A Strategic Guide for Grantmakers
Introduction
With the upcoming product retirement of Salesforce foundationConnect January 31, 2026, grantmaking organizations are facing the challenge of transitioning to a new system. This guide was crafted to assist organizations in a seamless transition, focusing on the strategic and business considerations involved in such a change.
The retirement of foundationConnect and its implications
foundationConnect has played a crucial and historical role in the grantmaking technology landscape by being the first product to integrate grantmaking into the Salesforce platform. This integration not only bolstered grantmaking efficiency but also enriched decision-making through a comprehensive view of grantseekers and recipients. It also provided a portal experience for grantseekers to apply for grant opportunities.
The retirement of foundationConnect signifies a new era in managing grants using the Salesforce platform. It presents organizations with an opportunity to migrate to a more advanced and scalable system, making this period critical for planning and executing an effective migration strategy that aligns with their grantmaking strategy.
Key considerations in advance of migrating from foundationConnect
Migrating from foundationConnect involves several critical considerations:
- Data migration: Carefully plan the migration of data from foundationConnect to Nonprofit Cloud to ensure data integrity and continuity. Both products are on the Salesforce platform but leverage different data models. It is not a 1:1 to migration. Ensuring the data is translated and migrated between the source and target data models correctly is going to be critical for success. Read How to Ensure a Successful Data Migration as a primer.
- Customization and integration: Nonprofit Cloud’s extensive customization and integration capabilities include:
- Adaptation and enhancements to the grant application and review processes.
- Salesforce’s Nonprofit Cloud includes access to OmniStudio, a Salesforce technology that provides new capabilities for internal staff to manage grants, internal and external reviewers to access, score, and review, and a new framework that grantseekers can leverage when applying for grants.
- Integrations with external systems and data:
- Leverage OmniStudio, Salesforce AppExchange products, and custom integrations
- Plug into grantmaking products like Candid – with the Candid API and Salesforce declarative “Clicks-Not-Code”, pulling in external data for grantseekers and internal staff is automated
- Reporting and analytics:
- Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud includes new tools like the Data Processing Engine and Business Rules Engine that streamline and enable complicated data aggregation and automation of key decisions
- Creation of custom reports and dashboards.
- Leverage Tableau for heat-mapping and other robust analytics.
- Artificial Intelligence:
- Leverage Salesforce’s agentic technology, Agentforce, to provide real-time answers for grantmakers embedded into the Grantmaking portal
- Adaptation and enhancements to the grant application and review processes.
- Training and adoption: Adequate staff training is crucial for a smooth transition, ensuring familiarity with new interfaces and workflows.
- Long-term strategic fit: Evaluate how Nonprofit Cloud aligns with your organization’s long-term goals, considering scalability and adaptability.
Measuring Impact with Outcome Management
In addition to Nonprofit Cloud’s robust grantmaking features, Nonprofit Cloud ships with Outcome Management, a suite of objects and tools that allow organizations to manage their grant and program portfolios and that seek comprehensive reporting on their programs, projects, and grants. Its key features include:
- Theory of Change: Define your organization’s theory of change, outlining key outcomes and indicators that support your organization’s programmatic and grantmaking goals
- Outcome management: Define and track specific outcomes and indicators to measure the impact of grants.
- Indicator tracking: Collect and analyze data for various indicators, providing detailed insights into program effectiveness.
- Sophisticated reporting: Generate comprehensive reports on impact, tailored to the unique requirements of your organization.
Moving Forward
Transitioning from foundationConnect to Nonprofit Cloud is an extensive process that offers opportunities for organizational growth and evolution. Strategic planning and informed decision-making are crucial for a successful migration. Starting early and seeking expert guidance will ensure a smooth transition.
We invite you to contact us with any experiences, concerns, or inquiries about transitioning from foundationConnect. Our team is ready to provide tailored support and guidance, ensuring your organization navigates this transition smoothly and effectively.
Originally published January 16, 2024