Salesforce vs. Union Impact:
Which Platform Fits a Union’s Real-World Workflows?
Unions don’t operate like typical businesses. You manage members, dues, dispatch, training, grievances, events, political action, and compliance—often across multiple locals. This guide compares Salesforce (a powerful general-purpose CRM) with Union Impact (purpose-built union software) so you can choose the right fit for your local, council, or international.
TL;DR — When to Choose Each
Quick Pick: Union Impact
Best for: Out-of-the-box union data model (members, dues, dispatch, training, grievances), configurable referral/job-call rules, arrears tracking, LMRDA-friendly reporting.
Why it wins: Faster go-live, lower TCO (Total Cost of Ownership), less custom build, higher staff adoption.
Quick Pick: Salesforce
Best for: Heavy customization, broad enterprise CRM use cases, large in-house admin/dev team or consultant budget.
Why it wins: Massive ecosystem, advanced automation/analytics, flexibility across non-union workflows.
The Core Difference: General CRM vs. Union-Native Platform
What “General CRM” Means (Salesforce)
Built for sales, service, and marketing; union concepts require custom data objects and logic.
Power from AppExchange, Apex/Flows, and consultants—but each adds cost and complexity.
What “Union-Native” Means (Union Impact)
Ships with modules that mirror union work (members, dues, dispatch, training, grievances, events).
Less “build,” more “configure,” so time-to-value is faster and adoption is easier.
Why This Difference Matters
The closer the platform starts to union realities (book systems, CBA rules, certifications), the fewer unknowns, the lower the risk, and the smoother the launch.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison (What Unions Actually Use)
Key Differences
Member Records & Statuses
Salesforce: Requires custom objects/fields.
Union Impact: Native member profiles, statuses, and clearances.
Dues, Arrears, and Assessments
Salesforce: Needs custom billing or financial apps.
Union Impact: Built-in dues engine with arrears tracking and reporting.
Dispatch and Referral Hall
Salesforce: Must be built from scratch with custom logic.
Union Impact: Native dispatch module with job call workflows, lists, and rules.
Job Calls, Skills, and Certifications
Salesforce: Custom modeling required.
Union Impact: Built-in job calls and skills matrix.
Grievance Management
Salesforce: Adapted from “Cases.”
Union Impact: Native grievance module with stages, notes, and reports.
Training and Certifications
Salesforce: Requires LMS integration.
Union Impact: Built-in training and certification management.
Events and Registrations
Salesforce: Add-on apps needed.
Union Impact: Native event module with member registration and attendance.
Member Portal
Salesforce: Requires Experience Cloud.
Union Impact: Included, union-branded portal ready at go-live.
Our platform is hosted only in SOC 2 Type II / SOC 3 Type II–audited data centers, giving you a proven compliance baseline from day one.
Nightly Off-Site Backups
Your data is backed up automatically every night to a separate, secure data center—so you’re protected from accidental loss or hardware failures.
Security You Can Trust
Your connection to our system is encrypted with HTTPS (SSL/TLS) using 2048-bit certificates, ensuring your data stays private and tamper-resistant in transit.
Cost & Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)
Salesforce Cost Factors
Per-user licensing per cloud (Sales, Service, Experience).
AppExchange apps and consultant hours add to ongoing cost.
Custom builds require developer maintenance.
Union Impact Cost Factors
Admin users priced by role, with portal included.
Configuration-focused implementation — no external consultants required.
Ongoing updates aligned to union use cases.
Bottom Line
Union Impact provides a predictable, lower-cost path for unions. Salesforce offers flexibility but demands higher investment and technical overhead.
Time-to-Value & Risk
Implementation Speed
Union Impact launches in weeks or months, while Salesforce projects can stretch to a year or more due to data modeling and portal builds.
Risk Factors
Salesforce: Risk of over-customization and consultant dependency.
Union Impact: Predictable rollout using tested configurations.
Security, Compliance & Data Residency
Shared Security Standards
Both platforms offer secure hosting, encryption, SSO, and audit trails.
Union Compliance
Salesforce allows compliance configuration, but it’s manual. Union Impact’s reports and exports already meet LMRDA and common union reporting needs.
Dedicated Infrastructure: Your security is our priority. Every client receives their own dedicated server, meaning your data is never co-mingled with anyone else’s. This private environment ensures maximum security and performance.
Choose a reliable partner that follows the latest security protocols.
Ecosystem & Integrations
Salesforce
Extensive ecosystem for enterprise tools—ideal for unions with in-house IT resources.
Union Impact
Direct integrations with email/SMS, payments, and accounting tools that unions already use. Open APIs for anything custom.
Migration & Change Management
Recommended Approach
Inventory union workflows.
Map member and dues data.
Launch dispatch, dues, and portal first.
Add grievances and training later.
Train staff per role.
Maintain quarterly admin reviews.
Data Sovereignty Guaranteed: We are a U.S.-based company and store all American client data on servers within the United States.
To meet Canadian privacy laws: all Canadian client data is hosted exclusively in Canadian data centers.
For nearly two decades, we’ve been a trusted partner to union halls across North America.
Since 2006, our hands-on experience has given us a deep understanding of the unique challenges you face. We are proud to provide powerful, tailored solutions that solve those challenges and make a real impact on your operations.
Decision Matrix
When to Choose Each
Pick Salesforce if you have developers, budget for consultants, and need enterprise-level CRM functions.
Pick Union Impact if you want a turnkey system for dues, dispatch, grievances, and training.
FAQs:
Is Salesforce overkill for smaller locals?
Usually, yes. It’s powerful but often too complex and costly for smaller organizations.
Can Union Impact integrate with our existing tools?
Yes. It connects easily with accounting, email/SMS, and other union software.
What if we started building in Salesforce?
Union Impact can migrate your data and preserve valuable assets like marketing automations.
How fast can Union Impact go live?
Because it’s pre-configured for union logic, most go-lives happen significantly faster than custom CRM builds.
Union Impact was founded on one principle: unions deserve software designed for them—not retrofitted business tools. By handling migration, integrating core modules, and focusing on compliance and transparency, Union Impact gives locals the tools to stay organized, retain members, and grow.
To hear directly from locals using our platform, see Union Client Testimonials.
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If you have questions or need assistance, feel free to contact us. We’re here to help you navigate your union software needs.
