Email Marketing After Raiser's Edge: Connecting Nonprofit Cloud to Your Email Platform
- Ohana Focus Team
- Jan 25
- 7 min read
By Ohana Focus | January 18, 2025 | 18 min read
Most nonprofits using Raiser's Edge managed email marketing through a separate platform—Mailchimp, Constant Contact, or similar tools. After migrating to Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud, you can do better. Nonprofit Cloud (built on NPC and Salesforce Platform) integrates directly with email platforms, automating list syncing through Salesforce Campaigns, tracking engagement in real-time, and leveraging NPC's powerful rollup fields for sophisticated segmentation.
In this article, you'll gain a deeper understanding of Salesforce Campaigns as the foundation of email marketing, how to effectively evaluate various email platform options for Nonprofit Cloud (comparing Mailchimp vs. Constant Contact vs. Marketing Cloud Account Engagement), plus see a step-by-step setup using AppExchange connectors, leveraging NPC rollup fields for segmentation, tracking email engagement in Salesforce, and using Campaign Influence for attribution.
Understanding Salesforce Campaigns: The Foundation
Before diving into email platform options, understand that Salesforce Campaigns are the cornerstone of email marketing in Nonprofit Cloud.
What Are Salesforce Campaigns?
In Salesforce, a Campaign is a marketing or fundraising initiative that you want to track. Email appeals, direct mail, events, and multi-channel initiatives all live as Campaigns in Salesforce. Contacts associated with a Campaign become Campaign Members.
Key concept: Your email lists ARE Campaign Members in Salesforce. Instead of managing lists in Mailchimp or Constant Contact, you manage them in Salesforce as Campaign
Members, which then sync automatically to your email platform.
Why Campaign-Centric Matters for Nonprofits
Nonprofit Cloud's Campaign-centric approach enables capabilities impossible in Raiser's Edge:
• Campaign Hierarchy: Create parent Campaigns with child campaigns to track multi-channel initiatives
• Campaign Influence: Track which campaigns influenced donations
• Rollup Reports: Total revenue by Campaign calculated automatically from Opportunity data
• Segmentation Power: Use any Salesforce field, including NPC rollup fields, for segmentation
Options for Connecting Nonprofit Cloud to Existing Email Platform
Salesforce supports multiple email platform integrations. Which makes sense for your organization?
Mailchimp Integration with Nonprofit Cloud
Best for: Organizations wanting robust automation, strong templates, and proven Salesforce integration.
Salesforce Integration: Native connector through AppExchange. Syncs Campaigns bidirectionally, tracks engagement, maps NPC fields.
Pricing: Free up to 500 contacts, then $20-350/month. Nonprofit discount (15% off).
Strengths for Nonprofit Cloud:
• Excellent Campaign sync—create Campaign in Salesforce, members automatically appear in Mailchimp
• Engagement data flows back to Campaign Member statuses
• Can map NPC rollup fields to merge tags for personalization
• Unsubscribes sync back to Email Opt Out field on Contact
• Strong automation workflows integrate with Salesforce data changes
Limitations:
• Pricing increases significantly with list size
• Occasional sync delays during high-volume periods
• Requires Salesforce admin knowledge to configure field mappings
Constant Contact Integration with Nonprofit Cloud
Best for: Organizations prioritizing simplicity and nonprofit-specific pricing.
Salesforce Integration: Available through AppExchange connectors. Less seamless than Mailchimp but functional.
Pricing: $12-80/month. Nonprofit discount (30% off).
Strengths:
• Very user-friendly interface
• Strong nonprofit focus
• Excellent customer support
• More affordable at larger list sizes
Limitations:
• Connector less sophisticated than Mailchimp
• Limited automation compared to Mailchimp
• Field mapping to NPC rollups requires manual configuration
Marketing Cloud Account Engagement with Nonprofit Cloud
Best for: Large nonprofits ($5M+ budget) with dedicated marketing operations staff.
