If your association uses Salesforce, you already know why it’s the world’s leading CRM and management platform for businesses and organizations of all sizes. Its comprehensive features offer an unrivaled level of functionality, enhancing your other association management tools.
However, the Salesforce AppExchange is by far one of the platform’s biggest benefits.
The AppExchange is a central marketplace for Salesforce apps and plugins, and it has everything your association needs to streamline and enhance its operations. In this guide, we’ll answer some common questions about Salesforce plugins and list some of our top picks. Let’s dive in!
What are plugins in Salesforce?
Salesforce plugins, also called Salesforce apps or extensions, are additional software applications designed to extend the Salesforce platform’s existing functionality. These apps are often described as being “native” to Salesforce, meaning that they are built inside of Salesforce and integrate seamlessly with the CRM.
Plugins are typically developed by third-party vendors and offer a wide variety of additional features to users. For example, Salesforce apps offer features to enhance sales, marketing, data analytics, and more.
What are the benefits of Salesforce plugins?
As we’ve mentioned, the top benefit of using Salesforce plugins is that they expand on the existing capabilities of the Salesforce CRM. This allows your association to do more, especially if the app has automation capabilities that streamline tasks.
Some of the other benefits of using Salesforce plugins include:
- More customization: Get the features your association needs to meet its unique goals, requirements, preferences, and workflows.
- Improved data management: Some plugins offer advanced data management capabilities, such as data cleansing and synchronization. Because these apps are already integrated with your CRM, you can rest assured that your records are accurate and up to date.
- Seamless integration: All Salesforce plugins are compatible with existing systems and processes without the need for any complex integration efforts.
- Scalability and growth: Easily expand and update your Salesforce instance as your association grows and business needs change. Instead of implementing an entirely new software solution, all you need to do is download and install the app.
These apps can also improve experiences for staff and members. Staff won’t have to learn the idiosyncrasies of several different platforms or manually transfer data from multiple sources to your CRM. Additionally, plugins allow you to personalize member experiences and communications, provide self-service resources, and improve event experiences.
Fonteva: Best Membership Software Built on Salesforce for Association Management
Membership Software Overview
Designed to be the only management tool you’ll ever need, Fonteva Membership is the future of association management software. With comprehensive data management, member engagement, and eCommerce features, Fonteva’s AMS solution, built on the #1 CRM, Salesforce, should be on every association’s radar.
Make Fonteva a top association management software solution, including:
- Full member profiles. Comprehensive profiles are automatically populated with new engagement data, combining the robust CRM foundation of Salesforce with the management insights of Fonteva. Easily track key engagement metrics at every level.
- Member portals and communities. Create public and private microsites and member communities. Empower your members to engage in new ways with self-service options and interactive chapter, committee, and group portals.
- Intuitive reports and dashboards. Draw from your wealth of data to generate customized reports at the push of a button. Refine your engagement and management strategies in real time with built-in dashboard capabilities.
Why This Membership Software Stands Out
It can be a challenge to find the right association management solution to meet your needs, but if your association already uses Salesforce, this one’s a no-brainer.
Because Fonteva is built entirely on the Salesforce platform, the integration is seamless.
This translates into several major benefits for your association. As a true-cloud solution, Fonteva Membership software is always up to date. Your management and database tools speak the same language, meaning all your data is automatically reported.
The intuitive, comprehensive, and streamlined features of Fonteva Membership give your team the flexibility to effortlessly switch focus from individual metrics to big picture trends and fine-tune your strategies like never before.
Top Salesforce App for Association Events: Fonteva Events
Events Management Software Overview
As Fonteva’s suite of event planning and management tools, Fonteva Events is a comprehensive meeting and events management system 100% native to Salesforce. Designed to streamline even the most complex, enterprise-level events like major conferences and expos, Fonteva Events packs a punch with its comprehensive features.
