Salesforce has long been a trusted platform for nonprofits, helping organizations manage donor relationships, programs, and impact data. For years, the Nonprofit Success Pack (NPSP) served as the foundation for this work.

Now, Salesforce is encouraging nonprofits to move to the Nonprofit Cloud (NPC) –  a modern, scalable solution built with new data models, features, and capabilities designed for the evolving needs of the sector.

If you’re considering or planning your upgrade, this guide walks you through key steps, best practices, and important differences to know before making the switch.

 Need expert help? Explore Kizzy Consulting – Salesforce for Nonprofits.

Why Upgrade from NPSP to the Nonprofit Cloud?

Salesforce is moving toward a unified platform designed with automation, scalability, and improved data relationships at its core.

Upgrading to the Nonprofit Cloud offers:

• A modernized person-centric data model
• A more flexible approach to fundraising and donor tracking
• Improved program and case management tools
• Better alignment with Salesforce’s long-term product roadmap

While organizations can continue to use NPSP, transitioning to NPC ensures access to ongoing enhancements and long-term support.

1. Start with the Right Foundation

Before migrating, you’ll need to set up your Nonprofit Cloud org properly.
Salesforce provides detailed documentation to help you through the process –  reviewing it early will save you time and prevent common setup issues later.

Key setup steps include:

• Enabling Person Accounts
• Configuring Program Management
• Completing all prerequisites listed in the official documentation

This foundation ensures smoother data migration and fewer post-upgrade surprises.

Kizzy Consulting’s step-by-step NPC implementation guide is a good reference.

2. Prepare and Clean Your Data

Your data from NPSP may not map one-to-one with the Nonprofit Cloud’s structure.
That’s why one of your first priorities should be to review and clean your data.

Ask yourself:

• Which data do we actually need to bring over?
• Which fields map easily, and which will require transformation?
• What legacy components or data can we safely retire?

Taking time to declutter and align your data before migration helps you avoid errors and duplication later on.

3. Choose the Right Migration Tools

Once your data is ready, you’ll need the right tools to export, transform, and import records.

Popular options include:

• Salesforce Data Loader: Lets you define SOQL queries to export and re import CSV files.
• Salesforce Inspector: A Chrome extension that simplifies record import/export and error handling.

While these tools are user-friendly, explore other available methods to find what best fits your organization’s comfort level and data volume.

4. Migrate Your Components and Metadata

Your org isn’t just made up of records –  it’s also full of custom components, workflows, and automation.

To move these elements effectively, use the Salesforce Extension Pack in VS Code.
Once connected to your org, you can retrieve and deploy components like:

• Flows and Processes
• Email Templates
• Lightning Web Components (LWCs)
• Apex Code and Reports

This is also a great time to review and optimize your existing automation and components for the Nonprofit Cloud environment.

5. Understand the Key Model Differences

One of the biggest shifts between NPSP and NPC is the data model.

• NPSP uses a Household Model, where one account represents a household with multiple related contacts.
• Nonprofit Cloud uses a Person Model, where each account represents an individual.

To maintain relationships between people and organizations, the NPC introduces Party Role Relationships –  a flexible way to model relationships between accounts and contacts.

6. Watch Out for Retired Features

Some familiar NPSP tools are not available in the Nonprofit Cloud, including:

• The Address Object, which tracked seasonal or household addresses.
• The Volunteers for Salesforce (V4S) app, previously used for event and shift management.

You’ll need to identify your primary contact addresses and explore alternatives for volunteer management –  either through AppExchange solutions or custom-built tools.

7. Modernize Fundraising and Program Tracking

Fundraising looks a bit different in the Nonprofit Cloud.
While you can still use Opportunities for major gifts, the new model introduces a Gift Object Framework, including:

• Gift Designations –  represent specific fund purposes
• Gift Commitments –  record donation pledges
• Gift Transactions –  track actual payments

Program Management and Case Management also come with updates. Although they share familiar objects, the data relationships and flow differ. Review these structures carefully before migrating your data.

For fundraising & program setups, see Kizzy Consulting nonprofit pages and case studies:

Salesforce for Non-Profits and Salesforce Non-Profit for Scattered Donor Data

8. Modernize Your Automations and Layouts

Upgrading your org is the perfect opportunity to modernize your processes.

• Convert old Workflows and Processes to Flows –  Salesforce now provides a one-click conversion tool.
• Replace standard Page Layouts with Lightning Pages to improve usability and dynamic display of record data.

These upgrades not only align you with Salesforce’s latest standards but also enhance the user experience for your team.

9. Always Test in a Sandbox First

It may be tempting to migrate data and components directly into your production environment, but that’s a risky move.

Instead, create a sandbox environment and deploy everything there first.
Testing your data, automation, and layouts in a sandbox ensures that:

• You can fix issues before they impact real data
• Your team can validate everything before going live

Once you’re confident in the setup, promote your changes to production.

Final Thoughts

Migrating from the Nonprofit Success Pack to the Nonprofit Cloud isn’t just a version upgrade –  it’s a strategic shift to a smarter, more flexible platform.

By planning carefully, cleaning your data, using the right tools, and testing before launch, your nonprofit can make this transition smooth and successful.

Kizzy Consulting can help with sandbox testing and pre-go-live validation – contact us: https://kizzyconsulting.com/contact/

Conclusion: Making Your NPSP to Nonprofit Cloud Migration a Success

Upgrading from NPSP to the Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud is a significant step – but with the right planning, tools, and understanding of the data model, the transition can be smooth and highly rewarding.

The result is a modern, scalable CRM that empowers your nonprofit to manage fundraising, programs, and relationships more effectively.

If you want a faster, cleaner migration, investing in planning, data preparation, and sandbox testing will set your organization up for long-term success.