Not-for-Profit Navigator
With Nicole Aebi-Moyo - SalesFix For Purpose Practice Lead
Confession time. I have a browser tab group called “Read this later”, and right next to it, a calendar that looks like a game of Tetris someone’s about to lose. I’m feeling quite overwhelmed with the amount of ‘stuff’ my brain is having to deal with at the moment.
Whether that’s news from Dreamforce that wrapped up in San Francisco a couple of weeks ago, or the latest invite to the next event, I’m just not keeping up.
Guy Fisher’s September Nonprofit Update lists ten Salesforce-related events in October alone, and that’s before you add user groups, sector conferences and the non-Salesforce webinars sitting in your inbox.
All of it is useful. None of us can do all of it. So this month I want to talk about the volume of stuff, how it makes us feel, and how to choose where to focus.
The FOMO is Real (And it's Not Just You)
In almost every conversation I’ve had with not-for-profit leaders this year, someone has said a version of “we know we should be across this, we just can’t keep up.” It’s usually said a little sheepishly, as if everyone else has it sorted.
I can promise you, most of us haven’t.
The fear of missing out is powerful. It’s why we register for the webinar we’ll never watch, save the article to read later, book the conference but then spend half of it answering emails in the foyer. When the choice is driven by anxiety rather than a problem you’re trying to solve, you come home tired, with a bag of branded pens and very little you can actually use.
Nobody Can Keep Up, Including Us
I’ll be honest: even working in the Salesforce world every day, I can’t keep up with everything. But nor should I. I don’t need to be across the deep details of the latest release notes…because I have colleagues who are. My role means I need to have an understanding of what’s coming and what’s changing, but not what checkbox to turn something on, or how to write the Flow that will enable the latest thing.
Most organisations in our sector don’t have an innovation team. The person who’d go to the event is also running the CRM, reconciling donations and fixing the printer. A day out of the office is a day of work that lands on someone else, or waits for you when you get back.
So the question isn’t “what am I missing?” It’s “what’s worth my time?”
How I Choose
These are the filters I use, and the ones I suggest to the organisations I work with.
Know what you want to walk away with. Are you going to learn something, meet people, or make a decision? Each needs a different kind of event. A keynote is great for inspiration and not much use for a decision. A small working session is the opposite.
Start with your problem. What are the two or three biggest pain points for your organisation right now? Donor retention, the hours your case workers lose to admin, reporting to funders? Or all three? If an event doesn’t touch one of those, it can wait.
Watch or do? Given the choice, I’d rather pick the event where I’ll get my hands on something. It’s how I learn best. You’ll remember what you built long after you’ve forgotten the slides, and that can be hands on in a workshop of post-it notes!
Check what’s recorded. Most keynotes end up online. If you missed Dreamforce, the nonprofit highlights session is available on demand. The hallway conversations don’t. If the main draw is the content, catch the recording. If it’s the people, go.
Take a friend. If you’re the decision-maker, bring someone who’ll run with it afterwards. If you’re the doer, bring a decision-maker. One sees what’s possible, the other works out how to make it happen.
Have a rule of thumb. In our house we have a decluttering rule: if we don’t think we’ll get more than a hundred dollars for something, we give it away rather than trying to sell it. It saves an enormous amount of dithering. Your rule for events might be “if I don’t think I’ll be able to name one thing we’ll do differently afterwards, I’m not going”.
Do one thing within a week. If you do end up going to the event or joining the webinar, make sure you have the space to action your learnings immediately afterwards. Or you just won’t.
Where We Fit In
Yes, I’m aware of the irony of inviting you to an event in an article about having too many of them.
But if you only pick one event this month, I’d make it True Blue Blazing on 20 October at Marvel Stadium. It passes most of the filters above. It’s a full day in-person event in Melbourne, run by the community for the community, so the conversations are with peers rather than people trying to sell you something. The sessions are practical, and the hallway chats are the part no recording will ever capture. Bring a colleague, pick the two or three sessions that touch your biggest pain points, and come and find me to say hello.
And if you can’t make it, that’s fine too. Part of our job at SalesFix is to sit through the keynotes and read the release notes so you don’t have to, then filter it down to the handful of things that matter for your goals. Sometimes the answer is “this one’s worth a look.” Often it’s “not yet, and here’s why.”
Being told what you can safely skip is one of the most useful things a partner can give you.
If you’d like help working out what’s worth your time right now (and what isn’t), do reach out.
Until next time, lose to admin, reporting to funders? Or all three? If an event doesn’t touch one of those, it can wait.
If you’d like help working out what’s worth your time right now (and what isn’t), do reach out at nicole.aebi-moyo@salesfix.com.au, I am always happy to help.
Until next time,
Nicole
Coming Up in October 2026
October 2 (online): Key Nonprofit Highlights from Dreamforce 2026: virtual and on demand. The easy way to catch up without the jet lag.
October 20 (in person, Melbourne): True Blue Blazing, Marvel Stadium, all day. Come and say hello.
October 20 (in person, Melbourne): Brains Trust Breakfast, Marvel Stadium, 7:30AM – 9:15AM. Free event – register at the link ^
October 14 (in person, Adelaide): Tableau Conference & Dreamforce Insights, 9.30-11am AEST
14 October (in person, Melbourne): Salesforce Trusted Services Public Sector & Education Hands-On Workshop, 8.30am-12pm AEST
20 October (in person, Melbourne): MuleSoft Agent Fabric Workshop, 8.30am-1pm AEST
22 October (in person, Sydney): AI at the Speed of Trust, 8.30-11am AEST
22 October (in person, Melbourne): The Trust Imperative 5.0 – Building Trust in Australian Government through Practical AI Assurance, 8.30-10.30am AEST
30 October (in person, Sydney): Agentforce Learning Day Workshop Sydney, 8.30am-12.30pm AEST
On Demand Webinars – (Virtual) Multiple Dates / Times
For the full list, including workshops in Adelaide, Sydney and Canberra, see Guy Fisher’s September Nonprofit Update.
Australian Salesforce user groups
If you use Salesforce and you’re not part of a user group, you’re missing out! There’s over 30 groups in Australia and New Zealand alone, and many now meet online so there’s no excuse for not joining in and finding out more.