Most nonprofits are operating with limited staff, stretched budgets, and more to track than any spreadsheet can handle. What many of them don't know is that Salesforce has a program designed specifically for them, and it includes 10 free licenses just to get started.
This is not a promotional offer with fine print. It is a formal program that Salesforce has maintained for decades, and it is available to most registered 501(c)(3) organizations in the United States and equivalent nonprofits internationally.
Here is what you need to know.
What Is the Power of Us Program
The Power of Us Program is Salesforce's commitment to the nonprofit sector. It gives eligible organizations access to Salesforce technology at no cost or at deeply reduced rates — the same technology used by some of the largest companies in the world.
The core of the program includes 10 free Salesforce licenses for Nonprofit Cloud, the platform built specifically for mission-driven organizations. Beyond those first 10 seats, nonprofits receive up to 75% off additional licenses, making it one of the most significant technology discounts available to the sector.
The program also includes access to Salesforce.org resources, a community of over 50,000 nonprofit and education organizations, and support from a global network of certified partners who specialize in mission-driven implementations.
What Nonprofit Cloud Actually Does
Nonprofit Cloud is not a generic CRM with a different label. It was built from the ground up for how nonprofits actually operate.
It gives your organization a single place to manage donor relationships — full contact history, giving history, communication preferences, and engagement across every touchpoint. Instead of tracking donors in one spreadsheet, volunteers in another, and program participants in a third, everything lives in one record that every team member can access.
For fundraising teams, it means knowing exactly where every donor stands before every call and every campaign. For program staff, it means seeing which constituents are engaged, which need follow-up, and what outcomes you are producing. For leadership, it means having real data for board meetings and grant applications instead of manually compiling reports the night before.
Who Qualifies
Most registered nonprofits qualify. In the United States, organizations with 501(c)(3) status are eligible. Internationally, the equivalent nonprofit registration in your country typically qualifies as well.
The verification process is straightforward. Salesforce partners with a third-party organization called TechSoup to confirm nonprofit status. Once verified, you can apply the Power of Us discount to your Salesforce licenses.
There are a small number of exclusions — primarily organizations that are government entities, political parties, or engaged in certain restricted activities. For the vast majority of nonprofits, however, qualification is standard.
What the Application Process Looks Like
Getting started involves three steps: verifying your nonprofit status through TechSoup, creating a Salesforce account, and applying your Power of Us eligibility to your licenses.
The application itself is not complicated. The bigger question most nonprofits face is not whether they qualify — it is what to do once they have access. A system with 10 free licenses and significant flexibility is an opportunity, but it requires thought about how to configure it for your specific organization, your specific team, and your specific goals.
That is where working with a certified Nonprofit Cloud partner makes the difference. The technology is accessible. What it takes to make it useful is knowing how to set it up right from the start.
The Bottom Line
If your organization is managing donor relationships in spreadsheets, tracking programs in email threads, or compiling grant reports by hand the night before they are due — you are doing work that a well-configured Nonprofit Cloud system would handle automatically. And in most cases, you already qualify for the technology to change that. The first 10 seats are free.
Want to find out if your organization qualifies and what it would look like to get started? Book a free 30-minute conversation with our team and we will walk you through the Power of Us program, what you are eligible for, and what the next steps look like for your specific organization.
