Dec 19
0
the importance of volunteering

The Importance of Volunteering

By | 501Partners News

Last Friday, Bill and I had the opportunity to volunteer at Community Servings, one of our wonderful clients who are working hard to make sure that chronically ill people get nutritious, balanced meals. Not only that, but Community Servings makes sure that their caregivers and family members get these delicious meals, as well. You can learn more about these Real Life Heroes here.

On Friday, Bill and I spent our shift in the kitchen, preparing the meals for distribution. Never the culinary expert, there was a slight learning curve for me when I was asked to expertly chop cucumbers and to make a carrot/cranberry salad. However, the head chefs were very helpful and kept things lighthearted and fun. A Top 40 radio station played us some holiday classics in between a rotation of Taylor Swift and Beyonce – it was a great time for a great cause.

In honor of the holiday spirit, and inspired by our trip to Community Servings, here are five reasons why volunteering is such an important thing to do, and why you should sign up for a shift the next chance you have:

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Dec 18
0
mass emailers for salesforce

Which Mass-Emailer is Right for My Org?

By | Nonprofit Resources

We often get questions about which apps are best for nonprofit organizations. There are several things to take into consideration when answering this question, the most important being the fact that there isn’t just one solution for every nonprofit in the world. Different organizations need different things, and sometimes only a side by side rundown can yield a correct answer. Often though, it takes a side by side rundown and a detailed discussion to come to the right conclusion. So, here is your side by side comparison, and you can always contact us here to have a detailed discussion about the exact solutions you’re looking for.

Features Campaign Monitor Constant Contact MailChimp
Templates x x x
Customization x x x
List Building x x x
Tracking x x x
Automation x x PAID
Pricing
Startup Costs – – –
Monthly $7.65 to $594.15 per month, dependent on # of contacts/emails $15 to $85+ per month, dependent on # of emails; nonprofit discount available when you contact C.C. FREE to $150 or higher, dependent on # of contacts/emails
Extras $4 to $50 per month for sendIT, the required connector, dependent on # of emails – –
Support Online Online, Phone Online

Helpful links for pricing scales:

So, there you have it. While we certainly hope this matrix is helpful to you, we’d love to speak more about which is truly the best option for your organization. Don’t forget to drop us a line if you have any questions!

Dec 17
0

Real Life Heroes: The Possible Project

By | Client Spotlight

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If you’re in need of a last minute Christmas gift, The Possible Project has you covered.

A center for youth entrepreneurship, The Possible Project is hosting its final student marketplace of 2014 THIS Friday, December 19 from 5-7pm at Cambridge College. This holiday-themed fair will feature products from over 20 student businesses from all levels of the program. Such products range from homemade ties to homemade beauty products.

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Dec 08
0

Here’s One Big Way to Manage Your Food Tracking

By | Our Services
Are you a nonprofit whose mission is centered around food? Is making sure that food doesn’t go to waste and, perhaps more importantly, that it gets to those who need it at the center of your organization’s cause? Do you sometimes dream of managing that food in an intuitive and effective way? We’re here to help! We developed our Food Tracker application for Salesforce for this specific reason. It is a no-frills, completely easy way to keep track of the amount of food coming into your organization, and of the amount leaving it.

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Dec 02
0

What is the 501Launchpad?

By | Our Services

We use the term pretty often in our offices: 501Launchpad. We introduce it to our clients when we begin Salesforce implementation at their organizations. Now, we want to outline 501Launchpad to those of you who might not already know what it is. 501Partners takes pride in our project methodology. Simply put, our goal is your mission. Rather than simply implementing Salesforce at an organization and exiting the engagement immediately afterward, 501Partners strives to be your long-term partner in data management, while also building an internal competence in Salesforce at your nonprofit. We understand that a key component of this is customizing Salesforce to your organization’s unique needs.

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Nov 24
0

Upgrading to NPSP 3.0

By | CRM & Salesforce

To upgrade your Salesforce to NPSP 3.0:

1)  Create a new trial and choose “Pre-Configured for Donor Management.” (Note: you will need to create a different login than the current Salesforce, but it does not need to be a real email address.)
2) Call or email your Salesforce representative to request your grant be pointed to the new Salesforce instance. (If you don’t have contact info for your rep, you can email crmdonation@salesforce.com) They will ask you for the Organization ID of both the old instance and the new one. You can find them by going to Setup –> Company Profile –> Company Information –> Salesforce.com Organization ID (see below).
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If they ask you to upgrade your old instance to NPSP 3.0, 501Partners can do that after we create the customizations without messing up your data.
Nov 24
0

501Partners is Thankful For…

By | 501Partners News

A simple list of the things we’re truly thankful for as Turkey Day approaches:

