8.1 Site content

The Technical Collective

Who we are What is The Technical Collective? This project was born from the age-old problem in the Salesforce ecosystem. Junior admins don’t have enough work experience to land their first job role. Nonprofits and charities have free Salesforce licenses, but need help either getting started or maintaining their systems. Technical experts want to support, but don’t have the structure to properly volunteer their time.

A group of us got together at the Salesforce Commons January 2023 sprint and put together a program to upskill inexperienced admins to help charities make the most of their Salesforce platform with the added support of a group of experienced Salesforce professionals. The groups involved Nonprofits: Nonprofit organisations can benefit from either pro-bono or compensated support on a scoped piece of Salesforce project work. We know that nonprofit organisations are often short on resources and can benefit from additional support, whether it is an update to the existing processes, creating some reports & dashboards or helping to document the system. The nonprofits supported will be small- to mid-sized nonprofits leveraging the Salesforce 10 free licenses. Junior Salesforce Professionals: Junior Salesforce professionals will be individuals who have already upskilled in Salesforce by earning at least one certification, but are seeking work experience to add to their CV. Technical Experts: The team of technical experts are seasoned Salesforce professionals coming with at least 5 years of experience in the Salesforce ecosystem. They include Salesforce MVPs, Champions and volunteers with many collective years of experience. I am looking for nonprofit support… You are a nonprofit organisation in need of Salesforce support. Look no further than The Technical Collective! We are a team of passionate volunteers, here to support charities in their journey towards leveraging the power of Salesforce. We understand that time and budget constraints can make it challenging for nonprofits to hire additional resources to support their teams to satisfy all their organisational requirements. That's where we come in. We connect enthusiastic junior Salesforce professionals who are seeking work experience with charities in need of support. Our goal is to match the right professional with the right organisation, ensuring a mutually beneficial partnership. By volunteering their time and expertise, our professionals help charities optimize their Salesforce systems, provide strategic guidance, and empower them to achieve their mission with the support of technical experts. At The Technical Collective, we believe in the power of collaboration and making a positive impact. Let us be your partner in harnessing the full potential of Salesforce for your charity. Am I eligible? We are seeking nonprofits or social organisations who meet the following requirements: Registered charities with 10 free Salesforce licenses (minimum) Have at least one license available Can be a new implementation or an existing implementation What we need you from you Willingness to work and collaborate with the volunteer and provide feedback Create a safe environment for learning One available license in production and 2 licenses in a sandbox to be used for the duration of the project with full System Administrator access to be used by the administrator and expert Clear guidance on priorities for technical changes that need to be made Clear, measurable objectives, achievable in the time frame agreed Review & approval for the solutions suggested by The Technical Collective experts Take full responsibility for Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA), local data privacy policies such as General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR), system backups and any other policies required by your sector or organisation. At project end, completion of a survey and a case study around the impact this project made for your organisation And the biggest one of all - your time to help make this project a success What you can expect from us Support from a dedicated Salesforce technical team of resources, for a time-framed project with clear objectives and deliverables Team of experts from the Salesforce Community to support your volunteer The ability to increase your impact through the use of the CRM, such as measuring charity impact for funding opportunities and board reporting Supporting and meeting new talents to increase your network and contribution to the community CTA: Get involved (link to the charities form) CTA: Find out more about the promises exchanged between the groups of The Technical Collective project (link to Promises & Expectations) I am looking for experience… You are a certified Salesforce professional looking for an exciting opportunity to gain hands-on experience and make a difference in the nonprofit sector. Get involved with The Technical Collective and become part of our mission to support charities and their impactful missions. As a junior Salesforce professional, you'll have the chance to work directly with nonprofits, implementing Salesforce solutions and honing your technical skills. But it's not just about technical expertise – you'll also develop valuable soft skills and receive guidance from experienced technical coaches from The Technical Collective. This is your chance to give back to the community, make a meaningful impact, and enhance your professional profile. Join us today and embark on a rewarding journey of learning, growth, and making a difference with The Technical Collective. Am I eligible? We are seeking junior Salesforce professionals who meet the following requirements: A relevant Salesforce Certification Desires to gain hands-on experience and has the time to commit Completed the relevant Super Set or have created a Salesforce portfolio/dev org project Enthusiastic and driven to take your career to the next level

