Success Stories: How 9 Foundations Drive Positive Change with Salesforce
Foundations play a crucial role in addressing societal challenges and driving positive change. By providing financial resources, guidance, and support to various causes, they enable individuals, communities, and nonprofits to tackle a variety of pressing issues. At Idealist Consulting, we see these organizations as catalysts for social progress, fostering innovation, collaboration, and sustainable development.
We are proud to have supported the work of foundations with over 150 successful implementation projects throughout our nearly 20 years as Salesforce partners. This diverse portfolio encompasses a wide range of initiatives, with approximately 25% of our projects including work with Salesforce’s foundationConnect. Our track record includes several notable projects that have shaped our expertise in this field.
In 2008, Idealist Consulting accomplished its inaugural Salesforce implementation for a foundation, collaborating with the Flutie Foundation. Since then, we have continued to take on projects of increasing magnitude, including our work with the James Irvine Foundation in 2012, the largest foundation in San Francisco. Another significant milestone for us was awarding our first Idealist Grant to the Fistula Foundation in 2018. Since then, we've continued to adapt as the technology landscape evolves to support organizations in grant management solutions with tools like the Nonprofit Success Pack (NPSP). In 2021, Idealist Consulting began work with the Margulf Foundation, migrating them from Foundant to NPSP and configuring a custom grant management solution using the Grants Management Module, Experience Cloud, and other third-party apps to elevate their grant tracking and reporting system. Margulf can now track all touchpoints with grantees and prospective grantees in one place, with action plans built into each phase in the grantee pipeline.
In 2023, the team leveraged NPSP solutions to build a grantmaking infrastructure for the Vail Valley Foundation, allowing applicants and other users to apply for and review grants for college scholarships. With the recent release of Salesforce's Nonprofit Cloud, we're ready and excited to embark on our first Nonprofit Cloud project using the new Grantmaking product!
Our extensive experience extends to all types of foundations, as we have successfully worked with three distinct categories: Community Foundations, Family Foundations, and Corporate Foundations. This comprehensive exposure has allowed us to gain invaluable insights and adapt our strategies to meet the unique requirements of each type.
Our team partners closely with Salesforce and other applications, ensuring our clients are leveraging our latest advancements in CRM technologies. For an overview of some of our projects with foundations, check out some of these notable case studies.
- American Himalayan Foundation: Bringing shelter, safety, education, health, and opportunity to people across the Himalaya.
- The Fund for Educational Excellence: Aiming to reduce equity and opportunity gaps for all students in Baltimore City Public Schools.
- Cancer Foundation for Life: Enhancing the quality of life and survival for individuals living with cancer.
- Sacramento Tree Foundation: Working to grow thriving communities through stewardship of our urban forest.
- Banfield Foundation: Committed to making a better world for pets because they make a better world for us.
- Hilton Foundation: Improving the lives of individuals living in poverty and experiencing disadvantage throughout the world.
- Wikimedia Foundation: Helping everyone share in the sum of all knowledge.
- Grameen Foundation: Creating the space for women and girls to show up with their full power.
- Fistula Foundation (Idealist Grant winner): Providing life-transforming surgery to women suffering with obstetric fistula and severe perineal tears.
If you are interested in learning more about these case studies or would like counsel on how to approach a Salesforce project of your own, give us a call!
