The first cohort of Vera Solutions’ System Administrator Enablement Program: Salesforce Foundations recently concluded, marking an important step toward supporting social-sector organizations in building sustainable internal system administration capacity. The nine-week program brought together 12 professionals working across global development, humanitarian aid, health, and philanthropy, each with unique roles, responsibilities, and levels of Salesforce experience.
Summary:
- Blended, Practical Learning Approach: The program combines live instruction, guided demos, and self-directed assignments, reinforcing that Salesforce mastery is iterative and rooted in real-world practice.
- Cross-Organizational Peer Learning: Participants from global nonprofits such as Malaria Consortium, Grassroot Soccer, Stichting Vluchteling, and Oxfam International collaborated and shared insights across diverse Salesforce environments.
- Tailored to All Skill Levels: A pre-program confidence survey ensured content was balanced and accessible for beginners while still offering deeper, advanced concepts for more experienced administrators.
- High Engagement on Critical Topics: Sessions on Salesforce updates and the data model were of high interest, equipping administrators to navigate release cycles, understand schema design, and manage systems with greater confidence.
- Proven Impact with Strong Testimonials: Participants reported increased confidence, improved data stewardship, and greater independence, with powerful endorsements highlighting the program’s engaging delivery and practical relevance.
A Structured, Practical Learning Experience
The program followed a blended approach combining live instruction, guided demonstrations, and self-directed learning. During live sessions, participants explored foundational concepts supported by demos and real-life examples drawn from Vera’s implementation work. Assignments, including curated Trailhead modules, hands-on exercises, YouTube tutorials, and selected articles, reinforced the message that Salesforce learning is iterative and continuous.
A Diverse Group of Participants
Participants represented a wide range of mission-driven organizations, including Malaria Consortium, Grassroot Soccer, Stichting Vluchteling, and Oxfam International.
This diversity fostered a collaborative environment where participants exchanged insights, supported one another, and compared experiences of managing Salesforce across different operational contexts.
To better understand the group’s experience, participants completed a pre-survey assessing their confidence and familiarity with Salesforce administration. This enabled the facilitation team to balance the content, ensuring sessions were accessible for beginners while also offering additional depth for more advanced users.
Key Themes and Participant Engagement
Across the nine-week curriculum, two topics generated particularly strong engagement: Salesforce updates and the data model. According to program facilitator Megan Welsford, these sessions stood out for their practical relevance and impact.
“During the Salesforce updates session, we explored how to review release notes, interpret update notifications, and test changes safely in a sandbox, an area that many new administrators often find challenging,” mentioned Megan.
The data model session was another highlight. As Megan noted, “Understanding objects, relationships, and schema design is foundational for any administrator. Once participants gained confidence in these concepts, topics like fields, reports, and security became much easier to navigate.”
Participant Reflections
Feedback from the cohort highlights the program’s practical nature and the value of learning in a community of peers.
“This course was so valuable in understanding some of the key concepts and terminology as a Salesforce system administrator. The mixture of theory, practical, and opportunity for discussion made it an interesting and exciting learning journey, and I would highly recommend it to anyone working with Salesforce.”
“The course design reflected Vera’s deep understanding of how nonprofits use Salesforce to manage complex global operations. As a result of the training, our staff now have stronger technical confidence, improved data stewardship, and greater independence in maintaining our Salesforce instance. Vera’s responsiveness, engaging delivery, and emphasis on real-world exercises made this a highly effective program.”
Looking Ahead
Pre- and post-program surveys indicate increased confidence across all areas of system administration, reflecting the progress made throughout the cohort.
The next iteration of the System Administrator Enablement Program will continue to focus on strengthening digital capacity within organizations and supporting impact-driven teams in building resilient, scalable Salesforce systems.
We invite you to join us on our next nine-week journey from 15th January to 19th March 2026!
Who is the System Administrator Enablement Program designed for?
The program is ideal for professionals working in mission-driven organizations who want to build or strengthen their Salesforce administration skills, whether they are new to Salesforce or looking to deepen their technical and analytical capabilities as an Administrator or Product Owner.
How long is the program?
The core program runs for nine weeks, with an optional three-week add-on for participants who want to explore advanced or specialized topics.
What topics are covered?
The curriculum includes Salesforce fundamentals, user and data management, the data model, reporting and dashboards, UI basics, release management, and data quality foundations. Additional advanced topics are available in the extended program.
What is the time commitment of this program?
Each week, participants can expect 1-2 hours of live instruction or office hours and 2-3 hours of self-directed learning, for a total of 3-5 hours/week or 27-45 hours over the nine-week course.
Do I need prior Salesforce experience?
No. The program is intentionally designed to accommodate beginners while providing added depth for more experienced participants. Pre-surveys help facilitators tailor the learning journey. We will begin offering System Administrator Intermediate and Advanced courses in 2026 – stay tuned!
