Salesforce user learning RE

I have only been in my current organization and in my position for 6 months and came from an organization that used different database software.  Unfortunately, it wasn't Salesforce so I can't speak to specific issues, but I can share with you where my biggest frustrations/issues came from when I started learning/using RE.  For me, they were terminology (every database uses different jargon for the same fields) and how the outputs (query, reports, exports) were structured.  For example, campaign and appeal were called other things and the database had a combined query/export function.  Once I learned the terminology and structure, I could relate it to what I already knew.  Coming from someone who can program Access databases and was an expert in my prior organization, it was extremely frustrating to feel like I knew nothing about databases again.  Combine this with a new organization who tracked data differently, and I felt lost for the first several weeks.

I am fortunate to work for an organization who has a subscription for Blackbaud training and gave me some time and space during my work week to sit in on webinars and learn Raiser's Edge.  Also, just knowing where to look for the short, pre-recorded webinars on different topics and how to search the knowledgebase and community were also a great help in learning the terminology and structure of Raiser's Edge.  I think understanding where the frustration is coming from (is it terminology, is it that the employee is used to database work being "easy", etc) is the key to finding out how best to train.

In short, it took patience from my team as well as patience with myself to get past the frustration.

Hi  - I'm kind of in the opposite situation. I've just left an RE job that I had for 6 years to be a consultant. Just yesterday, I went to a Salesforce user's group of local non-profits. I have to confess that I was a little predjudiced because of what I'd heard about Salesforce, and though I can see it's a good customer management database, my pre-conceptions were confirmed. It just doesn't "speak" non-profit. I have a potential client who uses it and that's why I went to the user's group. I get that coming from Salesforce, which is fairly intuitive, to something more powerful and complicated like RE is a stretch, but switching software is always a pain. The switch from Volkswriter (yes, I'm that old) to Wordperfect was awkward - the switch from Wordperfect to Word was dreadful. Whatever you're used to is the "best" and everything else is "worse". As someone said at the Salesforce group, "yes, I've drunk the Koolaid" - and the same can be said for me with RE.


I think the crucial thing to remember is that databases are all basically the same. It really is just a change of jargon and finding where things are located, like trying to use someone's kitchen in a foreign country. Try to remember that this is an incredible tool, not a dangerous weapon. Another potential client told a mutual friend that he is "afraid" of RE. Why? It can't hurt you, it can only help. Yes, it has its quirks and glitches, but it also has all the tools you could possibly need. My frustration is going to be working in Salesforce and other "lite" constituent relations management software that can't do what I'm used to doing easily in RE.


Gracie Schild

Bluebird Business Services

Santa Fe, NM