Growing ministries on Salesforce face unique challenges managing their tech stack, protecting recurring giving, and engaging donors. See how other Salesforce ministries solved these problems while reducing costs and increasing donor retention.
Growth is a blessing – and a challenge. Just ask Wild at Heart, who spent years searching for a giving platform that could truly support their ministry's vision.
BUT they had a problem - their robust Salesforce environment was working for them, but it was complex and messy to integrate the fundraising and event platforms they needed into their ecosystem.
"After years of looking and trying many available giving platform solutions, as a Salesforce-based non-profit, it was shocking to discover that there weren't any good, user-friendly donation and event platforms that integrate with Salesforce seamlessly," shares John Dale, Senior Director of Innovation at Wild at Heart.
The good news - not only did they find a solution that worked seamlessly with Salesforce, but they were able to replace both Experience Cloud and Marketing Cloud with a single platform that better served their needs.
Spoiler alert: These problems were why WeGive was created. Founded by believers who understand the unique challenges of ministry organizations, we've built a platform that aligns with your mission while solving the technical hurdles that come with growth.
Read on to see if any of these Salesforce problems sound familiar to you.
Problem #1: "Managing thousands of designations in Salesforce is a nightmare!"
Many missional nonprofits offer donations to individuals (like missionaries) that can number into the thousands - which can get complex, fast.
When a ministry has hundreds of missionaries or programs, giving shouldn't feel like searching through a phone book. And that’s exactly how you don’t want the giving experience to feel to a donor.
What Your Donors and Staff Need:
- Quick, easy search to find the right missionary or program
- Unique giving pages for each designation
- Custom donation forms that match your ministry's brand
- Everything syncing perfectly with Salesforce
You Can Tell Your IT Team:
Our designation management system implements real-time bidirectional sync with your Salesforce GAUs and custom objects. We support hierarchical relationships, custom field mapping, and dynamic form generation based on Salesforce record types. API endpoints enable programmatic designation management and automated sync validation.
Once you've got your designations organized, the next challenge is creating giving experiences that work for each unique ministry program...
Problem #2: "Our giving forms can't handle our unique ministry needs!"
Every missionary, every program, every campaign needs something different. One size doesn't fit all in ministry – why should it in giving? Is your fundraising or marketing team tired of waiting on IT to create a custom form for them to test? WeGive has a solution for that.
"What is this Gandalf magic?" That's what one ministry leader said when they saw our customization capabilities in action.
What Your Ministry Needs:
- Custom fields for different types of designations
- Unique giving experiences for each missionary
- Forms that adapt based on donor data
- The ability to test and launch new forms quickly
- Different donation options for different programs
You Can Tell Your IT Team:
We implement user-authenticated dynamic segmentation based on Salesforce contact and account record data. The platform can:
- Generate dynamic forms based on designation type
- Pull conditional fields from Salesforce
- Support custom validation rules
- Enable A/B testing without code changes
- Maintain brand consistency across all forms
With customized giving forms working smoothly, there's an even bigger challenge to tackle...
Problem #3: "We can't afford to lose our recurring donors!"
Switching platforms is scary. What about all your faithful monthly donors? That's why we created the Token Bay.
What This Means for Your Ministry:
- Keep all your recurring gifts when switching platforms
- Own your giving data – it's yours to take anywhere
- Smart tools to protect recurring giving
- Options to pause instead of cancel monthly gifts
- Automatic card updaters to prevent failed payments
You Can Tell Your IT Team:
Our Token Bay provides portable tokenization with multi-processor support. We offer:
- Secure vault migration protocols
- Automated token transfer processes
- Multi-gateway failover options
- Real-time payment method updating
- Configurable dunning management
Now that your recurring giving is protected, let's talk about the donor experience...
Problem #4: "Our donor portal costs a fortune but delivers so little!"
Building a custom donor portal in Experience Cloud costs more than a small car – and often delivers less than you need. Your donors deserve better.
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What Your Donors Get:
- See all their gifts in one place (even offline ones)
- Manage household information easily
- Update payment methods for all recurring gifts at once
- View their true impact across programs
- Access personalized content from missionaries they support
You Can Tell Your IT Team:
The portal leverages native Salesforce APIs for true bidirectional sync. Features include:
- Real-time data synchronization with Contact and Account records
- Configurable field-level security
- Custom object support
- Household hierarchy management
- Offline gift record integration
A great donor portal is just the start. The real magic happens with personal connection...
Problem #5: "Personal donor connection shouldn't require Marketing Cloud!"
Marketing Cloud is powerful – and priced like it. But your donors need personal connection, not just enterprise features. The number one reason donors stop giving isn't financial – it's because they don't feel connected to your mission.
What Your Ministry Gets:
- Missionaries can share 30-second thank-you videos
- Automated multi-channel communications
- Private updates to specific donor groups
- Smart donor segmentation
- Customizable post-donation flows like "Thanks for supporting my ministry in Kenya!"
You Can Tell Your IT Team:
Our engagement platform functions as a Customer Data Platform with:
- Dynamic segmentation based on Salesforce fields
- Multi-channel campaign orchestration
- Custom object mapping
- Automated journey builders
- Real-time event triggers
With donor communication flowing smoothly, there's one last hurdle to overcome...
Problem #6: "Our ministry team is stuck waiting on IT for everything!"
Your staff should be focused on ministry, not stuck in technical bottlenecks. LifeWise Academy faced this challenge when they grew from 3 schools to 500 – they needed tools their team could actually use.
What Your Team Can Do:
- Create new giving forms instantly
- Test different donation pages
- Let missionaries update as much (or as little) of their giving forms as you want
- Launch fundraising campaigns
- Manage donor communications
You Can Tell Your IT Team:
The platform provides:
- No-code form builders
- A/B testing capabilities
- Role-based access controls
- Version control
- Staging environments
Real Results That Matter
When Wild at Heart made the switch to WeGive, they saw:
- 50% increase in household giving
- 56% growth in recurring giving
- 100% successful transfer of existing recurring donors
- Significant cost savings by eliminating Experience Cloud and Marketing Cloud
LifeWise Academy's journey was just as impressive:
- 20% increase in one-time gifts
- 44% growth in recurring donations
- Eliminated expensive custom system costs
- Simplified volunteer management across 20 states
Making the Switch: Easier Than You Think
The Process:
1. Initial assessment of your current setup
2. Custom migration plan
3. Secure transfer of recurring gifts
4. Team training
5. Staged rollout
Cost Savings to Consider:
- Experience Cloud licensing
- Marketing Cloud costs
- Other Email or SMS platform costs
- Development resources
- Staff time for manual tasks
- Payment processing fees
- Increased retention of donors (nonprofits see an average increase of 148%!)
Remember to calculate your total cost of ownership, including:
- Current platform costs
- Staff time for maintenance
- Development resources
- Training requirements
- Processing fees
- Lost giving from poor user experience
Ready to Focus on Ministry, Not Technology?
Your ministry's growth shouldn't be limited by technology. As fellow believers, we understand what's at stake – it's not just about processing payments, it's about advancing the Kingdom.
Let's talk about your ministry's specific needs. Schedule a demo to see how WeGive can help you focus more on ministry and less on technology.
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