Spring '25 Nonprofit Cloud Release Notes: Key Updates for Nonprofits
The Spring '25 Nonprofit Cloud (NPC) release brings significant enhancements across all feature sets, with a strong focus on Fundraising and Grantmaking capabilities. These updates improve efficiency, expand functionality, and streamline nonprofit operations. Here’s what organizations need to know about these important changes and how they can impact nonprofit success.
Is your organization ready for Nonprofit Cloud? Click here to access our Nonprofit Cloud Readiness Guide.
Fundraising Enhancements
Custom Fields Now Available in Gift Entry
One of the most anticipated updates is custom field support in Gift Entry. Previously, organizations had to rely on workarounds due to the limitations of the out-of-the-box Gift Entry screens. This release eliminates that need by enabling direct field mapping, making data collection more flexible and efficient.
Why this matters: Organizations can now capture custom data seamlessly, reducing manual entry tasks.
Looking ahead: Gift Entry templates are still planned for the Summer '25 release, which will bring Gift Entry in NPC to full parity with Nonprofit Success Pack (NPSP) features.
Enhancements to Outreach Source Codes
Organizations using Outreach Source Codes will benefit from two key improvements:
- Integration with Interest Tags – This allows nonprofits to further enhance segmentation, leading to better engagement and higher response rates.
- Auto-generation of source codes – Reduces manual work and ensures consistent tracking of outreach efforts, making it easier to measure campaign effectiveness.
While Interest Tags improve segmentation, organizations should be aware of reporting limitations before implementing them.
Data Processing Engine (DPE) Updates
The Data Processing Engine receives two key upgrades that improve donor data handling:
- Soft credits now included in Donor Gift Summary rollups – This provides a more comprehensive view of donor impact, capturing indirect contributions alongside direct donations.
- Automated updates to definition templates – Organizations can now ensure they’re always using the most up-to-date template configurations for fundraising DPE rollups.
For this second item, evaluate your DPE strategy before implementation. Running a second DPE for each customized definition could impact monthly processing limits (30-hour cap).
New Philanthropic Research Data Model
Spring '25 introduces a four-object Philanthropic Research data model to support in-depth donor tracking and assessment. Organizations should assess if this model is the right level of complexity or if it’s too big a lift before adopting it.
Why this is important: Nonprofits seeking a more sophisticated approach to donor segmentation and wealth screening will benefit from this model.
Future developments: Further enhancements to this model are planned for both Nonprofit Cloud and Education Cloud.
Enhanced RFM (Recency, Frequency, Monetary) Scoring
The RFM scoring system has been significantly improved, increasing flexibility in donor ranking:
- Multiple objects and source fields can now be used to determine scores.
- Organizations can set custom weights for scoring criteria, allowing for more strategic donor segmentation.
Why it matters: These improvements help nonprofits better identify high-value donors, refine engagement strategies, and maximize fundraising effectiveness.
Grantmaking Improvements
Bulk Assignment of Application Reviewers
A new bulk assignment feature allows reviewers to be assigned through list view button-triggered flows, saving time and improving efficiency in grant application processing.
Stage Management for Grantmaking
Borrowed from Financial Services Cloud, Stage Management is a powerful new workflow tool that automates and standardizes approval processes across Grantmaking objects, including:
- Funding Awards
- Individual Applications
- Application Reviews
- Budgets
Bonus feature: This functionality also extends to Case and Program Enrollment objects, benefiting nonprofits that use Program and Case Management tools.
Improvements to the Form Framework
The framework for Grantmaking arrived last year but it was difficult to set up and didn’t give you the choice of flow-only, making it out of reach for a lot of implementations. You no longer need to depend on Omniscript to use it. The framework provides a nice end-user UI for Grantmaking areas like applications and application reviews, and it allows you to reuse sections.
Considerations: It’s still complex to set up and has some drawbacks such as Experience Cloud guest user restrictions, so organizations should evaluate it before implementing these forms.
Program & Case Management Updates
Care Plan Enhancements
Organizations can now clone Care Plan Templates while retaining template goals and benefits, reducing redundant work when making small modifications. The update also introduces support for custom Care Plan goals, allowing for more tailored client support strategies.
Outcome Management Upgrades
A major improvement in Outcome Management is the introduction of a spreadsheet-like component for rapid entry of multiple Indicator Results.
Why this matters: This update simplifies bulk data entry and improves reporting accuracy. Additionally, it supports Experience Cloud integration, allowing grantees to submit data directly.
Final Thoughts
Spring '25 delivers crucial updates including streamlining fundraising, grantmaking, and program management processes for nonprofits. These enhancements help organizations improve donor engagement, optimize workflows, and enhance data accuracy.
If your team could benefit from an expert consultation of your system to determine your organization’s Nonprofit Cloud Readiness, click the button below to get in touch!