Salesforce Integration: Native—it's part of the Salesforce ecosystem. Complete integration with NPC objects and rollups.
Pricing: Starting around $1,250/month.
Strengths:
• Seamless Salesforce integration
• Sophisticated automation using Salesforce field changes
• Advanced segmentation using any NPC field
• Multi-touch attribution
• AI-powered optimization
Limitations:
• Extremely expensive
• Complex setup requiring specialized expertise
• Steep learning curve
• Overkill for small to mid-size nonprofits
Setting Up Email Integration with Nonprofit Cloud
Let's walk through connecting Mailchimp to Nonprofit Cloud. Principles apply to other platforms.
Prerequisites: Nonprofit Cloud Configuration
Before installing any email connector:
• NPC installed and configured with rollup fields running
• Campaigns enabled with proper Record Types
• Contact records have Email field populated
• Email Opt Out field mapped and understood
• Campaign Member statuses configured
• User permissions reviewed
Mailchimp Integration Setup
Step 1: Install from AppExchange
Navigate to AppExchange in Salesforce Setup. Search 'Mailchimp for Salesforce.' Install for Admins Only.
Step 2: Authenticate Account
Navigate to Mailchimp Setup tab. Connect to Mailchimp. Log into your Mailchimp account. Authorize Salesforce access.
Step 3: Configure Campaign Sync
Choose sync direction: Salesforce to Mailchimp. Set sync frequency. Decide whether to sync all Campaigns or only marked ones.
Step 4: Map Salesforce Fields to Mailchimp Merge Tags
Essential mappings: Email, First Name, Last Name. Add NPC rollup mappings: Total Gifts, Last Gift Date, Largest Gift.
Step 5: Configure Campaign Member Status Mapping
Map Mailchimp statuses to Salesforce: Sent → Sent, Opened → Opened, Clicked → Clicked.
Step 6: Set Up Unsubscribe Handling
Configure how unsubscribes flow back: Update Email Opt Out = True on Contact (recommended).
Step 7: Create and Test
Create test Campaign. Add test Contacts. Verify sync. Send test email. Confirm engagement data appears in Salesforce.
Leveraging NPC Rollup Fields for Email Segmentation
One of the biggest advantages of Nonprofit Cloud: NPC rollup fields make email segmentation incredibly powerful.
What Are NPC Rollup Fields?
NPC automatically calculates and stores summarized giving data on Contact records:
• Total Gifts: Lifetime giving total
• Total Gifts This Year / Last Year: Calendar year totals
• Largest Gift: Biggest single gift amount
• Last Gift Date: Date of most recent gift
• First Gift Date: When they became a donor
• Number of Gifts: Count of donations
These rollups update automatically when Opportunities close. They're always current and available for segmentation.
Using Rollups for Campaign Segmentation
Example: Lapsed Donor Re-engagement
Goal: Email donors who gave in 2023 or 2024 but haven't given in 2025 yet.
Salesforce Approach: Create Report: Contacts where (Total Gifts 2 Years Ago > 0 OR Total Gifts Last Year > 0) AND Total Gifts This Year = 0. Create Campaign 'Lapsed Donor Re-engagement.' Use report to add Campaign Members. Campaign syncs to Mailchimp automatically.
Why This Works: NPC rollups make the criteria simple. Rollups update automatically, so when someone gives in 2025, they automatically fall out of this segment.
Tracking Email Engagement in Nonprofit Cloud
Once integrated, email engagement data flows back to Salesforce, creating a unified view.
What Engagement Data Syncs
Engagement Type | Syncs to Salesforce? |
Email Sent | ✓ Updates Campaign Member Status |
Email Opened | ✓ Updates Campaign Member Status |
Link Clicked | ✓ Updates Campaign Member Status |
Unsubscribed | ✓ Updates Email Opt Out field |
Bounced | ✓ Can update Contact field |
Viewing Engagement on Contact Records
Campaign History Related List: Shows all Campaigns this Contact belongs to with Campaign Member status.
