NPO adoption logistics

[sparky]

Hi evereyone,

I'm a long time NPO database consultant new to salesforce.  I'm taking on a conversion project for a client, and my colleague Steve Anderson at ONE/NW has been giving me a lot of amazing guidance.  But I've been bugging him a lot.  So rather than continue to do that, or to bug the folks at the Foundation, I thought I'd throw these logistical questions out there to the forum.  Any insight is greatly appreciated.

FYI, I already have a Dev account and have been doing some prototyping for my client.  And I think I have a pretty good idea of which customizations can be packaged and transferred via AppExch and which cannot.

My questions are:

* how long does it generally take from beginning to end for an NPO to have licenses in hand and accounts activated?

* consultants: how have you been handling customizations that can't be transferred via AppExchange?  are you tending to build out pretty far in your dev acct and then redo in the client acct?  Or are you trying to wait until their acct is activated so you only have to do it once?

* at what point is it safe to start customizing in the client acct?  They start w/ a 30-day trial, and I'm worried that if there's a glitch w/ the application process I might end up with a bunch of untransferrable customizations stuck in an account that's about the expire.
 
* does the 30-day trial account even allow the same degree of customization that their permanent account will?  And will everything (including customizations) be transferred over from one to the other?

Thanks!

[SingularFX]

Q: how long does it generally take from beginning to end for an NPO to have licenses in hand and accounts activated?

A: I've gone through this with 4 clients - they take about a week.

Q: how have you been handling customizations that can't be transferred via AppExchange? 

A: this is a problem (ugly) with limitations on what objects can be customized and "moved" via the AppExchange.  I prefer to use the existing SFDC objects (accounts, contacts and opps) that are part of the system..  so I need to recreate my common npo customizations for each new client.  (six objects, lots of fields and types). I trained my niece to do this from a written script. Takes her four hours for which I pay her $60.  Not very high tech but ultimately the most cost effective method I could invent.

Q: are you tending to build out pretty far in your dev acct and then redo in the client acct?  Or are you trying to wait until their acct is activated so you only have to do it once?

A: I go over the requirements with my client first and if it looks like they are a "real" charity, I'm move a head with development while waiting on formal approval. So far, so good.

Q: at what point is it safe to start customizing in the client acct?  They start w/ a 30-day trial, and I'm worried that if there's a glitch w/ the application process I might end up with a bunch of untransferrable customizations stuck in an account that's about the expire.
A: Same answer as above

Q: does the 30-day trial account even allow the same degree of customization that their permanent account will?  And will everything (including customizations) be transferred over from one to the other?

A: The trial "professional" customization to move when the account is "upgraded" to Enterprise, so you need to save the "enterprise" stuff for later.

Note: the sfdc foundation people are all fantastic. They are really busy but always find time to make positive comments to my npo clients about the great work they do.  Meghan is the greatest!

I've only been doing nonprofits with sfdc since the begining of this year, so I'm by no means an expert.

Best of luck,

John Licata

SingularFX

www.SingularFX.com

[steve_andersen]

I second the Meghan is the greatest comment!

I always try to get the client to start the donation process as early as possible. Sometimes Meghan and company get overwhelmed by demand, and it can take longer than a week. She's managing all the nonprofit sf.com customers right now--400+ at last count. She's pretty busy, so I try to give her as much slack as possible!

Steve

[nonprofituser]

I third that!  Meghan rocks, no doubt.  I don't know how she manages to juggle so much and still be so helpful every time I call/email. 

I can say that after both working at sfdc a couple of years ago as well as implementing nonprofits on the software for about a year and a half now that a client (or potential client) should sign up for the 30 day trial AS SOON AS they start thinking about using the software!  That way it gets the account in the system and gives the client 30 days to take a peek in there and play around while the foundation processes the paperwork.  I'm sure it's possible to turn the nonprofit application around in a week but I give them that 30 day window while the trial is in place.

If the approval for the licenses goes through, the client has already had time to think a little bit about how they want to use the tool, and you're one step ahead of the game.  If it's a pretty sure thing the client will get approved, I will even start building in the trial account if there's some basics I can get done.  You never lose anything when the upgrade from Professional to Enterprise happens, more functionality just gets added on to what's there.