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Required Configuration
If you installed Nonprofit Success Pack (NPSP) from the installer, perform these configuration steps to make NPSP function as intended.
- Update Opportunity Stages, Sales Processes, and Record Types
You can use Salesforce to track your organization's fundraising processes such as donations, matching gifts, grants, and membership management. To take full advantage of this functionality, configure Opportunity stages and record types. You also need to create additional sales processes. - Assign the Organization Record Type to Profiles
NPSP installs two Account record types: Household Account and Organization. Household accounts are for individuals and families. Organization Accounts are for foundations that fund your work, other nonprofits that you partner with, corporations that sponsor your work, or companies that employ your donors and constituents. - Assign Page Layouts
Maybe you already carefully tailored your page layouts to the way your users work, making sure the right fields are visible and grouped in a way that makes sense, and that all related information is easily accessible on each record. If so, congratulations! If not, take advantage of the NPSP custom page layouts. We designed them with typical nonprofit users in mind. You can customize them to meet your users' needs. - Restore the Standard New Button on the Opportunity Related List
The New Account Donation button on the Opportunity related list of an Account record doesn't work correctly in Lightning Experience. We recommend that you remove this button and restore the standard New button on the related list. - Override Lead Convert Button
Even if your org isn't using Leads at this point, it's worth a few minutes to get the Lead Conversion page set up, so that you'll be ready to go if you decide to use Leads sometime down the road. - Add or Edit a New Opportunity Button on Contacts
You can add new Quick Actions on Contacts that let you create Opportunities directly from the Contact record. If you started using NPSP from a trial instance after November 15, 2016, you should have these buttons on Contacts. - Override Contact Delete Button
The NPSP Contact Delete page alerts you if the Contact you're trying to delete is the only member of their Household. If so, you get the option of deleting that Household Account record along with the Contact, so that you don't have orphaned Households cluttering up your org. - Enable the Manage Household Button
If you don't see the Manage Household button on your Household Account page, enable the button in Salesforce Setup. - Create Opportunity Contact Roles
Opportunity Contact Role records link a person (Contact) to a donation (Opportunity), and show what role the person played in getting you the donation. Some typical roles are Donor, Soft Credit, Household Member, and Solicitor, but you can create whatever roles make sense for your organization. - Configure Relationship Reciprocal Settings
With NPSP, you can create Relationship records that show a connection between any two people. For example, you can track parent/child relationships, sibling relationships, mentor/mentee relationships, and more. - Activate Workflow Rules
NPSP comes with a handful of useful workflow rules to manage emails and phone numbers, and to automatically send acknowledgment emails. The workflow rules are inactive by default.
Update Opportunity Stages, Sales Processes, and Record Types
You can use Salesforce to track your organization's fundraising processes such as donations, matching gifts, grants, and membership management. To take full advantage of this functionality, configure Opportunity stages and record types. You also need to create additional sales processes.
If you’re not familiar with these terms, don’t worry, we’ll walk you through it all! To get started, here’s a brief explanation:
- Stage: A picklist field on Opportunity records. The stage indicates which step of the sales process an Opportunity is in. Typical stages for a donation might include Prospecting, Pledged, Closed Won, or Closed Lost.
- Sales Processes: A collection of stages that a business process moves through.
- Record Type: The kind of Opportunity you’re tracking, for example, Donation, Grant, or Membership. Each record type is assigned a sales process.
Create Opportunity Stage Values
We'll walk you through an example to get you started. Let's create a stage called "Application Received." (We'll use this stage in a later step for the Grant Sales Process.)From Setup, click the Object Manager
- From Setup, click the Object Manager
- From Setup, click the Object Manager tab.
- In the list of objects, click Opportunity.
- Click Fields & Relationships.
- Click the Stage field.
- Under the Opportunity Stages Picklist Values, click New.
- Enter the following details:
- Stage Name: Application Received
- Type: Open
- Probability: 30%
- Forecast Category: Pipeline
- Description: Our organization has been notified that the grant application was received.
- Save your changes.
Now create the rest of the stages you need for your organization.
Configure each of these stage values (if they don't already exist in your org).
| Stage Name | API Name | Type | Probability | Forecast Category |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Application Submitted | Application Submitted | Open | 30% | Pipeline |
| Awarded | Awarded | Closed/Won | 100% | Closed |
| Cultivation | Cultivation | Open | 30% | Pipeline |
| Declined | Declined | Closed/Lost | 0% | Omitted |
| Identification | Identification | Open | 10% | Pipeline |
| In-Kind Not Yet Received | In-Kind Not Yet Received | Open | 50% | Omitted |
| In-Kind Received | In-Kind Received | Closed/Won | 100% | Omitted |
| LOI Submitted | LOI Submitted | Open | 20% | Pipeline |
| Pledged | Pledged | Open | 50% | Pipeline |
| Proposal/Review | Proposal/Review | Open | 60% | Best Case |
| Solicitation | Solicitation | Open | 40% | Pipeline |
| Verbal Commitment | Verbal Commitment | Open | 80% | Commit |
| Withdrawn | Withdrawn | Closed/Lost | 0% | Omitted |
Create Sales Processes to Match Your Business Processes
A sales process in Salesforce is a collection of stages that an Opportunity could potentially move through. For example, a Donation sales process might include the stages Pledged, Closed Won, Closed Lost, and Declined.
