The Technopath Way: Productivity through tech for nonprofits Sarah Epting

In the first guest episode of the new season of The Technopath Way, Sarah and Michael Kolodner, a Salesforce MVP and advocate for tech in the nonprofit space, dive into the realities, complexities, and costs of Salesforce implementation for nonprofits. They take a critical look at the new nonprofit cloud and its implications in terms of pricing and functionality for users.

Check out more of Michael's musings on his blog - Free Like a Puppy: https://www.freelikeapuppy.tech/

Learn about the Modern Classrooms Project: https://www.modernclassrooms.org/

Never miss an episode or recap again! Sign up for our weekly newsletter, The Technopath Way Tips, here: https://www.technopath.ac-page.com/the-technopath-way-sign-up


00:35 Introducing: Michael Kolodner
01:45 Michael's Journey into Salesforce Ecosystem
03:38 The Realities of Salesforce for Nonprofits
04:55 The True Cost of Salesforce Ownership
06:01 The Impact of System Robustness on Nonprofits
08:01 The Pressing Technology Needs for Nonprofits
11:39 Maximizing Impact for Salesforce in Nonprofit Setting
16:23 The Challenges of Salesforce Admins
24:08 The New Nonprofit Cloud: A Discussion
28:29 The Struggles of New Product Documentation
29:28 The Pressure to Sell New Products
30:04 The Challenges of Being a Small Partner
30:30 The Overwhelming Nature of Salesforce
32:23 The Push for Nonprofit Cloud
34:03 The Difficulties of Implementing New Products
36:38 The Complexity of the New Data Model
40:23 The Price Increase of the New Nonprofit Cloud
45:34 The Struggles of Learning New Features
48:39 Closing Thoughts and Gratitude
51:16 The Success Story of Modern Classrooms Project

In past seasons we’ve focused on decreasing overwhelm and increasing clarity when it comes to nonprofit technology. This season,we want to create a space to have more open unfiltered conversations around Salesforce and technology.

Salesforce is known for hosting events called True to the Core. These events, however, often fall short of providing concrete answers to the burning questions that attendees have. They leave us wanting more, yearning for a deeper exploration of the topics at hand. That's where season three of the Technopath Way comes in. We aim to uncover the truth behind these events and provide the honest conversations that are often kept behind closed doors.

For more information on Sarah connect with her on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahepting/.

For training resources on NPSP find resources on https://www.technopath.io.

Sign up for our newsletter, The Technopath Way Tips here.

#salesforce #alwaysbelearning

Take Away Tips:

The stories we tell ourselves about circumstances determine our emotional reactions and self-worth. Changing the stories is all about changing our mindset. One book Jackie recommended on mindset was "Mindset" by Carol Dweck, Ph.D.

Figure out what you want -- this does not mean making a list of what you don't want!

Overthinking can hinder progress, and it is important to break down goals into manageable steps and not get overwhelmed. Breaking down goals into easily achievable steps increases the likelihood of success and eliminates the pressure of overwhelming tasks.

Learn more about Jackie’s Path to Purpose: 30-Day Intensive here.”

In general if you want to know more about Jackie, go here: Learn more about Jackie here: https://jackiecoley.com/

Interested in Sarah's joint - build and learn session with Jackie on August 31st at 1 pm. Jackie will give us some steps on getting yourself unstuck and Sarah will talk about how we can record those steps in a Salesforce dev org! Register here.

Sarah's NPSP Study Guide and preview can be found at technopath.podia.com.

Take Away Tips:
• At a small nonprofit if you've been hired on as a developer, expect to do a little bit of everything from administration, to BA, to solution architecht + developer.


• Nonprofits can run into the problem of developers, coding and then ghosting. If this happens to you -- take a step back from the code, map out what the system is doing, and document it. Then you can use a sandbox to turn off the code and see if you can manage the same thing declaratively. If you decide to alter the code in the sandbox and it works, great! Now document that too!


• You do not need to even know Salesforce to learn development. It helps, but once you understand how the data model works you can work step by step to be a coder.


• Start small by hitting the trails or getting on the waitlist for Warren's next Cloud Code Academy Cohort


• Chat GPT may be able to help you untangle code, but be aware that it may not always be right.
For more awesome tips, check at Warren's youtube channel, Salesforce Mentor website, and Cloud Code Academy. His first cohort sold out in 39 minutes, so keep your ear to the floor!

Sarah's NPSP Study Guide and preview can be found at technopath.podia.com.

INFO

Never miss an episode or recap again! Sign up for our weekly newsletter, The Technopath Way Tips here.

Take Away Tips:
Have micro-goals to accomplish a big goal

Work hard, even if it is tough

You can learn anything if you give it enough time

It takes 10,000 hours to become a master at something, but only 20 to get a fairly good understanding on how to do something.Adriel's recording his "Road to the Pro" cornhole journey on his YouTube channel here.

Download free tools or enroll in our courses at technopath.podia.com.

INFO

Never miss an episode or recap again! Sign up for our weekly newsletter, The Technopath Way Tips here.

Take Away Tips:
You do not need a Salesforce Certification to work in a Salesforce Career, Laurel knows many that don't

Certifications demonstrate theoritical and technical knowledge and can be an asset in a job search

Before you sit for a cert, spend time doing a self-assessment, finding adjacent roles, and building hands-on experience, but be wary of volunteer roles, because you may not be prepared

Nonprofits, give any Salesforce volunteers a super-user mentor as they come into your organization.

Laurel's free career self-assessment is here: lm-consults.com/product-page/salesforce-career-self-assessment

Book a free 30-minute call with Laurel to get Salesforce career advice: www.lm-consults.com/

Need study guides? Laurel's got both for the visual and video learner: lm-consults.com/salesforce-certification-training


Sarah's NPSP Study Guide and preview can be found at technopath.podia.com