Since kindergarten, any learning environment you’ve been a part of has likely been full of your peers. From elementary school through high school, to college, workshops, conferences and beyond, learning is best done in groups. Research shows that, when you have someone who thinks similarly to you with whom you can discuss and contextualize ideas, you are far more likely to retain them. That’s why our Salesforce Training Academy for Nonprofits brings you together with your peers from the nonprofit sector for the duration of the five-week session. With other nonprofit professionals, you are able to give and gain feedback, consider concepts in new and different ways, and to form a camaraderie around the learning of Salesforce. Here are a few more reasons why nonprofits love our Salesforce Training Academy:
- 5, 3-hour sessions (1 per week): With Salesforce Training Academy, our five week plan works great for many reasons. First, over the course of 15 hours, you are able to get a firm grasp on Salesforce through hands-on training and demonstration. In addition, the ‘homework’ that is assigned by our instructors is a great way to be sure that you’re retaining the information presented during the class
sessions and, if you’re not, you can make note of your questions for the following week. Similarly, since you’ll likely be returning to your organization’s Salesforce instance throughout the week, you can make note of any issues that may arise and resolve them in the next session. Finally, because this is a multi-week training, you are given ample attention from our instructors and there is no limit on question asking time. Ellen McLaughlin of Tutoring Plus explains, “Stef and Paul really adapted the training to our questions. I found that it was very flexible, while still managing the time and information we needed to learn.” - 1 day of custom consulting: You will undoubtedly be learning so much content at the five Academy sessions, and we know it would be hard to take advantage of it all without having someone there to help you as you get Salesforce running in your organization. That’s why, either during the five week session or after it, you and your organization will receive eight hours of custom consulting around your Salesforce instance to implement all of the things you’ve learned (included in the cost of the Academy). We have found that this day of consultation allows you to ask any organization-specific questions that you may have for our Consultants, and to get detailed, thorough answers to them which can then be directly applied to your instance.
- Learn with your peers: Well, we did already mention this one, but it certainly bears repeating. As we said, learning alongside your peers is a great advantage to any educational environment. Not only can you more thoroughly retain the concepts presented through conversation and engagement with other nonprofit professionals, you can share your questions with them and, quite often, realize that you have similar queries. “Having the opportunity to learn from fellow nonprofits was great, and listening to their questions helped me think more about my own questions,” McLaughlin says. Further, with the help of our instructors, you can help one another work out the answers to these questions and really see how Salesforce will work in your respective environments.
- Excellent instruction: Our Salesforce Training Academy instructors, Stefanie Archer and Paul Baxter, are fantastic. Both of them have significant experience in both Salesforce and nonprofit management, making them ideal for leading this type of training. Because of their extensive NPO knowledge, they are able to help you understand exactly what your organization is trying to get from its Salesforce experience. As Erin of Shelter Music Boston (a recent Academy participant) says, “[They] have fabulous answers. They are always willing to listen even if you have this off-the-wall idea or something crazy that your organization needs, they’re able to take a step back and say, ‘Okay, well how would you like to use this information?’ and make you understand exactly how to use your data.”
- Snacks: Aside from the excellent teaching and training that you will receive as a Salesforce Training Academy participant, you will also be treated to an array of delicious snacks. So, if you weren’t sold on the Academy yet, I know you are now!
To sign up for our next Salesforce Training Academy session, which starts on Friday, October 31, please click here.
