A few months ago, our team was on a call with a nonprofit leader navigating an all-too-familiar challenge...

"We know Salesforce can do more for us. But we don't have the budget for a full-time Admin... and honestly, we're not even sure what that role should look like anymore."

That moment captured something we’ve been hearing for the last few years in conversations with nonprofits and other mission-driven organizations. Salesforce remains a powerful tool—but the reality of maintaining it is shifting. Budgets are tighter. Expectations are higher. And finding qualified staff who can provide the right support is hard to do.  
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When the old ways stop working, build something new

At OpenTent, we love asking questions that challenge how things have always been done. So we started wondering, what if we're approaching this all wrong?

What would happen if instead of forcing nonprofits to choose between expensive full-time positions they can't sustain OR inadequate support that leaves them frustrated, we created something in between?
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What if skilled Salesforce professionals could find meaningful work without being isolated as the "lone Admin" in organizations that can't fully support them?
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What if we could solve both problems at once?
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The bet we're making

This year, we rolled out something we're genuinely excited about: Fractional Salesforce Admins.

These aren't consultants who parachute in for projects, nor temporary staff filling gaps between hires. They're embedded, part-time team members who become fluent in your organization's language—attending your meetings, understanding your unique challenges, and cultivating meaningful relationships with your staff. And behind them stands the collective wisdom and support of OpenTent's broader expertise.
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If you've spent any time with the 'Tent, you know we love making smart bets. This service represents our bet that the future of nonprofit tech support looks different than the past. We've seen firsthand how having the right person in the room regularly transforms what's possible.
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Why this matters for everyone involved

Our vision was born from a dual recognition: we wanted to allow for the deep systems work, relationship building (crucial!!) and mission-specific expertise we know nonprofits need, while helping organizations reduce the overhead and expense to hire, train, and support a Salesforce Admin full time. 

But this challenge has another dimension that's equally important: the professional reality for Salesforce Admins themselves. The search for that perfect position—one that leverages their unique strengths, nurtures their growing skillset, and connects them with causes that matter—can be remarkably elusive. Perhaps even more challenging is the profound isolation that comes with the territory. Most organizations can only afford a single Admin (if they're fortunate), a part-time resource, or—as we see far too often—an "accidental Admin" thrust into the role without proper support.
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Our Fractional Admin service reimagines this landscape entirely. Behind each embedded Admin stands a robust ecosystem of support, creating space to tackle complex technical challenges, navigate delicate stakeholder dynamics, and show up as their most capable selves for the organizations they serve. It's professional community with purpose—the antidote to the isolation that so often leads to burnout and stalled growth.
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Real voices, real impact

We've already placed Fractional Admins with four clients, and here's what they're saying about the experience...
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‍"OpenTent has been an incredibly valuable partner in supporting Salesforce staffing at our organization. Natalie has been great at retaining institutional knowledge and ownership of admin tasks + annual projects while also frequently collaborating with and providing deep context to the OpenTent project team. It's reassuring to know I can count on her to listen to our users and provide insights to me as I work through higher-level strategic systems decisions."
—Nico Marino, Director of CRM, Central Synagogue

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"Fractional Admin work lets me focus on what I do best: solving problems, making systems work, and moving things forward. I'm drawn to the clarity it offers, and that it feels autonomous, agile, and optimized for velocity. It's an opportunity to build lean systems that actually work without any busywork or bottlenecks."
—mandie mcdougal, Fractional Admin and Solutions Engineer

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"Our organization is new to Salesforce, and we wanted to make sure we had access to an experienced Salesforce Admin. We needed someone who would fully understand the mission of our organization and be able to work closely with our users to ensure they feel supported and empowered while working with a complex new system. We are so happy we can share a Fractional Admin with another local JCC via our relationship with OpenTent. We get the Salesforce help we need and we get to collaborate with another organization that is just like us."
—Miriam Brizendine, Director of Information Technology & Business Systems, Staenberg – Loup Jewish Community Center

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"I'm looking forward to making Salesforce feel a little more friendly and a lot more useful — without adding stress to anyone's day. I want to be someone who team(s) can turn to when things get confusing or stuck, and know they'll get help that actually makes sense. If I can make things run smoother and bring a little levity along the way, all the better."
‍—Shaun Hannan, Fractional Admin‍
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TL;DR — How it works

• A dedicated Salesforce Admin works with your organization 2 or 4 days a week
• They attend your meetings, learn your systems, and build strong internal relationships
• Behind the scenes, they receive mentorship, technical support, and peer coaching from OpenTent
• It's not about outsourcing—it's about embedding someone who's truly part of your team
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Breaking the mold

This approach isn't just about filling a gap in the market—it's about reimagining how we support both nonprofits and the people who make their technology work. It's about creating relationships that are sustainable, meaningful, and effective for everyone involved.
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As we continue developing this service, we're committed to learning alongside our clients and Fractional Admins. We'll keep you posted on what we discover and how this model evolves.
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Because that's what we do at OpenTent: we try new things, we learn from what works (and what doesn't), and we share those insights with our community!