Associations regularly plan and host all kinds of events for members, partners, and their communities. This plugin makes planning events in Salesforce a breeze because it offers features like:
- Event lifecycle management. Comprehensive planning features and intuitive management interfaces let you track the progress of your events every step of the way. Get big picture insights as you manage micro-level details.
- Dynamic session builder. Association events should be engaging, and Fonteva Events makes it easier than ever to create custom session tracks for your attendees. Your member communities can even collaborate on their own sessions for the big day.
- Custom event sites. An event website needs to accomplish a lot, from promoting your sessions to processing registrations and payments. Fonteva Events offers an all-in-one solution to host your event website and report its generated data directly to your Salesforce database.
Why This Events Management Software Stands Out
Like its counterpart membership management suite, Fonteva Events is the perfect Salesforce app for event planning and management because it’s fully native to the platform.
In the past, your organization might have used a third-party event planning tool to organize and manage your meetings, conferences, and fundraisers. If that’s the case you already know that a lot can fall through the cracks when your team is busy switching between platforms.
With Fonteva Events, all your management data and tools reside within your Salesforce CRM.
This allows your team to make more informed decisions at every step in the complex event planning and management process. Plan smarter events, manage them more efficiently, and then learn more from them than ever before.
Salesforce Plugins for Fundraising
360MatchPro
Plugin Overview
360MatchPro by Double the Donation allows nonprofits to secure more matching gift revenue. This fundraising app automates the matching gift process, helps your organization identify supporters whose employers have a matching gift program, and sends email reminders to these supporters. This plugin can scan information stored in your Salesforce CRM and from emails and donation forms.
Keep in mind that this tool will be most helpful to associations that are eligible to receive matching gifts—in other words, associations that are certified 501(c)(3) charitable organizations.
Why This Plugin Stands Out
360MatchPro offers an innovative auto-submission feature that allows donors to submit matching gift requests directly from your donation page, helping you secure more matching gift revenue.
Classy
Plugin Overview
Classy is a comprehensive fundraising suite that connects directly to the Salesforce CRM. Because this solution is deeply connected with Salesforce Nonprofit Success Pack (NPSP) and Nonprofit Cloud, it’s best for nonprofit associations (e.g., the American Heart Association).
Classy provides a holistic fundraising experience with fully branded campaigns and data that gives users a full view of their campaigns, supporters, and revenue.
Why This Plugin Stands Out
Quickly see how campaigns are performing at any time by referencing Nonprofit Cloud’s Mass Market dashboards. Classy seamlessly flows data from fundraisers to this dashboard to deliver insights at a glance and recommend strategies for improvement.
iWave
Plugin Overview
iWave is a fundraising data analytics platform that helps organizations identify the best fundraising prospects and opportunities to raise more during their campaigns. Over the years, iWave has compiled billions of wealth and philanthropic records, yielding accurate and up-to-date fundraising insights. These insights complement the donor data stored in your association’s CRM and apply the power of AI and advanced analytics to make predictions about donor behavior.
Why This Plugin Stands Out
iWave’s extensive database makes it a good fit for almost any fundraising program. For example, leverage custom modeling and advanced segmentation analytics to identify major donor prospects. Or, segment your audience to send them tailored fundraising appeals based on donation history.
Salesforce Apps for Member Engagement & Communications
Send360
Plugin Overview
Send360 is a direct mail and gifting app. This tool makes distributing gifts, kits, and swag to your members easy. It automates sending and tracks the impact of these gifts—all within your CRM. This way, you can engage potential and current members by going beyond simple postcards or letters. Instead, send branded envelopes, greeting cards, brochures, custom welcome packets, and branded merchandise.
Why This Plugin Stands Out
Send360 works with any Salesforce Cloud or connected platform and can support multiple sending flows. It is highly customizable, allowing you to set up unique triggers that align with association activities (e.g., sending a welcome letter as soon as a new member joins).
iContact
Plugin Overview
iContact is an email marketing platform designed to save users time and effort when communicating with contacts stored in your Salesforce CRM. Its tailored features focus on driving growth for your association. For example, you can leverage targeted sending which considers email actions like open and click-through rates to determine your next message. Or, you can easily create and edit appealing emails that match your branding.
