What Is Salesforce NPSP? A Beginner-Friendly Guide for Nonprofits
If you're a nonprofit juggling spreadsheets, donor lists, and scattered email threads, you've probably wondered whether there's a better way to manage your data. Salesforce offers a powerful option tailored specifically for nonprofits — it's called the Nonprofit Success Pack, or NPSP.
In this post, we’ll break down what NPSP is, how it helps, and whether it might be right for your organization — no tech jargon required.
🧩 What Is NPSP, Really?
Salesforce NPSP is a free add-on package built on top of Salesforce's core CRM platform. It’s designed to help nonprofits manage:
Donor and household relationships
Donations and recurring gifts
Grants, campaigns, and volunteer data
Engagement history across multiple channels
Think of it as a nonprofit-friendly toolkit that turns Salesforce into a donor CRM — without needing to build everything from scratch.
✅ What NPSP Helps You Do
Here’s how the Nonprofit Success Pack solves some of the most common pain points for small nonprofits:
📌 You're tracking donations in spreadsheets
NPSP lets you manage all gifts in one system — including donor history, recurring donations, and soft credits — so you can stop juggling Excel files and gain clear visibility into your fundraising.
📌 You're missing follow-ups
With built-in automation, NPSP can remind your team to thank donors, follow up on renewals, or assign tasks, helping you stay on top of every relationship.
📌 You need better reporting
Easily generate reports to see your top donors, who gave last year but not this year (LYBUNT), and how your campaigns are performing — all without exporting data.
📌 You're managing multiple donor types
Whether you work with individuals, households, companies, or major funders, NPSP organizes them clearly and connects related records so you see the full picture.
💸 How Much Does It Cost?
Here’s the great news: NPSP is free. Salesforce provides the first 10 user licenses at no cost to eligible 501(c)(3) nonprofits through the Power of Us Program.
That means small nonprofits can get started with a powerful CRM — without a huge budget.
🛠️ Is It Easy to Use?
Salesforce is flexible, but it can feel overwhelming without guidance. That’s why many nonprofits:
Work with a consultant for the initial setup
Use templates and reports tailored to their team
Request training for staff and volunteers
The good news is: once it’s set up right, your team can maintain it with confidence.
🎯 Is NPSP Right for Your Organization?
NPSP is a great fit if:
You raise money from individual donors, foundations, or campaigns
You need a better way to track engagement
Your current system is pieced together with spreadsheets, Mailchimp, and memory
You want to grow without constantly retooling your systems
📞 Want to Explore NPSP for Your Nonprofit?
If you're thinking about Salesforce for the first time — or have a system that just isn’t working for your team — we’d love to help.
👉 Schedule a free discovery call and let’s explore whether NPSP is a fit for your mission.
No sales pitch — just a helpful conversation.