What we need you from you Show us your Salesforce commitment by showing off any projects that you’ve created to learn so far Be willing to learn and be open to feedback Embrace a learning mindset and do not hesitate to seek help when needed Be able to dedicate the time to stick to project timelines At project end, complete of a survey and a case study around the impact this project made for your career Be able to sign and return any required documents during the project kick-off process, such as promises and an NDA What you can expect from us Gain valuable work experience in the Salesforce industry with the opportunity to apply and enhance Salesforce skills in a real-world setting Be exposed to a nonprofit organisation and their mission with a chance to make a positive impact Receive mentorship and guidance from senior Salesforce technical experts Network within the Salesforce and nonprofit communities Access to best practices, architectural framework and templates Develop business, problem-solving and critical-thinking skills Practice and improve soft skills (communication, requirement gathering, etc) CTA: Get involved (link to the Salesforce professionals form) CTA: Find out more about the promises exchanged between the groups of The Technical Collective project (link to Promises & Expectations) I am looking to share my expertise… You are an experienced Salesforce professional looking to give back to the community. This is your chance to make a real difference! Join The Technical Collective as a volunteer technical expert and embark on an incredible journey of mentorship and impact. We are seeking talented individuals like you to support aspiring Salesforce professionals who are eager to transform their careers and make a positive change with Salesforce. Your expertise and experience will make a significant impact on their professional growth and the success of nonprofit organisations. Join us today and embark on a rewarding journey of learning, growth, and making a difference with The Technical Collective. Am I eligible? We are seeking Salesforce technical experts who meet the following requirements: At least 4 years of experience 3 or more Salesforce Certifications (excluding Associate) Interested in giving back to the community and support nonprofit organisations

If you feel that you should be considered but don’t meet the eligibility requirements, contact us at [email protected]. What we need you from you Be clear about the hours and timings that you can commit to the programme Guidance on the consultancy skills to define and design solutions and requirements Guide the charity and junior Salesforce professional to achieve and prioritise project objectives Use technical best practices including Salesforce Well-Architected framework to build solutions that provide long-term value for the charity Provide strategic advice on the technical implementation of Salesforce and related clouds/apps Advice on the technical and project governance to ensure the projects are successful Be able to sign and return any required documents during the project kick-off process, such as promises and an NDA
At project end, complete a survey and a case study around the impact this project made for your career What you can expect from us Give back to the community by coaching new talent in a structured format Experience coaching and overseeing a project using the resources provided by The Technical Collective Exposure to diverse nonprofit organisations and their missions with a chance to make a positive impact and contribute to the success of charities Network within the Salesforce and nonprofit communities with like-minded people CTA: Get involved (link to the Salesforce professionals form) CTA: Find out more about the promises exchanged between the groups of The Technical Collective project (link to Promises & Expectations) Promises & Expectations Promises & expectations between the Charity & Technical Collective Experts Charity Our mission is very important to us. In order for us to create change and make an impact for this cause we care deeply about, we need real time information to see how successful our initiatives are. We understand that we are fully responsible and accountable for our org, and that the junior Salesforce professional will help us do the work (with the guidance of the technical experts) that we need to achieve the aims of our charity. When things go wrong, we will collectively work to create an action plan to move forward, and we will also learn from the experience so that we can avoid similar mistakes in future. We promise to: Have strong leadership representation who will listen to technical advice Make time to have thoughtful discussions, respond to queries and review documents where necessary Respect the time that our technical experts are providing and considering options carefully. We will make decisions based on discussions and recommendations Show our appreciation to the Salesforce team by providing personal written testimonials, recommendations and referrals Technical Expert We care deeply about implementing Salesforce correctly in organisations, and we understand that charities and nonprofits sometimes do not have technical capability internally to leverage the platform and utilise the functionalities. We aim to share our collective technical experience in order to guide the charities to shape their long term strategy around Salesforce and to build internal capabilities to support their mission. In aid of this, we promise to utilise our collective skills and experience to: Understand charity mission, current technical and business landscape, and run discovery to help gain clarity on their long term goals Use Salesforce Well-Architected framework to build solutions that provide long term value for the charity Provide strategic advice on technical implementation of Salesforce and related clouds/apps Advice on the technical and project governance to ensure the projects are successful Guide the charity on how to build their internal capability by reviewing the job descriptions for the admin job role and general advice on candidate recruitment process Be clear about the hours and timings that we can commit to the programme Be honest if we are no longer able to provide services due to personal or professional circumstances