Why This Plugin Stands Out
Because iContact is native to Salesforce, you can work within software that you’re already familiar with. This boosts staff adoption and efficiency because you won’t need to devote extra time toward training.
Marketo
Plugin Overview
Marketo is a suite of marketing and email automation tools from Adobe that will help you track, identify, and prioritize the most promising leads and opportunities. Using Marketo, your association can create and manage email campaigns, use automation tools to maximize the impacts of emails, and nurture leads from cross-channel campaigns. The platform also provides lead scoring and analytics tools to track potential donors, members, and upgrades.
Why This Plugin Stands Out
Of all the aspects of your association’s operations, the ability to easily access and analyze your data is perhaps the most important when it comes to marketing. Marketo is an ideal plugin to help your team better streamline its marketing activities and learn more from your past campaigns.
Mogli
Plugin Overview
Mogli SMS is a text marketing app that allows your association to send mass messages, communicate with members one-on-one, and even accept donations for fundraisers. Mogli was built specifically for Salesforce users and takes full advantage of powerful Salesforce tools.
Why This Plugin Stands Out
Mogli uses powerful Salesforce automation tools to manage supporter data and personalize each text message. This makes it possible to provide personalization at scale.
Salesforce Plugins for Efficiency & Productivity
Ebsta LinkedIn Integration
Plugin Overview
Ebsta is a plugin for Salesforce that allows you to update your Salesforce records as you browse your members’ LinkedIn profiles. Ebsta is an extension that you can access right from your web browser, so you don’t have to leave LinkedIn to add information to Salesforce.
Why This Plugin Stands Out
The more updated information your association has on your members, the better you’ll be able to stay in contact with them. Ebsta helps you gather the most important details into Salesforce for easy reference and more effective outreach.
CalendarAnything
Plugin Overview
With the CalendarAnything scheduling plugin for Salesforce, your association can create calendars directly from your member database. Use customizable color coding and views, as well as a mobile app, to stay organized. CalendarAnything offers an easy-to-use drag-and-drop interface and sharing capabilities via the Salesforce1 app and Office 365. Associations can also use its messaging capabilities for greater collaboration.
Why This Plugin Stands Out
Scheduling your association’s various activities and offerings—and making sure that all of your members are aware of these opportunities—is a more efficient and effective process with a Salesforce app like CalendarAnything.
Stripe
Plugin Overview
Stripe is a platform used to accept payments online, in-person, and even through other platforms. It also offers automated revenue and finance tools and the option to embed financial services in your platform. Stripe integrates with Salesforce Sales, Experience, and Service Clouds. When paired with Salesforce Flow or Apex, Stripe can automate workflows and billing to save you time.
Why This Plugin Stands Out
Stripe’s comprehensive payment management tools allow your association to follow payment journeys from start to finish. You can also facilitate refunds and take action to secure delayed or failed payments.
Additional Resources
Access the tools in the AppExchange by using the world’s leading CRM and data management platform. Take full advantage of Salesforce and the host of tools at your fingertips to optimize your association. These Salesforce plugins can completely change your interactions with the platform, taking it from an excellent foundation to the ultimate toolkit.
Continue your research with a few additional resources:
- Salesforce for Associations: A Comprehensive Guide. Eager to learn more about leveraging Salesforce for your association? Check out this comprehensive guide.
- Top 5 Salesforce Features to Streamline Event Management. Professional events are no joke! Make sure your team understands all that Salesforce has to offer before getting started on planning your next conference.
- CRM for Associations: The Basics & How It Complements an AMS. Using your CRM correctly is critical to association success. Keep reading to learn more about CRMs for associations.
