As someone with an academic background in life sciences and bioinformatics, I’ve always believed in the power of data to drive real-world change. Change not just in labs and clinical settings, but also across communities and humanitarian causes.

That’s why EpiGrowth’s recent Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud implementation with an organization focused on youth leadership, sustainability, and global peacebuilding holds special meaning for me. It connects the dots between my technical expertise and my personal commitment to making a broader impact.

What is Peace Boat, and why Salesforce?

Peace Boat US is a nonprofit organization founded in 2006 and affiliated with the Japan-based NGO Peace Boat to promote global education.

Located in New York, across the street from UN Headquarters, it cultivates a global culture of peace and sustainability through programs, advocacy, and partnerships. The Peace Boat team was part of the ICAN coalition, which won the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize for its work to abolish nuclear weapons.

The EpiGrowth and Peace Boat partnership began 3 years ago, when EpiGrowth supported the Peace Boat Youth initiative as part of the 1% pledge program.

In 2024, the two organizations strengthened the partnership to modernize Peace Boat’s tech stack and operations. This was also a timely project as EpiGrowth launched our own Blue Economy initiative, focused on empowering ocean and climate nonprofits with cloud-based tools for impact.

Salesforce offers far more than a CRM — it is a flexible platform tailored for mission-driven work. Through the Salesforce Power of Us Program, eligible nonprofits receive donated licenses and access to powerful tools for donor management, volunteer coordination, program tracking, and more.

For our client, Salesforce provides a scalable foundation to:

• Organize years of contact relationships and partnerships in a digestible format (replacing an extensive and complex spreadsheet)
• Automate event and voyage logistics while integrating with MailChimp email campaigns
• Centralize youth program data and tracking
• Streamline donor and supporter relationships and donations
• Improve impact reporting aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Non Profit Cloud Set Up

Through Salesforce’s Power of Us Program, we helped Peace Boat obtain 10 free user licenses to support their nonprofit operations.

• Led by our Delivery Director, our experienced consulting team rapidly designed, built, and deployed the new Salesforce Enterprise Edition — delivering a powerful foundation for the nonprofit’s mission.
• Phase one of the CRM rollout centers on mapping the relationships the director and team cultivate throughout the year. From global conferences to UN-backed events, they engage with partners across key themes like ocean conservation, disarmament, and the Blue Economy.
• To support a smooth launch, we hosted virtual training for the organization’s core team and 14 summer interns, equipping them to make the most of their new custom-designed CRM.

What’s Next

Future phases will expand the system to include:

• Intern candidate tracking
• Donor and donation management
• Partnership and goal monitoring
• Analytics for annual reporting

Establishing a strong and stable CRM foundation will enable Peace Boat to scale its mission and impact more effectively. Our teams are collaborating to help advance Peace Boat’s vision for a more sustainable and peaceful future for the planet.

Empowering Global Impact with Salesforce and EpiGrowth

At EpiGrowth, we partner with organizations that are changing the world. We love helping mission-driven teams use powerful tools like Salesforce to scale their impact and broaden their outcomes.

Stay tuned for more about EpiGrowth’s journey through CRM optimization in the Blue Economy.

Ready to take your Blue mission to the clouds? Reach out to Jonathan to schedule a time for an introductory call.