How to unlock your Salesforce potential

In a challenging fundraising landscape, where charities are working harder than ever to secure donations, getting the most out of their CRM system makes all the difference. Many capabilities are overlooked and underutilised, with charities under pressure to deliver impact to their communities and lacking the expertise to unlock their technology.  

The 2025 Charity Digital Skills report demonstrates the sector’s struggle with harnessing its technology. The report revealed that three in ten charities say their systems and databases were either poor or non-existent, while 15% considered their CRM system to be a barrier to digital progress. More than a quarter said they don’t have a CRM system or rely on disjointed spreadsheets.  

But much of the issue is not the CRM itself, rather the time it takes to learn what it can do. For charities using Salesforce’s CRM software, or looking towards it as an alternative to their current technology, a trusted Salesforce partner such as Systep can be the solution. 

Systep supports charities with reliable Salesforce-specific expertise, designed to help them get the most out of their technology and reduce the burden on teams that are already struggling with rising service demand. With Systep, charities can boost the potential of their Salesforce systems and ensure no stone is left unturned.  

In this article, we share three ways your Salesforce tools can power your charity’s mission, as highlighted by Salesforce experts at Systep.  

Find out more with Systep 

Three ways Salesforce can help charities 

Volunteer management 

Volunteer management software can help charities create better volunteering experiences, improving recruitment and retention of the most committed advocates of their cause. Fortunately, charities using Salesforce already have the tools they need at their disposal to improve volunteer management, without reaching out to more third-party platforms.  

Through Salesforce, charities can manage volunteering applications, track capacity and attendance, send automated reminders and follow ups, and schedule shifts with ease. They can bring together volunteer details such as availability, location, and skills in one place, to make sure the right volunteering opportunities meet the right people. It also helps track engagement so charities can re-engage lapsed volunteers and acknowledge those who have been the most committed. Salesforce users don’t have to look elsewhere to support their volunteering strategy – everything they need to enhance the volunteering experience already exists. They just need to unlock it.  

Automation 

Automation has become increasingly important to charity teams in recent years, as they seek innovative ways to save time on laborious admin tasks and redirect it to where it matters most: the communities they serve.  

With Salesforce, automation is part of the platform. It can send out personalised thank-you emails after donations, generate reports quickly, and analyse data to forecast impact results.  

Salesforce’s AI tool Agentforce helps charities work smarter – automating routine tasks, enhancing donor engagement, and delivering the insights teams need to act quickly and effectively. 

Systep helps charities identify where Agentforce adds value – streamlining day-to-day tasks and freeing teams to focus on higher-impact work. 

Impact measurement 

Measuring impact is essential for charities to understand how they are contributing to their cause and advancing their mission. This information is important for funders and supporters, to help organisations demonstrate progress and bring their work to life in a meaningful way.  

Impact measurement also helps charity leaders make more informed decisions about a charity’s future by showing them what is working and what isn’t, and what changes need to happen to move forward.  

Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud includes outcome management capabilities that help charities define the impact they want to achieve and track their progress over time. Charities can use the platform to share up-to-date data with funders and boards, helping them better understand performance. They can also create tailored reports for donors, beneficiaries, and other stakeholders to demonstrate the impact of their work. 

Systep helps nonprofits unlock the full value of Salesforce through automation and meaningful reporting and insights, streamlining repetitive tasks, improving efficiency, and giving organisations better visibility into their data. 

To discover more Salesforce features, and realise your technology’s full potential, check out insights from trusted Salesforce partner Systep below.  

Find out more with Systep