pack (article)
Nonprofit Success Pack Upgrade Guide (document)
Nonprofit Success Pack Post-Install Checklist (article)

 1.10Create or modify customizable rollups using best practices for a salesforce org with NPSP 3.0 installed and on the lastest verison.
Edit or Reschedule NPSP Scheduled Jobs (article)
Test Customizable Rollups in your Sandbox (article)
Create Customizable Rollups (article)




Section 2. Nonprofit Cloud Data Management

Consultants should understand how to import and manage data, including data migration, integrations, handling large data volumes (LDV), and TDTM.

 2.1Given a specific data requirement from a nonprofit, explain the use cases and considerations for using Salesforce Data Loader, NPSP Data Importer, or the Salesforce Import Wizard.
NPSP Advanced User's Guide to Importing Data (document)
NPSP Administrator's Guide to Importing Donor Data (document)
Shield Platform Encryption Compatibility with NPSP (article)

 2.2Given customer requirements, explain the data integration use cases and considerations for a Nonprofit Cloud implementation.
TRAILHEAD: Introduction to Salesforce Connect
API Request Limits and Allocations (article)
Middleware Terms and Definitions (article)
Data Loader (article)
When to use Data Loader (article)
Data Loader (technical library)

 2.3Given a size of records and files for an implementation, identify if the implementation will require additional solution design due to large data volumes.
TRAILHEAD: Large Data Volumes
Table-Driven Trigger Management (TDTM) Overview for NPSP (article)
Disable Trigger Handlers for NPSP (article)

 2.4Identify what duplicate management tools to use for a salesforce implementation, considering common nonprofit needs and compatibility with the various NPSP data models.
TRAILHEAD: Duplicate Management
Merge Contacts (article)

 2.5Given a set of business requirements, recommend data management strategies that align with Salesforce best practices.
TRAILHEAD: Data Modeling
NPSP Administrator's Guide to Importing Donor Data (document)
An Introduction to Categorizing Contacts in Salesforce for Nonprofits (article)
NPSP Advanced User's Guide to Importing Data (document)
Free Salesforce Data Tools for Nonprofit Admins (article)

 2.6Given a situation in which data needs to be imported to the system, use the NPSP settings at appropriate times during the data loading process to refresh opportunities, recurring donations, and levels.
TRAILHEAD: Data Management
NPSP Logic for Creating Opportunity Contact Roles. . . (article) 
Disable Trigger Handlers for NPSP (article) 
Primary Contact vs. Primary Affiliation (article)
Manage Multiple-Payment Donations (article)
NPSP Administrator's Guide to Importing Donor Data (document)




Section 3. Nonprofit Cloud Analytics

Consultants should understand standard reports in NPSP, as well as how to build custom reports & dashboards that meet nonprofit customer requirements, and extend analytics capabilities.

 3.1Given a business requirement to create a report that shows donors who previously donated money but have not yet this year, identify the best way to approach that.
TRAILHEAD: Reports & Dashboards for Lightning Experience
Nonprofit Success Pack Reports Workbook (document)

 3.2Given a set of desired metrics (including roles, levels, account data model), determine the appropriate report, dashboard, or reporting snapshot solution
Manage Opportunity (Donation) Rollups (article)
NPSP Relationship Entity Diagram (document)
Quick Start: Reports and Dashboards (article)
Create and Manage Memberships (article)
An Introduction to Categorizing Contacts. . . (article)
Choose the Correct Address for Your Mailing Label Report (article)
Nonprofit Success Pack Reports Workbook (document)
Add Campaign Members from Standard and Custom Reports (article)
Chart Types (article)

 3.3Given a scenario that involves reporting on year over year giving at a point in time, determine the correct way to achieve that (with a reporting snapshot)
Report on Historical Data with Reporting Snapshots (article)
International Nonprofits FAQ (article)
Track Fundraising Goals Using Campaigns (article)




Section 4. Nonprofit Domain Expertise

Consultants should have a fundamental knowledge of nonprofit customer business challenges, operating procedures, success metrics, and reporting requirements.

