Fíonta’s Role in Developing the Nonprofit Cloud Certification
A Peek Behind the Scenes
Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud is reshaping how nonprofits manage fundraising, grantmaking, and program operations. With a comprehensive set of tools built on the Industry Cloud model, Nonprofit Cloud provides powerful solutions tailored specifically for nonprofits and foundations. But with any new technology, expertise is critical—both for the organizations using it and the partners helping to implement it.
To establish a knowledge standard for nonprofit professionals and consultants implementing Nonprofit Cloud, Salesforce is developing the Nonprofit Cloud Certification—a credential designed to validate a baseline of expertise across core nonprofit functions on the platform. When Salesforce put out a call for Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) to help design and write the certification exam, I was honored to be selected as one of the contributors. This opportunity reflects the deep experience my team at Fíonta has gained through the past couple of years of implementing Nonprofit Cloud. I was excited to bring that knowledge to the table.
What is the Nonprofit Cloud Certification?
The Nonprofit Cloud Certification assesses expertise across key nonprofit functions within Salesforce, including:
- Fundraising – Managing donor relationships, tracking contributions, and using data to inform strategy.
- Grantmaking – Streamlining the application process, fund distribution, and reporting on impact.
- Program Management – Tracking program delivery and participant engagement
- Outcome Management – Providing the ability to tie grants and program services to outcomes
The certification serves as a benchmark of a consultant’s depth of knowledge, of both Nonprofit Cloud and the unique use cases of nonprofit organizations.
Inside the Certification Development Process
Designing an industry certification isn’t just about knowing the product—it requires structured methodology, collaboration, and a rigorous review process.
Building the Foundation
The first phase of development involved creating the exam framework. I, along with other SMEs, worked to identify the most critical knowledge areas that should be assessed.
Nonprofit Cloud is an Industry Cloud and has unique functionalities that set it apart from Salesforce NPSP. Because it’s an Industry Cloud, NPC users can access features from other Industry Clouds (like Health Cloud, Financial Services Cloud, Education Cloud, and more). The team spent the first week breaking down these nuances and ensuring that the exam would test real-world expertise and knowledge.
Writing and Refining Questions
Once we had the framework in place, the next step was crafting the actual exam questions. This was an intense process that included:
- Solo Writing – Each SME independently wrote exam questions covering key aspects of Nonprofit Cloud.
- Group Review & Editing – Together, we refined language and content, ensured consistency, and unified terminology.
- Poking Holes – Every question was rigorously scrutinized to ensure fairness, clarity, and real-world applicability.
By the end of this phase, we had written over 180 questions, with a final subset making it into the official certification exam.
Ensuring Fairness and Accuracy
An essential part of this process was making sure the exam accurately measures competency without being overly complex or subjective. To achieve this, we used two key methodologies:
- The Angoff Method – A structured process where we determined the difficulty level of each question to ensure balanced weighting.
- Minimally Qualified Candidate (MQC) Standard – We defined the baseline level of knowledge a candidate should have to pass the exam, ensuring it reflects real-world expertise.
A Unique Collaborative Experience
One of the most rewarding aspects of this experience was the opportunity to collaborate with other Salesforce partners—something I hadn’t done before in this capacity. This process challenged me to think in new ways, sharpen my expertise, and approach problem-solving differently.
Writing test questions required an intense level of focus, far different from my day-to-day consulting work. It pushed me into a flow state, where I had to balance technical accuracy with clear communication—something I didn’t anticipate being so challenging, but ultimately found deeply rewarding.
Fíonta’s Thought Leadership in the Nonprofit Salesforce Space
While this was an individual experience, my contributions directly resulted from the depth of knowledge we’ve developed at Fíonta. The expertise I brought to the certification process was shaped by years of hands-on implementations, learning what works (and what doesn’t) in real nonprofit environments.
This is actually the second time a Fíonta team member has contributed to a Salesforce certification exam! Kailee Quinn was part of the team who developed the User Experience certification in 2021.
Looking Ahead: The Impact of the Nonprofit Cloud Certification
The Nonprofit Cloud Certification will play a key role in the nonprofit technology space. As more professionals earn this credential, nonprofits will have greater access to trusted experts who truly understand how to implement and optimize Nonprofit Cloud.
For Fíonta, this work is just one of the many ways we support the nonprofit community beyond implementations. By helping build this certification, we’re ensuring that the broader ecosystem of nonprofit technology professionals is well-equipped to support mission-driven organizations.
Let’s Talk Nonprofit Cloud
If your organization is exploring Nonprofit Cloud, it is really important to work with a partner who understands it inside and out. As an implementation partner with deep expertise—including team members who helped develop the certification that defines Nonprofit Cloud knowledge—Fíonta is uniquely positioned to help.