Training Strategies for New User Adoption in Salesforce NPC
- Ohana Focus Team
- 11 hours ago
- 10 min read
By Ohana Focus Team| January 12, 2025 | 19 min read
The most expensive Salesforce implementation in the world is worthless if your team won't use it. Yet training is often treated as an afterthought—a few hours of instruction squeezed in right before go-live, then everyone's expected to remember it all and work at full speed immediately. This approach fails consistently. Successful Salesforce adoption requires thoughtful training strategies that account for how adults actually learn, how teams adapt to change, and how confidence builds over time.
This guide presents battle-tested training strategies specifically for nonprofit development teams transitioning from Raiser's Edge to Salesforce NPC. You'll learn how to structure training for maximum retention, build confidence through practice, address resistance constructively, and create a culture of continuous learning that extends well beyond go-live.
Understanding the Learning Challenge
Before designing training, understand what your team is actually facing. This isn't just 'learning new software'—it's a fundamental shift in how they work.
What Makes Salesforce NPC Training Different
Raiser's Edge and Salesforce operate on fundamentally different paradigms. Raiser's Edge is database software designed for data entry and reporting. Salesforce is a relationship management platform designed to track interactions and advance opportunities. The conceptual shift is as significant as the technical one.
In Raiser's Edge, you enter a gift. In Salesforce, you record an Opportunity that represents donor engagement. These aren't just different words for the same thing—they reflect different ways of thinking about fundraising work.
The Confidence Gap
Most development staff are highly competent in Raiser's Edge. They know exactly what to do — which query to run, which report to export, which batch to open. That competence is part of their professional identity. Moving to Salesforce temporarily strips that away—suddenly they're beginners again, asking basic questions and taking longer to complete tasks they used to do effortlessly.
This confidence gap is emotionally challenging. People who prided themselves on being efficient feel frustrated by their slower pace. Those who were go-to resources for Raiser's Edge questions now need help with simple tasks. Acknowledging this emotional dimension is crucial to effective training.
Adult Learning Principles
Adults learn differently from children. Understanding these principles shapes effective training:
• Adults are self-directed: They want control over their learning process and resist being lectured to like schoolchildren
• Adults bring experience: They relate new information to existing knowledge and want to leverage what they already know
• Adults are goal-oriented: They learn best when training directly applies to problems they need to solve
• Adults are practical: They want to know 'How will I use this tomorrow?' and lose interest in abstract theory
• Adults need to know why: They won't just follow procedures—they want to understand the reasoning behind processes
Training that ignores these principles feels patronizing and ineffective. Training that embraces them accelerates learning and builds buy-in.
The Three-Phase Training Framework
Effective Salesforce within NPC training isn't a single event—it's a phased process that builds competence over time.
Phase 1: Foundation (Pre-Go-Live)
Timeline: 2-4 weeks before go-live
Goal: Build conceptual understanding and basic navigation skills so staff aren't completely lost on Day 1.
Week 1: Orientation and Concepts
Introduce Salesforce's structure—what are Contacts, Accounts, Opportunities, Campaigns? How does NPC organize nonprofit data? Why are things organized this way? Focus on understanding, not procedures. Use analogies to Raiser's Edge where helpful: 'Opportunities are like gifts, but they track the whole donor journey, not just the transaction.'
Weeks 2-3: Core Workflows
Train on daily tasks using Sandbox data — gift entry and donor lookup, basic reporting — the whole nine yards. Allow your staff to practice repeatedly with made-up scenarios. Don't worry about edge cases yet—focus on the 80% of work that happens routinely. Remember, it's about building muscle memory.
Week 4: Special Scenarios
Address less common situations, such as soft credits, split gifts, refunds, corrections and the like. Provide reference guides for these. People won't remember complex procedures from training, but they'll remember 'there's a guide for this somewhere.'
Deliverables: Quick reference guides for like common tasks, role-specific checklists and contact info for getting help.
Phase 2: Active Support (First 4-6 Weeks Post-Go-Live)
Timeline: Launch through end of Month 2
Goal: Provide intensive support as people work in the live system with real data for the first time. This is when real learning happens.
Week 1-2: Daily Check-ins
Plan for someone (internal power user or external consultant) to be readily available—ideally on-site or on video call. The first two weeks will have constant questions. This is normal and expected. Fast response times prevent frustration from spiraling into resistance.
Weeks 3-4: Office Hours
Transition from constant availability to scheduled office hours (e.g., 10-11am and 3-4pm daily). People can work independently most of the time but know help is available at specific times.
Week 5-6: Emerging Patterns
By now, patterns emerge. Certain questions keep coming up, certain processes remain confusing. Hold a mid-point training session specifically addressing these pain points. Update documentation based on real-world experience.
Phase 3: Deepening Proficiency (Months 2-6)
Timeline: Month 3 through Month 6
Goal: Move from basic competence to true proficiency. Start leveraging Salesforce's advanced capabilities.
