Introduction
It’s the end of a fundraising campaign. Donations came in, but half your thank-you emails went out late and a few major donors never received a follow-up. This is the risk when nonprofits rely on spreadsheets or disconnected tools instead of a true CRM.
The right donor management software for nonprofits helps teams track gifts, nurture supporters, and build lasting relationships. That is why many organizations compare Salesforce vs HubSpot when looking for a better system. For nonprofits choosing Salesforce, the question goes deeper: stick with Salesforce NPSP or move to the newer Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud (NPC)? This NPSP vs Nonprofit Cloud decision shapes how teams manage donors, programs, and long-term impact.
This blog provides a practical nonprofit CRM comparison. We will look at HubSpot CRM vs Salesforce CRM (NPSP and NPC), outline their strengths, and explain which solution fits nonprofits of different sizes and needs.
Why Nonprofits Look for a Marketing Automation Platform
A marketing automation platform helps nonprofits reach donors at the right time without adding more manual work for staff. This matters because retaining donors can be harder than acquiring them, and consistent follow-up is what turns occasional gifts into long-term support.
Examples in action:
- A food bank sends a warm thank-you email within minutes of a donation, making every supporter feel seen and appreciated.
- A children’s charity automatically reminds monthly sponsors about upcoming payments, keeping contributions steady without staff intervention.
- An arts nonprofit measures which concert invitations bring past attendees back, helping them refine campaigns and grow repeat giving.
- Automation gives teams confidence that every supporter is acknowledged and engaged, even when staff are stretched thin.
With that foundation in place, let’s look at how Salesforce offers donor management through NPSP and Nonprofit Cloud.
Salesforce for Nonprofit Donor Management
Salesforce Donor Management systems are one of the most widely used CRMs in the world. Nonprofits access it through two specialized solutions: Salesforce NPSP and Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud (NPC). Both are designed for donor engagement, but they fit different types of organizations.
Salesforce NPSP for Nonprofits
Focus: Salesforce Nonprofit Success Pack (NPSP) is one of the most widely adopted donor management software options for nonprofits. It helps manage fundraising, gifts, and long-term donor relationships.
Strengths:
1. Tracks the full donor lifecycle: from first gift to recurring giving to legacy donations.
2. Customizable workflows for pledges, acknowledgments, and campaigns.
3. Integrates easily with donation tools like Classy, iATS, and Volunteers for Salesforce.
Best suited to mid-sized organizations looking to grow their donor base and maintain flexibility in how they manage campaigns.
Example: A regional education nonprofit uses NPSP to manage recurring student sponsorships and deliver personalized impact reports to each donor.
Nonprofit Spotlight: Housing Alexandria strengthened its donor relations by refreshing its NPSP setup with enhanced layouts, personalized emails, and advanced analytics. These changes boosted engagement, donor confidence, and provided valuable insights for campaign strategy.
Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud (NPC) for Nonprofits
Focus: Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud (NPC) is the newer option, built with advanced AI-powered donor management and deeper program impact tracking.
Strengths:
1. Predictive donor insights highlight who is most likely to give again.
2. Donor segmentation distinguishes major donors from grassroots supporters.
3. Connects donations directly to program outcomes, making it easier to show impact.
4. Ideal for large nonprofits managing complex fundraising programs and global donor networks.
Example: An international relief nonprofit uses NPC to provide major donors with personalized program updates, while grassroots supporters receive broader community impact stories.
Nonprofit Spotlight: The Adventure Project uses Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud (NPC) to manage donor data, track program outcomes, and strengthen long-term engagement. By consolidating operations into one system, the organization reduced manual processes, improved transparency, and built a more sustainable model for scaling impact.
HubSpot for Nonprofit Donor Management
Overview: HubSpot CRM is simple, intuitive, and built around marketing automation, making it attractive for nonprofits without dedicated IT support.
Strengths:
1. Donor contact management with a complete communication history.
2. Automated appeals, thank-you messages, and newsletters.
3. Engagement dashboards that show donor activity at a glance.
Designed for smaller teams that want a quick, affordable way to manage donors and automate engagement.
Example: A local animal shelter uses HubSpot to automatically send thank-you notes after each donation, share monthly adoption stories, and track which supporters return to give again. These automated touchpoints help the team stay connected to donors without extra manual work.
Nonprofit spotlight: Swipe Out Hunger adopted HubSpot to centralize donor communication and automate outreach, scaling its mission to end student hunger while keeping engagement personal and consistent.
