Salesforce Reports – undocumented feature
One of the reasons I love teaching our Intro to Reports class is that I learn something every time, without fail. The last time a student asked me what the text and picklist on the bottom of a report meant, and I answered, “I have no idea!” I now know both what it is and why I didn’t know before – it’s an undocumented feature that doesn’t appear in either Google or Salesforce Help search results. If you look on the bottom of a report (Summary and Matrix, but not Tabular) you will see the text, “Check...
read moreReview of the Salesforce – Eventbrite Connector for Event Management
Whether you are running paid or free events, first-name-basis events or huge events with barcode ticket-scanning for admission, Eventbrite will likely suit your needs. And if you run your organisation with Salesforce, then the Eventbrite Connector is the missing link, bringing happiness and clarity to your world. The connector itself is free, and fairly straightforward. It can do one-way syncing from Eventbrite to Salesforce, so Salesforce will be able to grab all the info about your attendees, and report on it. The connector can even create a...
read moreWebsite Relaunched!
It’s been an amazing month here at Third Sector IT. We finished our rebranding, which started with a new logo, which led to a whole new business card design, which led to a new website, which also gave us the opportunity to update our listed offerings, and turn some of our services into fixed price products. And, we have another person on the team, Sisu Berhane, who I am so excited to be working with! We also tried something new with the business cards, which was to emphasise both our consultants certifications and our partnership with...
read moreEvent Management for Salesforce.com: Eventbrite vs Acteva pricing for SME’s
Both Acteva and Eventbrite have pluggins allowing your event attendee information to easily sync to Salesforce. Whether you will want to use one or the other depends almost exclusively on the cost of your event per person and the number of attendees per event, and to a lesser extent, the number of events per year. For high prices and high volumes, Acteva is affordable, and sometimes beats Eventbrite. For lower volumes typical with SME’s, Acteva’s price structure is prohibitive. (While I live in the UK, Acteva charges in dollars, so...
read moreReview of MailChimp Connector for Salesforce
For over a year, MailChimp has had a beta connector in Salesforce’s App Exchange. I really like the MailChimp interface, and would like to use them, but wanted something that would connect with Salesforce. So when their connector left beta and became available, I was excited. Unfortunately, they have made the same mistake that other companies do – claiming that moving contacts back and forth equals integration. Yes, with the connector you can move the names and addresses of people on campaigns into Mailchimp very easily. And you...
read moreThe difference between ‘regular’ Salesforce and the NonProfit Starter Pack from Salesforce
A lot of people are unsure about what exactly non-profits get when they get Salesforce. It’s a bit tricky, because we are really discussing three things: features, pricing, and optional pre-configured customisations (that’s the NonProfit Starter Pack bit). Regular, for profit businesses can purchase different editions of Salesforce, each with their own features and pricing, ranging from a basic contact manager to the super-duper Unlimited edition. If a non-profit receives donated licenses from the Salesforce foundation, it receives...
read moreIs Cloud Computing Secure?
One of the biggest obstacles to Cloud Computing is perceived security risks. Despite Cloud Computing’s maturity, many organisations are just beginning to consider it, and are either concerned or outright worried, as they are unfamiliar with it. I’d like to address three points: the perception that cloud computing is foreign, real vs perceived risks, and the dual nature of genuine security. You already use cloud computing… First, most people currently use cloud computing but are often unaware of this, as it’s not labeled...
read moreHow to Select a CRM System
My number one piece of advice is, don’t try to select a CRM system and a consultant all at the same time. It doesn’t give you a chance to properly evaluate either, and this is a decision that will have a major impact on your organisation for years. Many organisations write up a list of their requirements for a CRM, invite consultants to respond, and select both a platform and a consultant simultaneously. The problem with this method is that matching your business needs to the right CRM is left to people outside your organisation...
read moreFree event for non-profits evaluating CRM options
a CRM Summit showcasing Salesforce, CiviCRM and MS Dynamics Tuesday June 7th from 2:00 to 5:30 at CAN Mezzanine Old Street (Free) While not that useful for existing Salesforce users, if you know of any non-profits who are still exploring what CRM they should select, please pass along the details for this showcase event. London Circuit Riders / Lasa is putting together a free CRM Summit for non-profits & charities on three CRM tools: Salesforce, CiviCRM, and MS Dynamics. I’ll be presenting and demonstrating Salesforce at the event,...
read moreHow do I forward email to two different addresses using Google Apps?
Forwarding email in gmail / google apps to one address is easy: in the gmail inbox, you go to Settings > Forwarding, and Forward a Copy. Any user can do this to their own email. But what if you want to forward email to two (or more) addresses? This is possible, but you need to be an admin in Google Apps to do this. This works in all versions, both Premier and Standard (the free version). Go to the Control Panel of Google Apps – from your Inbox, click Manage this Domain on the upper right. If you don’t see this, you might not be...
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