Months 2-3: Building on Basics
Once daily tasks are comfortable, introduce more sophisticated features. Custom reports, dashboard customization, automation features. Staff are now confident enough to absorb more complex information.
Months 4-6: Optimization and Efficiency
Focus on working smarter, not just working. Keyboard shortcuts, saved searches, email templates, list views. These efficiency tools seemed trivial early on but now save significant time. Encourage staff to share tips with each other.
Salesforce NPC User Adoption Training Strategies: Tailoring to Different Needs
Different roles use Salesforce differently. Generic training that treats everyone the same wastes time on irrelevant features while glossing over critical role-specific functions.
Gift Entry Staff / Database Coordinator
The power users who live in Salesforce daily
Primary Activities: Entering gifts, processing batches, data cleanup, reporting
Training Focus: Deep dive into Opportunities, Payments, GAU Allocations, recurring gifts, gift entry workflows, data validation, and reporting. These staff need to become experts—they'll be the internal resources others turn to.
Time Investment: Extensive—10-15 hours of initial training, ongoing advanced sessions
Gift Entry Training Checklist:
• Basic gift entry (one-time donation)
• Pledge entry and payment processing
• Recurring gift setup
• Split gifts / GAU allocations
• Soft credits
• Gift corrections and refunds
• Matching gifts
• In-kind donations
• Campaign attribution
• Duplicate Contact management
• Data import processes
• Gift reports and reconciliation
Development Officers / Major Gift Staff
Relationship managers focused on cultivation and moves management
Primary Activities: Donor research, relationship tracking, portfolio management, task management, gift tracking
Training Focus: Contact and Account views, relationship tracking, activity logging, opportunity pipeline, reporting on portfolio performance, task management, integration with email and calendar.
Time Investment: Moderate—6-8 hours initial training, focus on relationship management features
Development Officer Training Checklist:
• Finding and viewing donor records
• Understanding donor giving history
• Logging interactions and touchpoints
• Creating and managing tasks
• Building and using contact lists
• Portfolio reports
• Campaign tracking
• Proposal and cultivation stage management
• Email integration
• Mobile access for on-the-go work
Executive Director / Development Director
Leaders needing strategic insights and high-level reporting
Primary Activities: Dashboard viewing, report analysis, donor strategy, board reporting
Training Focus: Understanding dashboards, running and exporting reports, interpreting Salesforce data for decision-making. They don't need to know how to enter gifts, but they need to understand what they're seeing in reports.
Time Investment: Minimal—2-3 hours covering dashboards, key reports, strategic views
Communications / Marketing Staff
Primary Activities: Building contact lists for campaigns, tracking campaign responses, managing unsubscribes, segmentation
Training Focus: Reports for list building, Campaign Members, integration with email platform, segmentation by giving history or engagement.
Time Investment: Moderate—4-6 hours focused on campaigns and list building
Training Delivery Methods: Finding the Right Mix
How you deliver training matters as much as what you teach. Most effective implementations use a blended approach.
Live Training Sessions (Virtual or In-Person)
Best for: Initial training, complex concepts, Q&A, building team cohesion
Advantages: Interactive, questions get answered immediately, trainer can see confusion and adjust, builds relationships.
Best Practices: Keep sessions under 2 hours, focus on one topic per session, provide breaks, encourage questions, follow up with a recorded version for reference.
Self-Paced Video Tutorials
Best for: Refreshers, visual learners, staff joining after initial training, reference when stuck
Advantages: Learn at own pace, can pause and rewind, watch when convenient, can revisit specific topics as needed.
Best Practices: Keep videos short (5-10 minutes per topic), make them searchable, include captions, update when workflows change.
Written Guides and Job Aids
Best for: Step-by-step procedures, quick reference during work, edge cases, troubleshooting
Best Practices: Use lots of screenshots, number steps clearly, keep language simple, organize by task instead of structure.
One-on-One Coaching
Best for: Staff struggling with specific concepts, addressing resistance, building confidence, advanced users wanting to level up
Best Practices: Reserve for people who need extra help, have coaching available during first month post-go-live, document solutions to share.
Addressing Resistance and Building Buy-In
Not everyone will be excited about moving to Salesforce. Some resistance is inevitable, but it doesn't have to derail adoption.
Understanding Why People Resist
• Loss of competence: People who were experts in Raiser's Edge are now beginners. This threatens professional identity.
• Change fatigue: If your organization has been through multiple transitions recently, staff may be exhausted.
• Fear of job security: Some worry that if they struggle with the new system, their job might be at risk.
• Loyalty to the old system: 'Raiser's Edge worked fine—why are we fixing what isn't broken?'
• Lack of involvement: When decisions are made without input from those affected, resistance increases.
Constructive Responses to Resistance
• Acknowledge concerns: 'I know this feels overwhelming right now' is better than 'You'll be fine, it's easy.'
• Validate emotions: 'It's frustrating when tasks that used to take 2 minutes now take 10' shows empathy.
• Focus on relevant benefits: Show concrete improvements they'll experience. 'No more stuck batches' resonates with gift processors.
