Network Your Way to that Salesforce Volunteer Opportunity

As a result of a post I made in the Salesforce Success Community way back in 2012, I often am contacted by job seekers who are looking to gain experience on the Salesforce platform by volunteering to administer Salesforce for a nonprofit.

After I made that that original post, I was contacted by a nonprofit organization in New York City, Jacob Riis Settlement House, and I actively set up and began to manage their Salesforce org.  That gave me considerable experience and put me in a position to be hired as a full-time Salesforce admin when the company I was working for (in another role) decided to implement Salesforce later that same year.

If I was in the same position today and I was looking for opportunities to gain experience in Salesforce, here’s the approach I would use: I would network my way to a volunteer Salesforce opportunity.

Make Two Lists

Networking begins my making two lists: 1) a list of at least 30 people you know; and 2) a list of at least 30 non-profit organizations in your local area for whom you might be personally interested in doing some pro-bono work.

Take list 1 — the list of people you know — and start making some phone calls. Explain to each of your contacts that you are looking to do some pro-bono Salesforce work, and do they have a moment to answer some quick questions?

• Do you volunteer your time for any non-profit organizations?
  • If the answer is no, do you know anyone who does volunteer? Can you put me in touch with them? Add any names you get to your contacts list.
• Do those organizations conduct fundraising activities?
• Could you put me in touch with the person who is in charge of fundraising?

You may already be aware that Salesforce provides non-profit organizations who qualify 10 donated Salesforce subscriptions and other products and resources at a substantial discount. My experience has been that a person looking to do volunteer Salesforce work is going to have the most success if they “follow the money” and help organizations with their fundraising efforts, because no non-profit can have an impact on its community without funding, and most non-profit organizations are always looking to raise more money so they can have a greater impact.

Each organization your contacts identify should be added to list number 2, the list of non-profits you have identified as being interesting to volunteer for.

**TIP: Track all your Contacts and the Non-Profits (Accounts) in your developer Salesforce org. You can set up Campaigns, Workflows, Email Templates, etc. Managing your job search in Salesforce is, in itself, a very good way to gain experience in Salesforce.

Contact Nonprofits

Once you have identified a fundraising person at an organization on your list, pick up the phone again and contact them.

Start by introducing yourself,  and then indicate you would like to volunteer your time and skills as a Salesforce administrator to help an organization like theirs raise more money.

• Hi, I’m (name). My friend/colleague/co-worker/contact (name) said I should give you a call. Did I catch you at a bad time?
• (no). Great. I am looking to volunteer my time and skills as a [certified] Salesforce administrator to a local non-profit organization, I wondered If I could ask you a few questions?
• (sure) Does your organization use Salesforce to track your interactions with supporters, volunteers, clients, etc. ?
• [If not] Are you aware that Salesforce will provide most non-profits up to 10 licenses at no cost?
• Can I set up a time to come talk with you about how we can best utilize Salesforce to help your organization raise more money?

Once you get the appointment, it’s up to you to sell yourself as a person who can help them administer Salesforce, if they already have it; or sell the organization on the idea of using Salesforce to make their organization better and have a greater impact.

My gut tells me you might have to contact a number of organizations before you find one that is interested in learning more. That’s okay. Keep plugging away until you find an organization that is a good fit.

More information on the Salesforce for Nonprofits program can be found here.

The reality is that very few organizations are going to “post” an opening for a volunteer Salesforce admin, and your chances of striking lightning the way I did five years ago are also slim. But you CAN create your own position using the techniques above, and have the chance to both gain experience in Salesforce, and give back to your local community by supporting the work of a nonprofit.