Resources for the Nonprofit: How-To Videos Like No Other

I’m often asked by new(er) Nonprofit Admins for advice on how to begin to wrap their arms around their new role, and one of my recurring answers is: “Know your resources.” Welcome to our “Resources for the Nonprofit” series, where we go into a deep dive on just one of the resources every Salesforce Admin needs to rock their role and thrive!

Why Videos

Not everybody learns and develops in the same way, and that variety is, as the wise ones say, the spice of life. Some of us are methodical learners who prefer to just sit down and systematically read the documentation, line by line, until we feel we’ve got a handle on something (raises hand). Some of us are tinkerers – we like to just “fiddle” with something until we get the swing of it. 

Still others are visual learners – they like to watch a process and then try to apply it. If this is your learning style, you really need to bookmark the YouTube Channel for the Nonprofit Salesforce How-To Series.

An Open Source Heritage

The Nonprofit Salesforce How-To Series is a continuing project of the Salesforce Open Source Commons. The Commons is itself a broad topic worthy of its own blog post someday, but for now, let’s learn the basics. The Commons is led by Salesforce employees but is overwhelmingly a volunteer project made up of admins, users, leaders, consultants, developers, and Salesforce or nonprofit professionals of all stripes. These volunteers come together in and outside of “sprints,” or blended in-person/virtual events where ideas are surfaced and work is accomplished. 

My most recent Commons Sprint in San Francisco – I’m waaaay the back on the left

The How-To video series grew out of one of these sprints, and has been running since 2016, started by the great Kate McFadden and currently led by Salesforce MVP Bill Florio and Barbara Christensen. Ever since, scores of volunteers and leaders have churned out amazing content all in their spare time, guiding generations of nonprofit admins through their first (and sometimes intermediate) steps on the Platform. The video series seeks to cover all topics that meant these requirements:

• NPSP feature or other official Open Source Community project (i.e. not paid product)
• Documentation already exists in written form for the feature
• Final videos can be kept to reasonably digestible sizes, about 2-3 minutes 

Does this feel limiting? It’s not! In the last year, the YouTube channel got over 67,000 views! There are over 2,000 subscribers to this channel, which now holds 68 videos worth of amazing content. Titles include everything from quotidian and straightforward (“Merge Duplicate Contacts”) the complex and technical (“Table Driven Trigger Management”), all over jaunty music. 

Using the Resource

This part is pretty easy! 

Step 1: Click on over to the YouTube Channel

Step 2: Subscribe, browse, Enjoy!

The videos are created with a goal of accessibility, and are organized into meaningful playlists like “Fundraising” and “Program Management.” I recommend getting started with the Setup/Admin playlist if you’re newer to the platform. I keep the channel bookmarked and often come back. Even after almost eight years on the platform and this package in particular, I still run into features or quirks that are new to me. When I just need a quick orientation or tutorial, this is my go to resource.

How to Contribute

Unlike most of the other resources I’ll mention here, you have the opportunity to contribute to the NPSP Videography project. EVERYONE can contribute – you can suggest ideas, draft scripts, or even record scripts at a Sprint. To get plugged into the community, start by connecting to the resources online:

• Join the Community Project: NP SF How-To Series group on the Trailblazer community
• Follow the #OpenSourceCommons tag in the Trailblazer community
• Follow the Nonprofit Salesforce How-To Series account on the site-formerly-know-as Twitter
• Join the Salesforce.org Commons & Sprint Events group and consider attending an Open Commons Sprint – coming soon to Chicago in October, to run concurrently with Nonprofit Dreamin’.

Me having a blast at a sprint with the Data Model team

There are of course more onboarding steps than what I’ve listed here if you’d like to contribute, but they shift often, so in the spirit of an evergreen blog post, I’m directing you to how best to plug into the community, today and in the future. 

Your Turn

Do you have a favorite resource? Tell me all about it in the comments or on Twitter! Tag @crmnavigators to join the conversation.