• Involve resisters: Ask skeptical staff to be pilot users or testers. People support what they help create.
• Celebrate progress: Publicly acknowledge when resistant staff successfully complete tasks in Salesforce.
• Be patient but firm: Support people through learning, but participation is non-negotiable.
Creating a Culture of Continuous Learning
Training doesn't end when implementation finishes. Organizations that thrive with Salesforce build cultures where learning is ongoing.
Designate Power Users or Champions
Identify 1-2 staff members per department who become Salesforce champions. These aren't necessarily IT people—they're enthusiastic learners who enjoy figuring out new technology and helping others. Give them extra training, early access to new features, and recognition for supporting their colleagues.
Establish Regular Learning Opportunities
Monthly 'Salesforce Tips and Tricks' sessions, quarterly feature reviews, or lunch-and-learns keep skills fresh and introduce new capabilities. These don't need to be formal—15 minutes showing a helpful report or dashboard customization maintains momentum.
Create Internal Knowledge Sharing
Set up a Slack channel, Teams group, or internal wiki where staff can ask questions and share discoveries. When staff learn from each other, knowledge spreads organically.
Celebrate Wins and Milestones
First month working entirely in Salesforce? Celebrate. Someone creates a helpful custom report? Share it with the team. Development officer closes a major gift tracked from cultivation through close? Acknowledge the workflow success.
Measuring Training Effectiveness
How do you know if training is working? Track both quantitative and qualitative indicators.
Quantitative Metrics
• Login frequency: Are people using Salesforce daily as expected, or avoiding it?
• Feature adoption: Are core features being used (Opportunities created, reports run, tasks logged)?
• Data quality: Are gift entry error rates declining as staff become more confident?
• Time to complete tasks: How long does gift entry take in Week 1 vs. Week 8?
• Support ticket trends: Are the same issues coming up repeatedly, or are people learning?
Qualitative Indicators
• Staff confidence: Do people sound more confident when discussing Salesforce work?
• Question sophistication: Are questions moving from 'How do I log in?' to 'Can we customize this report?'
• Proactive usage: Are staff suggesting ways to use Salesforce, not just reacting to requirements?
• Peer support: Are staff helping each other without always escalating to administrators?
• Resistance levels: Has vocal resistance decreased as people experience success?
Check in formally at 30, 60, and 90 days post-go-live. Quick surveys or focus groups reveal what's working in training and what needs adjustment.
Training Resource Checklist
Successful training programs include these materials:
• Quick start guides for each role (1-2 pages)
• Detailed procedures for common tasks
• Video library searchable by topic
• Glossary translating Raiser's Edge terms to Salesforce equivalents
• Contact list for getting help (who to ask for what)
• FAQs addressing common confusions
• Troubleshooting guide for typical errors
• Keyboard shortcuts and efficiency tips
• Login credentials and access instructions
• Schedule for ongoing training opportunities
Sample 90-Day Training Timeline
Week 4: Initial training sessions begin. Concepts, basic navigation, simple workflows. Practice in Sandbox.
Week 2: Advanced training on role-specific features. Final Q&A sessions. Distribute reference materials.
Week 1 (Go-Live): Daily support available. Expect lots of questions. Celebrate small wins. Monitor closely.
Weeks 2-3: Continue high-touch support. Begin identifying patterns in questions. Update documentation.
Week 4: First follow-up training addressing common pain points. Transition to scheduled office hours.
Week 6: Check-in survey: What's working? What's still confusing? Adjust support based on feedback.
Week 8: Advanced features training for interested staff. Efficiency tips and shortcuts.
Week 12: 90-day retrospective. Celebrate progress. Identify ongoing learning needs. Plan next phase.
Professional training programs that drive adoption.
Ohana Focus specializes in designing and delivering training programs specifically for nonprofit development teams.
Our training approach includes:
• Role-based curriculum tailored to how your team works
• Blended delivery using live sessions, videos, and written guides
• Phased support from pre-go-live through first 90 days
• Materials customized to your Salesforce configuration
• Strategies for building confidence and addressing resistance
• Ongoing learning resources that continue beyond implementation
We've trained thousands of nonprofit staff on Salesforce NPC. We know where people get confused, what questions always come up, and how to build genuine competence and confidence—not just surface-level familiarity.
About Ohana Focus
Ohana Focus is a certified Salesforce consulting partner specializing in nonprofit CRM implementations. We understand that technology transitions succeed or fail based on people, not systems. That's why training and change management are central to every implementation we lead.
Our training team has worked with nonprofits of every size—from small community organizations with 3 staff members to large international NGOs with hundreds of users. We've seen what works and what doesn't. We know how to build confidence, drive adoption, and create lasting change.
When you work with Ohana Focus, you get training programs designed around how adults actually learn, delivery methods that respect different learning styles, role-based content that addresses real daily work, support structures that extend beyond go-live, and strategies for building a culture of continuous improvement.
Topics: Salesforce Training, User Adoption, Change Management, NPC, Training, Development Team, Nonprofit CRM, Training Strategy
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