Create and configure a Donation sales process:
- From Setup, in the Quick Find box, enter Sales Processes and select Sales Processes.
- Click New.
- In the Existing Sales Process field, choose Master.
- In the Sales Process name field, enter Donation.
- Click Save.
- Move the following values to the Selected Value list:
- Pledged
- Closed Won
- Declined
- Closed Lost
- If there are values other than those listed in step 6 in the Selected Values list, move them to the Available Values list.

- Save your changes.
- Now create and configure sales processes for Grants, In-Kind Gifts, and Major Gifts as described in steps 2—7 with the values listed in this table.
The NPSP Trial comes with these sales processes:
If you don't see some of the selected values in your org, you need to add them to the Opportunity Stage field first. Learn more in Create Opportunity Stage Values.
| Sales Process | Selected Values |
|---|---|
| Donation | Pledged, Closed/Lost, Closed/Won, Declined |
| Grant | Prospecting, LOI Submitted, Application Submitted, Withdrawn, Awarded, Declined |
| In-Kind Gift | Prospecting, In-Kind Not Yet Received, In-Kind Received, Withdrawn |
| Major Gift | Identification, Qualification, Cultivation, Solicitation, Proposal/Review, Verbal Commitment, Awarded, Closed/Won, Withdrawn, Declined |
Create Opportunity Record Types
Create these Opportunity record types to track different kinds of Opportunities in NPSP.
- Donation
- Grant
- In-Kind Gift
- Major Gift
- Matching Gift
- Membership
Record types let you offer different business processes, picklist values, and page layouts to different users. We’ll walk you through how to create the Donation record type.
- From Setup, click the Object Manager tab.
- In the list of objects, click Opportunity.
- Click Record Types.
- Click New.
- Enter the following information:
- Existing Record Type: Master (the default value)
- Record Type Label: Donation
- Record Type Name: Donation
- Sales Process: Donation
- Description: Donation being prospected or already received
- Select the Active checkbox.

- Select Make Available for profiles that should have access to the Donation record type.
- For enabled profiles, select Make Default to make it the default record type for users of that profile.
- Click Next.
- To apply one layout to all profiles, select Donation Layout.

- Save your changes.
- Repeat these steps for each of the other five record types. Use these values:
Record Type Enter these values Grant - Record Type label: Grant
- Record Type Name: Grant
- Sales Process: Grant
- Page Layout: Grant Layout
In-Kind Gift - Record Type label: In-Kind Gift
- Record Type Name: InKindGift
- Sales Process: In-Kind Gift
- Page Layout: In-Kind Gift Layout
Major Gift - Record Type label: Major Gift
- Record Type Name: MajorGift
- Sales Process: Major Gift
- Page Layout: Major Gift Layout
Matching Gift - Record Type label: Matching Gift
- Record Type Name: MatchingGift
- Sales Process: Donation
- Page Layout: Matching Gift Layout
Membership - Record Type label: Membership
- Record Type Name: Membership
- Sales Process: Donation
- Page Layout: Membership Layout
Assign the Organization Record Type to Profiles
NPSP installs two Account record types: Household Account and Organization. Household accounts are for individuals and families. Organization Accounts are for foundations that fund your work, other nonprofits that you partner with, corporations that sponsor your work, or companies that employ your donors and constituents.
NPSP automatically uses the Household Account record type to create Accounts when a Contact is created (and the Account Name is left blank). Because NPSP creates Household Accounts automatically, we recommend that you don't include the Household Account record type assignment for all your profiles. That way, users won't accidentally create an empty Household Account when intending to add an Organization Account.
Assign the Organization record type and set it as the default:
- From Setup, in the Quick Find box, enter Profiles, then click Profiles.
- Click the Profile that you want to edit so that it can create Organization accounts.
- Scroll to the Record Type Settings section, and next to Accounts, click Edit.
- Move Organization to Selected Record Types.
- Select Organization as the Default Record Type.
- Save your changes.
Repeat the above steps for every profile that you want to create Organization Accounts.
Assign Page Layouts
Maybe you already carefully tailored your page layouts to the way your users work, making sure the right fields are visible and grouped in a way that makes sense, and that all related information is easily accessible on each record. If so, congratulations! If not, take advantage of the NPSP custom page layouts. We designed them with typical nonprofit users in mind. You can customize them to meet your users' needs.
You can assign different page layouts for different profiles. For example, you could assign a Contact layout with fields related to giving totals for your Fund Development team, but a different layout without those fields for the rest of your staff.
You can also assign page layouts by record type. For example, you can assign a layout that includes the Number of Household Members field for the Household Account record type, but a different layout for the Organization Account record type.
In this example, we’ll assign the Household Layout to the Household Account record type for all Profiles.
- From Setup, click the Object Manager tab.
- In the list of objects, click Account.
- Click Page Layouts.
- Click Page Layout Assignment.
- Click Edit Assignment.