  1. The NPSP Data Importer. We recently were introduced to this impressive tool by the Salesforce Foundation’s Marc Baizman. Currently, our consultant, Paul, is checking into all of the great features included in this data importer. Expect more information soon!
  2. Funny cat videos. Sometimes you just need to laugh. We are big fans of turning to YouTube for our fixes, and our go-to search is ‘funny cat videos.’ Here’s a sample of our favorites.
  3. Chocolate. The 501Partners office is partially fueled by chocolate. In what we call ‘The Fun Room,’ we have several varieties. Just like with Salesforce solutions, one size does not fit all, and expecting only Hershey’s to cut it for the diverse chocolate needs of our staff would just be wrong. (Note: This is also a stellar reason to become a Salesforce Academy participant.)
  4. Coffee. In addition to chocolate, coffee is THE fuel for all of 501Partners’ needs. We can always be counted on to have fresh coffee brewing. Whether it’s first thing in the morning, 2pm or late at night, it is essential that a pot of coffee is ready and waiting to be devoured by our lovely band of caffeine-aholics.
  5. Our Bootcampers & Academy participants. Salesforce Bootcamp and Salesforce Training Academy are two of our favorite things that we do here at 501Partners. Between the amazing people that we get to meet at each training and the wonderful amount of learning that goes on as a result, we are truly grateful to be able to run these programs.
  6. Salesforce. Of course we’re thankful for Salesforce, the platform upon which we base everything we do. Salesforce is such an efficient and powerful tool, and it makes life so much easier for us and for our clients…We can’t not be extremely grateful for it!
  7. Clients. Time to get serious: We LOVE our clients. Each and every one. The whole reason that we do what we do is to help the nonprofit sector make the world a better place for everyone. The fantastic group of nonprofit organizations that make up our client list are truly real-life superheroes. Without them, the Greater Boston area, the nation, and the world would all be lacking something amazing. Whether they are rounding up food for those in need, making sure that all children – no matter their background – have access to superior education, or something in between, our clients leave us in awe each and every day.
  8. Each other. Finally, we are grateful for each other. Here at 501Partners, everyone has a great deal of love and respect for one another, and we are able to combine our skill sets in ways that benefit our clients. All of us have the same philosophy of putting the client first and customizing all of our Salesforce solutions for the exact organization we are working with. And, possibly most important of all, we all know that a day without coffee is hardly a day at all.

Well, that’s our list. What are you thankful for? Let us know on Twitter and Facebook!

Nov 21
0
giving tuesday

10 Ways to Participate in #GivingTuesday

By | Client Spotlight

By now, I’m sure you’ve heard a ton about #GivingTuesday. If not, here’s a brief synopsis: Since we have Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Cyber Monday, those behind the #GivingTuesday idea decided, Why not have a global day of giving back?  Tuesday, December 2 has been selected as that day. This new holiday will feature plenty of events, to be sure…But the real point of #GivingTuesday is to do what you can to give back to those you love, your neighbors, your community, and the world. Your efforts don’t have to be anything crazy, but it’s up to you. If you’re not sure what to do when December 2 rolls around, here are ten ideas:

  1. Offer to help a neighbor clean up leaves (or shovel, you really never know this time of year).
  2. Make a donation to one of these great organizations.
  3. Become a Haymakers for Hope athlete to KO Cancer.
  4. Give some time to an organization of your choice. Most nonprofits have ‘Volunteer’ sections on their websites which will tell you how.
  5. Raise awareness through social media – you never know what the next Ice Bucket Challenge will be.
  6. Help stuff and deliver Holiday Baskets with Community Servings.
  7. Livestream the #GivingTuesday event and encourage friends and family to do so, as well.
  8. Consider adopting a pet from the Helen Woodward Animal Center.
  9. Donate to the Boston Marathon team of your choice – or to the One Fund.
  10. Say thank you to your friends and family, an armed services member, a veteran, a civil servant, and whomever else deserves your thanks this #GivingTuesday.
Nov 21
0

The Free Puppy Problem (AKA – Why Custom Consulting Works)

By | Our Services

Is better data management on your list of New Year’s resolutions? Does your organization get overwhelmed when it’s time to crunch numbers and deliver annual reports? 501Partners has you covered. With the help of Salesforce and our custom consulting solutions, data collection and reporting can be a breeze. There are 22,000 nonprofits already using Salesforce for these reasons, and why shouldn’t you join them? Salesforce offers ten free licenses to NPOs and comes with the Nonprofit Starter Pack 3.0, a powerful set of tools for data management.

But the ten free licenses are kind of like ten free puppies.

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