Salesforce Success Starts Here: A Guide for Nonprofit & Higher Ed Leaders
The SOW is signed. Leadership is excited. A consulting partner is ready to go.
…and suddenly everyone is looking at you to make it happen.
If you’re wondering what to do before the official project kickoff, this practical step-by-step guide will help you set your internal team and your consulting partner up for success from day one.
If you’re a nonprofit or higher ed leader gearing up for a new Salesforce project, think of this as your practical checklist for starting strong and staying aligned.
Step 1: Review the Statement Of Work (SOW) Thoroughly
Before you schedule a single meeting, get crystal clear on the agreement.
Make sure you:
Understand what’s in scope and out of scope
Review assumptions, deliverables, and timelines
Identify key dependencies and risks
Evaluate your team’s bandwidth and allocations — this likely isn’t the only project on their plates
A strong understanding of the SOW prevents misalignment and surprises later.
Step 2: Project Planning & Setup
This is where your foundation gets built. The more organized you are now, the smoother the project will run.
Core setup activities include:
Create a Project Charter to formally authorize the existence of the project. This outlines the project’s purpose, goals, and scope, outlines key tasks, and identifies who’s responsible for what deliverables.
Establish documentation spaces, Slack/Teams channels, and a project board
Define your project team, roles, responsibilities, and resourcing allocations
Organize all existing documentation into a clear, digestible structure
Governance matters too:
Define how decisions will be made
Establish escalation paths
Identify approval owners for requirements, designs, and deployments
Step 3: Internal Kickoff
Before bringing in your consulting partner, align internally.
An internal kickoff ensures your team understands expectations and can flag risks early.
Cover topics like:
Roles and responsibilities
Project scope and objectives
Risks and known challenges
Team availability and scheduling constraints
Timeline expectations
Communication cadence and channels
Expected level of involvement during all project phases
Calendar blocks for project work
This step dramatically reduces confusion once the full project team comes together.
Step 4: Provide Information to Your Consulting Partner (Securely)
Your partner can’t succeed without the right access and context - but security and compliance come first.
Prepare and share:
Secure access to project folders and documentation
Org or sandbox access
Sample data and reporting examples
Compliance and security constraints
Integration details, APIs, and credentials
Any existing architecture or technical documentation
The goal is to give your partner enough information to prepare thoughtfully for discovery and design sessions.
Step 5: Align with Your Consulting PM
Before the official kickoff, the internal PM and consulting PM should connect one-on-one.
This meeting helps:
Align on expectations and delivery approach
Establish trust and working rhythm
Discuss communication styles and preferences
Share organizational nuances and known challenges
Surface risks early
Confirm access to Orgs & document repositories
Strong PM alignment is one of the biggest predictors of project success
Step 6: Project Kickoff – The Official Starting Line 🏁
You’ve done the prep - now it’s time for the main event.
The kickoff is the first full-team meeting where you:
Introduce both project teams
Review goals, scope, and timeline together
Align on ways of working
Set expectations for collaboration and communication
Build momentum and shared ownership from day one
A well-prepared kickoff sets the tone for the entire project.
