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Scott and Matt are back with a recap of Dreamforce 2026 in San Francisco, covering what stood out and what it could mean for nonprofit teams. In this episode: Dreamforce highlights: Keynotes from leaders like Jensen Huang, Dario Amodei, and Sam Altman, and live demos of real customers using AI in production. Claude Force: Salesforce and Anthropic's new partnership, and why the hosts see it as collaboration rather than competition. Data privacy and governance: Why zero data retention and strong safeguards matter when connecting AI to your organization's data. Surfaces: How Salesforce data can be reached through Slack and mobile, like a fundraising executive getting a donor briefing before a meeting. Doing more with less: Salesforce's new Core, Advanced, and Max bundles and more flexible licensing. Have questions? Get in touch with us at belmarcloud.com, and we’ll help point you in the right direction.

Nonprofit teams are often asked to do more with limited time, and Salesforce automation can help reduce the administrative burden without sacrificing meaningful donor relationships. In this episode of Belmar Bites, Scott and Tom Kadota explore how nonprofits can use Salesforce Flow to automate routine tasks, improve donor stewardship, and create more consistent follow-up processes. Through a practical fundraising example, they demonstrate how Salesforce can automatically send gift acknowledgements, update donation records, and assign personal follow-up tasks when a major gift is received. You’ll also learn how to identify the right balance between automation and human interaction, where automation can support your team’s day-to-day workflows, and how thoughtful processes can help staff spend less time on manual work and more time building stronger donor relationships. This episode is ideal for nonprofit administrators, fundraisers, and Salesforce users looking for practical ways to improve efficiency, strengthen stewardship, and get more value from their CRM.

Your nonprofit collects valuable data every day, but are you using it to make better decisions? In this episode of Belmar Bytes, Scott and Tom explore how Salesforce reports and dashboards help nonprofit leaders transform raw data into meaningful insights. Learn how to build executive dashboards, customize reports with dynamic filters, track fundraising performance, and monitor key metrics in real time. Whether you're preparing for Giving Tuesday or simply looking to get more value from Salesforce, this episode will help you make smarter, data-driven decisions.

In this episode of Belmar Bytes, Scott Billows and Tom Kadota explore how nonprofits can use Salesforce to turn donor data into stronger, more personalized relationships. They discuss how dynamic reports can help fundraising teams identify lapsed donors, segment supporters more effectively, and replace outdated spreadsheets with real-time insights. The conversation also highlights the importance of maintaining a complete history of donor communications, gifts, meetings, and engagement so teams can preserve valuable context—even through staff turnover. Scott and Tom share practical advice for identifying gaps in your data, working more effectively with your Salesforce administrator, and preparing your CRM to support stronger stewardship and future campaigns such as Giving Tuesday.

Clean data is the foundation of a successful Salesforce strategy. In this week's Belmar Bytes podcast, Scott Billows and Tom Kadota discuss why data hygiene matters, how issues like duplicate records and inconsistent data entry can impact reporting, fundraising, and constituent engagement, and the practical steps organizations can take to maintain accurate, reliable data over time. From standardizing fields and preventing duplicates to leveraging Salesforce's built-in data management tools, this episode offers actionable insights to help nonprofits improve data quality, build trust in their CRM, and get more value from their Salesforce investment.

In this episode, we sit down with Kristina Lugo, President and CEO of the nonprofit organization Avenidas. Kristina shares the compelling history of Avenidas and its mission to provide comprehensive and diverse aging services. We dive deep into the organization's strategic roadmap, specifically focusing on how they are leveraging technology to enhance the lives of seniors and optimize service delivery. Whether you're interested in the nonprofit sector, healthcare innovation, or the future of eldercare, this conversation offers valuable insights into leading a mission-driven organization in a rapidly evolving digital landscape. Learn more about Avenidas: www.avenidas.org Interested in supporting Avenidas' mission? DonateVolunteerLearn more about their programsFor questions or to connect with Kristina Lugo, email [email protected].

Are your case managers drowning in spreadsheets and administrative documentation? In Episode 36, Scott Billows, Alice Summers, and Tom Kadota introduce the CareReady package, developed by Belmar for Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud. Purpose-built for organizations operating under CalAIM, this accelerator automates referral roster ingestions, eliminates duplicate data entry, and standardizes workflows across multiple healthcare payers, all without rigid custom code. Learn how to move your team past the starting line and back to what matters most, taking care of people.

In this episode, Scott Billows sits down with Devan Moodley, CEO and co-founder of Pllenty, a Salesforce ISV revolutionizing how nonprofits handle complex payment workflows. A "reformed banker" with deep roots in capital markets and corporate finance, Devan shares how he transitioned from the corporate world to solve a massive pain point: the disconnect between high-cost payment services and the lack of actual advisory support. Since its inception in 2016, Plenty has filled a critical gap in the Salesforce ecosystem by providing enterprise-level security, scale, and pricing control. Key topics discussed in this episode include: Solving the "Payment Pain": Why nonprofits struggle with fragmented data, record-batching, and manual reconciliation. Salesforce as the Source of Truth: The power of integrating the full payment lifecycle directly into your CRM to save staff hours and increase ROI. The Importance of Support: Why having a partner who answers the phone is often more valuable than the technology itself. The Future of AI in Payments: How pattern recognition and predictive analytics are poised to change donor engagement and process flows. Navigating Scale: A look at how organizations can transition from 100 to 1,000+ employees by leveraging best-in-class tools. Whether you are a nonprofit leader looking to streamline your donations or seeking better payment rails, Devan offers a masterclass in why specialized partnerships are the key to long-term success.