HubSpot CRM vs Salesforce NPSP vs Nonprofit Cloud: Features and Pricing
Feature | Salesforce NPSP | Salesforce NPC | HubSpot |
Ease of Use | Requires training or a dedicated admin. | Modern UX, but still technical. | Very user-friendly, minimal training needed. |
Customization | Flexible donor workflows, pledge tracking, reports. | Advanced customization with AI-driven insights | Limited customization but strong defaults. |
Donor Engagement | Manages recurring giving, acknowledgments, and campaigns. | AI-driven donor scoring, segmentation, and outcome tracking | Great for automated emails, thank-yous, and newsletters. |
Reporting | Tracks donor retention, gift history, and campaign ROI. | Advanced analytics tied to program outcomes. | Great for automated emails, thank-yous, and newsletters. |
Integrations | Strong nonprofit apps like Classy & iATS. | Deep connections across the Salesforce ecosystem + Data Cloud | Strong marketing integrations (Mailchimp, Eventbrite). |
Pricing | Through Salesforce’s Power of Us Program, eligible nonprofits receive 10 free Enterprise Edition licenses and discounted pricing on additional subscriptions. | Higher cost, geared toward enterprise nonprofits. | Free tier available, with affordable scaling options. |
When comparing HubSpot vs Salesforce pricing, nonprofits will notice that HubSpot’s free tier offers a quick starting point, while Salesforce pricing depends on the level of customization, integrations, and scale an organization needs.
What it means: HubSpot works well for nonprofits that need quick adoption and built-in automation at a low cost. NPSP provides nonprofits with donor-specific tools at a reasonable cost, with room to scale. NPC offers the most advanced functionality, but with added complexity and cost. The best fit depends on where your organization is today and how much it needs to scale in the next few years.
Key Takeaways
Each platform serves a distinct type of nonprofit. The choice depends on your size, donor complexity, and future growth plans.
Salesforce NPSP is ideal for mid-sized nonprofits that need a flexible, donor-focused CRM with plenty of room to customize as they grow.
Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud (NPC) fits larger organizations managing complex fundraising programs and wanting predictive donor insights powered by AI.
HubSpot CRM suits smaller nonprofits looking for quick setup, automated engagement, and a user-friendly interface that works right out of the box.
To put it simply:
NPSP runs like a dependable city bus, powerful, affordable, and designed for steady growth.
NPC feels like a long-distance coach, advanced, comfortable, and built for bigger journeys.
HubSpot operates like a compact car, easy to drive, efficient, and great for shorter routes.
The main difference between HubSpot and Salesforce is how they approach donor engagement. HubSpot emphasizes simplicity and automated outreach, while Salesforce focuses on deep customization and long-term donor relationship tracking.
All three can take you to your destination. The key is knowing how far you want to go and what kind of ride you are ready to manage.
HubSpot vs Salesforce NPSP vs Nonprofit Cloud: Which One Should You Choose?
Choosing between HubSpot CRM and Salesforce for Nonprofit comes down to what your organization needs today and how you expect it to grow.
Small nonprofits: HubSpot helps smaller teams start strong, automate early, and scale their outreach as they grow.
Mid-sized nonprofits: Salesforce NPSP offers the right balance of customization and cost. It’s built for organizations that need tailored donor journeys, pledge tracking, and deeper reporting.
Large nonprofits: Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud (NPC) delivers scalability and intelligence. Its AI-powered donor segmentation and impact reporting make it ideal for organizations managing global programs and complex fundraising.
When comparing options, think beyond immediate features. The right donor management platform should grow with your mission, align with your data strategy, and strengthen how you connect with supporters over time.
Conclusion
The goal of any nonprofit CRM is to simplify how you manage donors so your focus stays on building stronger relationships.
That is the same challenge we started with and the reason tools like HubSpot CRM and Salesforce for Nonprofit exist in the first place.
Salesforce NPSP gives mid-sized organizations a flexible foundation to manage donors and campaigns with ease.
Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud (NPC) brings scalability and AI-powered insights for complex fundraising ecosystems.
HubSpot CRM helps smaller teams automate communication and engage supporters quickly without heavy technical setup.
The best choice is the one that supports your mission today and prepares you for the impact you want to create tomorrow.
Is your organization exploring Salesforce for nonprofit donor management? Talk to us at CUBE84.