- Click the Household Account record type column header to select all profiles under it.
- In the Page Layout to Use field, select Household Lightning Layout or Household Layout (depending on how you installed NPSP).
- Save your changes.
Change the Page Layout Assignment for each object as described below:
Account:
Opportunity:
| Record Type | Page Layout |
|---|---|
| Master | Organization Layout |
| Household | Household Lightning Layout or Household Layout |
| Organization | Organization Lightning Layout or Household Layout |
Campaign:
| Record Type | Page Layout |
|---|---|
| Master | NPSP Campaign Layout |
| Default | NPSP Campaign Layout |
| Record Type | Page Layout |
|---|---|
| Master | Donation Layout |
| Donation | Donation Layout |
| Grant | Grant Layout |
| In-Kind Gift | In-Kind Gift Layout |
| Major Gift | Major Gift Layout |
| Matching Gift | Matching Gift Layout |
| Membership | Membership Layout |
Create Opportunity Contact Roles
Opportunity Contact Role records link a person (Contact) to a donation (Opportunity), and show what role the person played in getting you the donation. Some typical roles are Donor, Soft Credit, Household Member, and Solicitor, but you can create whatever roles make sense for your organization.
- From Setup, in the Quick Find box, enter Contact Roles, then click Contact Roles on Opportunities.Note Double check the Inactive Values list to ensure that these values don’t already exist in your org. If you find one, simply click Activate.
- Click New.
- Enter the following Roles if they aren't already listed:
- Donor
- Household Member
- Soft Credit
- Matched Donor
- Honoree
- Notification Recipient
- Grant Manager
- Decision Maker
- Influencer
- Solicitor
- Workplace Giving
- Other
- Save your changes.
Configure Relationship Reciprocal Settings
With NPSP, you can create Relationship records that show a connection between any two people. For example, you can track parent/child relationships, sibling relationships, mentor/mentee relationships, and more.
For a detailed explanation of all the Relationship Settings, read Manage Relationship Settings.
Configure Settings
Here's where you create those Relationship Reciprocal records—the ones that tell NPSP what kind of reciprocal record to auto create whenever you create a relationship record.
-
Click the NPSP Settings tab. If you don't see the tab, find it in the App Launcher (
). - Click Relationships, then click Relationship Reciprocal Settings.
- Click New Reciprocal Relationship.
- Enter values for Name and Neutral, for example, Parent and Child. If you’re tracking your constituents' genders, either through a custom field on Contact or with salutations, include values for Male (like Son), Female (like Daughter), and Neutral (like Child).

- Click Create Reciprocal Relationship.
Create any additional relationship types that would be useful for your organization.
To get you started, here are the Reciprocal Relationship records that come with the NPSP trial. Choose from these or create your own.
| NAME | MALE | FEMALE | NEUTRAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aunt | Nephew | Niece | Sibling's Child |
| Child | Father | Mother | Parent |
| Cousin | Cousin | Cousin | Cousin |
| Daughter | Father | Mother | Parent |
| Employee | Employer | Employer | Employer |
| Employer | Employee | Employee | Employee |
| Father | Son | Daughter | Child |
| Grandchild | Grandfather | Grandmother | Grandparent |
| Granddaughter | Grandfather | Grandmother | Grandparent |
| Grandfather | Grandson | Granddaughter | Grandchild |
| Grandmother | Grandson | Granddaughter | Grandchild |
| Grandparent | Grandson | Granddaughter | Grandchild |
| Grandson | Grandfather | Grandmother | Grandparent |
| Husband | Husband | Wife | Spouse |
| Mother | Son | Daughter | Child |
| Parent | Son | Daughter | Child |
| Partner | Partner | Partner | Partner |
| Son | Father | Mother | Parent |
| Spouse | Spouse | Spouse | Spouse |
| Uncle | Nephew | Niece | Sibling's Child |
| Wife | Husband | Wife | Spouse |
(Optional) Create a Custom Gender Field on Contact
If you have a valid reason to track your constituent's gender, create a custom picklist field on the Contact object.
Recommended picklist values:
- Male
- Female
- Non-Binary
- Prefer Not To Say
To create your custom field:
- Click the Object Manager tab.
- In the list of objects, click Contact.
- Click Fields & Relationships.
- Click New.
- Under Data Type, select Picklist, then click Next.
- Enter Gender as the Field Label.
- Select Enter values, with each value separated by a new line.
- For values, enter Male, Female, Non-Binary, Prefer Not To Say.
- Click Next.
- Select field-level security for each profile, then click Next.
- Select the Contact page layouts that should include the new field, then click Save.
-
Now that the custom gender field is created, use the steps in the Configure Relationship Reciprocal Settings section to configure the reciprocal relationship for it, so that it can be applied when you create relationships. For more information on gender and reciprocal relationship settings, read Manage Relationships Settings.
Activate Workflow Rules
NPSP comes with a handful of useful workflow rules to manage emails and phone numbers, and to automatically send acknowledgment emails. The workflow rules are inactive by default.
- From Setup, in the Quick Find box, enter Workflow Rules, then click Workflow Rules.
- Click Activate next to each rule.
We recommend activating all except
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