n this episode of Belmar Bytes, host Scott Billows sits down with Wendi Campbell, President and CEO of Junior Achievement BC (JABC), to discuss the critical role of financial literacy and entrepreneurship in today’s world. With a history spanning 70 years in British Columbia, JABC was the first international charter of Junior Achievement outside of the United States and now reaches over 90,000 students annually across the province. Wendi shares her journey from a three-decade career in financial services to leading a non-profit dedicated to equipping youth with "life skills" like budgeting, investing, and career readiness. The conversation explores how JABC is combating financial misinformation on social media and addressing the decline of entrepreneurship in Canada through hands-on, experiential learning. Key highlights from this episode include: The Three Pillars: How JABC delivers essential education in financial health, work readiness, and entrepreneurship for students in grades 3 through 12. The Company Program: A deep dive into JABC’s flagship 12–16 week program where students ideate, fund, and launch their own businesses under the mentorship of business leaders. TechWorks: Insights into the annual high school symposium that sparks interest in technology careers through hands-on workshops. Operational Excellence: How JABC utilizes Salesforce as a "single source of truth" to drive efficiency and collaboration across their development and program teams. The Multiplier Effect: The long-term impact of JABC programs, including data showing that graduates are 50% more likely to start a business. Whether you are an educator looking to bring these programs into your classroom at no extra cost or a business professional interested in volunteering, this episode offers a compelling look at how we can better equip the next generation for success.

The days of the "off-ramp" are over. In this episode, Scott Billows and Matt Hui discuss the most significant change to the Salesforce Partner Program in 15 years: a shift toward long-term customer success. They explore why the traditional "break-fix" support model is being replaced by "Hypercare", a managed service that moves partners from simply taking orders to orchestrating high-value growth. Learn how this new era of partnership is designed to remove organizational friction and ensure your technology remains irreplaceable.

The healthcare landscape is shifting from "doing tasks" to "delivering outcomes." Dr. Eleanor Castillo Sumi explains the five-year journey of CalAIM and what it means for the future of community-based organizations. We explore the transition to value-based contracting, the power of predictive analytics, and how smaller organizations can position themselves as equal partners in a changing system. Learn why optimizing your data today is the only way to transform your organization’s impact tomorrow.

In this episode, Scott Billows and Matt Hui break down the shift from CRM as a "system of record" to a "system of action". Drawing from recent leadership meetings in Toronto and Vancouver, they discuss why organizations are moving away from hiring more headcount and instead leveraging technology like Salesforce Agentforce to 1X, 2X, or even 3X their output. Discover how "digital workers" can help your team diversify revenue and stabilize operations without the burnout.

What happens when a public health system faces a billion-dollar budget cut? You innovate. Tom Zazueta, COO, explains how Valley Health Foundation is using technology as a "force multiplier" to offset funding gaps and better serve the safety net of Santa Clara County. This episode explores the future of AI in the non-profit sector, specifically how tools like Agentforce allow leaders to "ask their data questions", and the importance of finding the right strategic partners to achieve mission-critical milestones. The Transition: Moving from for-profit tech startups to the non-profit sector.The Tech Stack: Implementing Salesforce (Experience Cloud), NetSuite, Slack, Asana, Rippling, and Ramp.The ROI of "Self-Investment": Reframing overhead costs as essential tools for community impact.Advocacy as Scale: How the foundation helped pass a tax measure to return $1.65 billion to the local healthcare system.

As we hit the three-year mark of the current AI cycle, the debate surrounding the "replacement" of enterprise software and knowledge workers is reaching a fever pitch. In this episode, Scott Billows and Matt Hui break down the current state of artificial intelligence, arguing that we are still in the "very early part of the first inning". They dive into the trending fears that AI will eradicate SaaS giants like Salesforce, explaining why these tools remain essential foundations as systems of record and compliance. The conversation also shifts to the "knowledge worker," debunking the idea of total job replacement and focusing instead on how AI is supercharging productivity, increasing the "surface area" of what organizations can achieve, and raising the high watermark for quality and human judgment. Key topics discussed include: The "Vibe Coding" Trend: Why AI replaces tasks, not entire professions, and how job descriptions for developers and consultants are evolving.Real-World Adoption: Why AI pioneers like OpenAI and Anthropic are still hiring human Salesforce administrators and software developers.The "Output vs. Expectation" Cycle: How increased efficiency leads to higher complexity and a greater need for human accountability and trust.Practical AI Wins: A look at how the Belmar team uses tools like Google Gemini and automated transcriptions to streamline content strategy and customer communication.

From waking up at 3:00 AM to process donations to tracking campaigns in real-time, Leslie Stewart joins the pod to discuss the Alberta Cancer Foundation’s move to Salesforce. Scott Billows and Leslie Stuart dive into the challenges of untangling "Frankensteined" legacy systems and the massive benefits of cloud adoption.  Whether you are a fundraiser or a systems director, Leslie’s advice on process mapping and data hygiene is a must-listen for anyone looking to modernize their nonprofit’s tech stack. Episode Highlights: Mitigating Risk: How a CFO and leadership team drove the decision to overhaul critical systems.Real-Time Results: Shifting from reactive, 24-hour delays to watching donations and campaign success in real-time.Platform vs. Application: Why growing organizations should choose platforms that allow for innovation rather than "in-the-box" applications.Future-Proofing: Preparing data foundations today for the use of AI tomorrow.