Activity Timeline: Some integrations create Activity records for email interactions.
Custom Rollup Fields: Create rollups summarizing email engagement: 'Email Opens Last 90 Days,' 'Last Email Click Date.'
Using Email Engagement for Smarter Fundraising
Email engagement data in Salesforce enables targeting and cultivation impossible in Raiser's Edge.
Identify Engaged Prospects
Create Reports showing:
• High-engagement non-donors: Total Gifts = 0 BUT clicked 3+ campaigns in past 6 months
• Lapsed donors re-engaging: Last Gift Date > 18 months ago BUT opened emails in the past 60 days
• Major donors engaging with program: Total Gifts > $10,000 AND clicked program-specific emails
Campaign Influence: Attribution
Salesforce's Campaign Influence feature tracks which campaigns touched a donor before they gave.
How it works: When Opportunity closes, Salesforce looks at Campaign Member history. Any Campaign they were a member of within past X days gets credited with 'influencing' the donation.
Why this matters: A donor receives an email appeal, clicks, but doesn't give. Two weeks later, they attend and give at an event. Campaign Influence credits both the email and the event.
Measuring Success: Email Marketing KPIs
With email and donor data integrated, measure email effectiveness in ways impossible in Raiser's Edge.
Nonprofit Cloud-Specific Metrics
• Email-Attributed Revenue: Opportunities where Primary Campaign Source = Email Campaign. Sum Amount.
• Response Rate by Donor Segment: Compare click-through rate for major donors vs. annual donors using NPC rollups.
• Engagement to Gift Conversion: Of Campaign Members with status = Clicked, what percentage have Opportunity within 30 days?
• Lapsed Donor Reactivation Rate: Of lapsed donors in re-engagement campaign, what percentage gave within 90 days?
• Lifetime Value by Engagement: Compare Total Gifts for highly-engaged donors vs. low-engagement.
Partner with Ohana Focus
Expert Nonprofit Cloud email integration services.
Ohana Focus specializes in email marketing integration for Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud. We've configured hundreds of Mailchimp, Constant Contact, and Account Engagement integrations for nonprofits, and we understand the nuances of NPC rollups, Campaign management, and donor engagement tracking.
Our Nonprofit Cloud email integration services include:
• Platform evaluation and recommendation
• AppExchange connector installation and configuration
• NPC rollup field mapping for personalization and segmentation
• Salesforce Campaign structure design
• Field mapping optimized for nonprofit use cases
• Unsubscribe and compliance configuration
• Flow-based automation for triggered campaigns
• Campaign Influence setup for attribution
• Staff training on Campaign-centric workflow
• Report and dashboard creation for email performance
We don't just connect systems—we design email marketing workflows that leverage the full power of Nonprofit Cloud's donor data, NPC rollups, and Campaign functionality to drive smarter cultivation and better fundraising results.
Contact Information
Phone: (555) 123-4567
About Ohana Focus
Ohana Focus is a certified Salesforce consulting partner specializing in Nonprofit Cloud implementation and optimization. We understand that email marketing is the primary communication channel for most nonprofits, and seamless integration with Nonprofit Cloud's donor management capabilities is essential for effective fundraising.
Our team has deep expertise in NPC configuration, Salesforce Campaign management, and email platform integrations. We know how to leverage NPC rollup fields for powerful segmentation, configure Campaign hierarchies for multi-touch attribution, and set up automation that triggers email workflows based on donor behavior.
When you work with Ohana Focus on Nonprofit Cloud email integration, you get practical platform recommendations, reliable technical configuration, field mapping optimized for fundraising, Campaign structure designed for attribution and reporting, Flow automation for triggered campaigns, troubleshooting expertise for Nonprofit Cloud-specific issues, and training that empowers your team to manage email marketing within the Salesforce ecosystem confidently.
Topics: Nonprofit Cloud, Email Marketing, Salesforce Campaigns, NPC, Mailchimp, Account Engagement, Marketing Automation
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