Charity & Junior Salesforce Professional (paid or volunteer) Charity It is important for us to utilise our funding carefully, which means that we may not have the budget to hire a junior Salesforce professional for now. If we are recruiting a volunteer to fill this role, we will need someone who cares about us and understands why the mission is so important to our charity. We promise to: Create an environment that supports the junior Salesforce professional by allowing them flexibility in how they choose to engage with us Support the junior Salesforce professional by making time to answer their questions and queries Provide access to the junior Salesforce professional to the relevant org (for example a sandbox environment) Be thoughtful in our requests by thinking about the outcome we want to achieve. We recognise the best way to help us think through our requirements would be to write them in the form of a User Story: “As a ___, I want to ___ so that I can do ___” Be reasonable with our requests and the deadlines, as we understand that the junior Salesforce professional is volunteering and may have other demands on their time Respect the junior Salesforce professional’s hours of work and not make requests out of work hours Test requirements that have been built in a timely manner and report any issues found Show our appreciation to the junior Salesforce professional by providing LinkedIn testimonials, personal written testimonials, recommendations and referrals as seen fit Apply for DBS or equivalent background check for the Salesforce team (for both technical experts and junior Salesforce professionals) if required Provide required training for the Salesforce team such as on policies and procedures, safeguarding, security, ethics, diversity and inclusion where necessary Manage any legal requirements (such as providing NDA if sensitive information is to be shared) Junior Salesforce Professional I am a certified Salesforce professional, possibly pivoting into the Salesforce industry from a (potentially non-technical) career. I have done the relevant Trailhead modules, and have my relevant certification. I have limited experience and am looking to get a foot in the door by working with a charity on a volunteer basis. I would be grateful for support from senior Salesforce experts to help me build my skills and implement a good solution that will adhere to best practices. I promise to: Adhere to charity’s policies and procedures Be clear about the hours and dates that I can commit to the charity Be honest and provide as much notice as possible if I am no longer able to volunteer due to personal circumstances or if I have found a job Be responsible for the tasks that are assigned to me and manage expectations appropriately and in a timely manner Be accountable for the work I do and own up for any mistakes I make with the understanding that we are all human and make mistakes Have a conscientious work ethic by focusing on best practices, future-proofed solutioning and taking ownership of the solution Be curious to find out what other functionalities can be used to help the charity in their mission Be reliable and do what I say I will do. If I cannot, I will notify the charity as soon as possible Write detailed meeting notes from every encounter with a charity representative when discussing my work Have initiative in problem solving by improving my Googling skills and researching Document all requirements properly using user stories and acceptance criteria and process maps where necessary Document any decisions that require a change in the system and the reasons why Write up test cases so that I can test the requirements before handing over to the charity for final testing and sign-off Have a growth mindset, recognise that this is a career-changing moment and be fully open to feedback so that I can grow and learn Document my processes so that I am able to handover easily to the charity once the project is completed

Technical Collective Expert & Junior Salesforce Professional Technical Expert We want to help new talent break into the Salesforce ecosystem, and we understand how difficult it can be for junior Salesforce professionals to get their first job without experience. This initiative will allow us to coach junior Salesforce professionals to perform tasks within charities to grow their skills and experience in a controlled manner which will safeguard the charity’s Salesforce org and deliver quality solutions. To this end, we promise to: Be clear with the junior Salesforce professional as to our expectations of them with regards to a particular engagement with a specific charity Be transparent with the ‘why’ of the instruction so that they can understand the rationale behind the approach Provide detailed feedback in a way that is constructive and sensitive so that the junior Salesforce professional can grow Support the junior Salesforce professional when they have questions or doubts that need clarifying Junior Salesforce Professionals I understand that the technical expert is also a volunteer who might be really busy with their day jobs and their lives, and I am deeply appreciative of their guidance and advice to help me upskill and learn. And so, I promise to: Be responsible, accountable and reliable Be a proactive problem solver, using all the resources at my disposal Ask a technical expert for advice when I am stuck, or if I am unsure how to implement a request and my research has not yielded the answers that I am looking for Quickly learn the ropes so that I can reduce reliance on the technical experts Respect the technical expert’s time by writing notes when discussing issues so that I can refer to them in future before asking the question again Be thorough, detail-focussed and test everything Meet the team Steering committee Silvia Denaro Nathaniel Sombu Pei Mun Lim Vicki Moritz-Henry ???

We are a Salesforce Commons project and benefit from the support of the Salesforce team.

Special thanks to the volunteers who get involved at Salesforce Common’s sprints and keep the project moving forward. This project wouldn’t have gotten this far without you!