 4.1Given a specific business challenge, identify the correct Salesforce solutions that satisfy customer requirements for fundraising and donor management.
Automated Soft Credits (article)
Soft Credits Overview (article)
Create and Manage Donation Allocations (article)
Create and Manage In-Kind Gifts (article)
Grant Prospecting and Management with Salesforce + NPSP (article)
Individual Donor Management with Salesforce + NPSP (article)
Create and Manage Grants (article)
Working with Opportunity Sales Processes (article)

 4.2Given a specific business challenge, identify the correct Salesforce solutions that satisfy customer requirements for marketing and engagement.
TRAILHEAD: Campaign Basics
An Introduction to Categorizing Contacts in Salesforce for Nonprofits (article)
Tags (Pardot Site)
What are Campaigns and How Do They Work? (article)
Set Up Campaign Hierarchies (article)
Mark a Contact as Do Not Contact or Deceased (article)
Consent Management for Nonprofit Success Pack (article)
Data Portability for Nonprofit Success Pack (article)
Getting Started: Salesforce Fundamentals for Nonprofits (article)
Getting Started: Configure and Customize NPSP (article)
Salesforce Ideas: Ability to sync tags from Pardot to Salesforce
Manage Duplicate Data Privacy Settings Records with the Individual Object (Winter 19 Release Notes)

 4.3Given a specific business challenge, identify the correct Salesforce solutions that satisfy customer requirements for program management.
Case Hierarchies (article)
What are Campaigns and How Do They Work? (article)
Add and Manage Organization Accounts (article)
Create and Manage Engagement Plans (article)
Web-to-Case Overview (slides)
Set Up Web-to-Case (article)
Create Deduplicated Mailing Lists from a Campaign (article)

 4.4Given a specific business challenge, identify the correct Salesforce solutions that satisfy customer requirements for volunteer management.
TRAILHEAD: Manage Volunteers for Nonprofits
Set Up and Configure Volunteers for Salesforce (document)
Volunteers for Salesforce User Guide (document)
Recurrence Schedule Processing (article)

4.5Given customer requirements, build role-based analytics that satisfy customer requirements.
TRAILHEAD: Create and Manage Donations
Nonprofit Success Pack Reports Workbook (document)

 4.6For customers seeking Salesforce resources, distinguish and rationalize the purpose for resource sites like the Power of Us Hub, Trailblazer Community, Trailhead, and AppExchange.
Find Users Like You in the Solution Exchange (article)
Trailblazer Community
TRAILHEAD: Learn Salesforce with Trailhead
TRAILHEAD: AppExchange Basics
New! TRAILHEAD: Fundraise with Nonprofit Success Pack
New! TRAILHEAD: Administer Nonprofit Success Pack (NPSP)
Partner Community
Using Power of Us Ideas (article)
Solution Exchange (Power of Us Hub)




Section 5. Nonprofit Cloud Solution Design

Consultants need to understand all Salesforce solutions & services that can be applied to nonprofit business requirements, and how these solutions interact with the Nonprofit Success Pack (NPSP).

 5.1Given a set of business requirements, determine the Salesforce product(s) to be used for the solution.
Salesforce Products (Partner Community site)
Products Overview (Salesforce.com site)
Salesforce Industry Solutions (Salesforce.com site)
Create and Manage Donation Allocations (article)
Salesforce Marketing Cloud for Nonprofits Demo (video)
Communicate More Effectively with Salesforce for Nonprofits (Salesforce.org site)
Instant Insight Across Your Nonprofit (Salesforce.org site)
Nonprofit Success Pack (NPSP): The Foundation for the Connected Nonprofit (Salesforce.org site)
Salesforce Social Studio for Nonprofits - Demo (video)
TRAILHEAD: Lightning Flow
TRAILHEAD: Get Started with Community Cloud
TRAILHEAD: Community Cloud Basics
TRAILHEAD: Create Digital Engagement on Multiple Channels

 5.2Given a set of business requirements, determine when it is appropriate to use declarative development (clicks), custom code, or a 3rd party solution.
New! TRAILHEAD: Administer Nonprofit Success Pack (NPSP)
Statement on Batch Data Entry (article)
Table-Driven Trigger Management (TDTM) Overview for NPSP (article)
Map Recurring Donation Fields to Custom Opportunity Fields (article)
Volunteers for Salesforce User Guide (document)
Customizable Rollups Overview (video)
Customizable Rollups Overview (article)
TRAILHEAD: Pardot Basics
TRAILHEAD: Salesforce Optimizer
Salesforce.org Philanthropy Cloud
Static and Dynamic Prospect Lists (article)
What is a System Administrator? (article)
Create and Update Campaign Members Through an Opportunity (article)

 5.3Given a scenario, analyze customer requirements to determine an appropriate solution design considering capabilities, limitations, and design trade-offs.
Nonprofit Success Pack and Translation (article)
An Introduction to Categorizing Contacts in Salesforce for Nonprofits (article)
Lightning Flow (article)
Healthy Org: Optimize your Salesforce Org (article)
Error Handling (article)
NPSP and Person Accounts (article)
Create and Update Campaign Members Through an Opportunity (article)
Setup and Configure Volunteers for Salesforce (guide)
Volunteers for Salesforce FAQ (article)
Why and How to Use Leads (article)
Soft Credits Overview (article)

 5.4Given a set of fundraising business requirements, determine what functionality in NPSP should be used for the solution.
An Introduction to Categorizing Contacts in Salesforce for Nonprofits (article)
Create and Update Campaign Members Through an Opportunity (article)
What are Campaigns and How Do They Work? (article)
Create and Manage Levels (article)
Dynamic Lightning Pages (article)
Getting Started: Soliciting and Managing Grants with Salesforce + NPSP (article)
Create and Manage Engagement Plans (article)
Getting Started: Individual Donor Management with Salesforce. . . (article)

 5.5Given a set of business requirements related to data security, determine what security features should be used.
Classic Encryption for Custom Fields (article)
Shield Platform Encryption Compatibility with NPSP (article)
Security Health Check (article)
Two-Factor Authentication (article)
Permission Sets (article)
Profiles (article)
Organization-wide Sharing Defaults (article)




Section 6. Nonprofit Cloud Implementation Strategies and Best Practices

Consultants should be able to implement Nonprofit Cloud solutions using proven strategies, processes, and implementation best practices. 

 6.1Given a scenario, determine how to facilitate a successful Nonprofit Cloud consulting engagement (plan, gather requirements, design, build, test, and document).
Nonprofit Success Pack Page Layouts (article)
NPSP and Person Accounts (article)
Great missions deserve great technology (Salesforce.org site)
Keep up with NPSP and Salesforce Releases (article)
Salesforce Products (website)
Salesforce Industries (website)
Nonprofit Success Pack Trial

 6.2Given customer background information, gather requirements, create user stories, and develop business processes into system requirements.
TRAILHEAD: Manage Volunteers for Nonprofits
Create and Manage In-Kind Gifts (article)
Acknowledge Donations by Email (article)
Batch Data Import Enhancements. . . (blog)
NPSP Administrator's Guide to Importing Donor Data (article)
Pardot Form Handlers (article)
Create and Manage Grants (article)
Create and Manage Memberships (article)
Create and Manage Engagement Plans (article)
Create and Manage Levels (article)

 6.3Given customer requirements, design a solution based on best practices for governance.
TRAILHEAD: Governance Basics
TRAILHEAD: Organizational Alignment (V2MOM)
TRAILHEAD: Application Lifecycle and Development Models
TRAILHEAD: Apex Triggers
TRAILHEAD: Drucker School - Organizational Change Leadership
TRAILHEAD: Prepare for Salesforce Releases
Effortless Governance. . .Center of Excellence (video)
Ask an Architect: Governance, Huh? (article)

 6.4Given a simple set of business requirements, determine the appropriate account model for a nonprofit customer.
Convert to the Nonprofit Success Pack Household Account Model (document)
What is an Account Model? (article)
Add and Manage Organization Accounts
Nonprofit Success Pack Entity Relationship Diagram

 6.5Given a planned solution, create a test environment plan with specific environments.
Sandbox Types and Template (article)
Sandbox Setup Considerations (article)
Environment Hub (Partner Community site)
Sandbox Management Best Practices (article)

 6.6Given a solution scenario, determine what deployment tools and strategy would be used.
Deploy a Custom Apex Class in the TDTM Framework for NPSP (article)
NPSP Public Data Dictionary (community-generated spreadsheet)
NPSP and Person Accounts (article)
Convert to the Nonprofit Success Pack Household Account Model (document)
Upgrade to Nonprofit Success Pack from a Previous Version of NPSP (article)
Choose Your Tools for Developing and Deploying Changes (article)
TRAILHEAD: Power Up with AppExchange
TRAILHEAD: Understand What Application Lifecycle Management Is
TRAILHEAD: Craft Your Release Strategy
Outbound Change Set Validation Errors (article)
Components Available in Change Sets (article)