NPSP Workﬂow Diagrams - Technical Reference for Automated Processes

Oct 25, 2026

NPSP Workﬂow Diagrams provides workflow diagrams and text descriptions for multiple automated Nonproﬁt Success Pack (NPSP) processes implemented with Apex. It explains how Apex automation handles tasks such as creating household accounts for new contacts, linking new contacts to existing household accounts, setting and updating primary affiliations, and updating household billing and mailing addresses. The guide targets database administrators, implementation partners, and third-party developers, and clarifies that it covers only a subset of NPSP workflows.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryTechnology

FormatPDF

Pages13

Reading Time33 min

AccessFree to download

Overview

NPSP Workﬂows

Automatically Create a Household Account for a New Contact

Link a New Contact to an Existing Household Account

Set a new Primary Aﬃliation on a Contact

Update the Primary Aﬃliation on a Contact with Existing Af...

Update a Household Account’s Billing Address

Update a Contact’s Mailing Address

Create Default Address Record Manually

NPSP Workﬂow Diagrams @salesforcedocs Last updated: July 1, 2022 Salesforce.org and its logo are [registered trademarks of Salesforce.com](registered trademarks of Salesforce.com), inc. Other names used herein are trademarks of Salesforce.com or the ir respective owners. Contents Overview...................................................................................... 1 NPSP Workﬂows.............................................................................. 2 Automatically Create a Household Account for a New Contact........................ 2 Link a New Contact to an Existing Household Account................................. 3 Set a new Primary Aﬃliation on a Contact.............................................. 4 Update the Primary Aﬃliation on a Contact with Existing Aﬃliations................... 5 Update a Household Account’s Billing Address......................................... 6 Update a Contact’s Mailing Address.................................................... 7 Create Default Address Record Manually............................................... 8 Contents Overview Nonproﬁt Success Pack ( NPSP) uses Apex programming to implement many of its features. Apex lets you take full advantage of all that NPSP has to oﬀer without having to perform repetitive tasks. With Apex, there's a lot going on under the hood, and understanding exactly what drives Apex workﬂows can be diﬃcult. Apex is like that computer in your car. Based on your driving, it knows when to adjust the air /fuel mixture in the engine or shift gears for you. This reference guide provides workﬂow diagrams and text descriptions for several automated NPSP processes. This guide is for database administrators, implementation partners, and third-party software developers, interested in the technical aspects of these processes. If you 're looking for more general information on how NPSP works, see the NPSP Documentation. Note This guide doesn't cover every workﬂow in NPSP. In fact, it only covers a handful. Let us know what we should include next. If you 're interested in contributing toward this document, please reach out in the Nonproﬁt Success Pack group! NPSP Workﬂows Automatically Create a Household Account for a New Contact In the Household Account model, NPSP automatically creates a Household Account for each new Contact. When you create a Contact, leave the Account Name ﬁeld blank and NPSP does the rest. Here's the workﬂow diagram for this process: 1. A user creates a new Contact, leaving the Account Name ﬁeld blank. 2. NPSP creates a new Household Account. 3. NPSP populates the new Contact in the Primary Contact ﬁeld on the Household Account. 4. NPSP populates the Contact 's Account Name ﬁeld with the new Household Account. NPSP Workﬂows Link a New Contact to an Existing Household Account 5. NPSP populates these Household Account ﬁelds: a. Household Name b. Formal Greeting c. Informal Greeting d. Number of Household Members e. _SYSTEM: Account Type = Household Account f. _SYSTEM: Is Individual = True For more information, read Add or Remove a Contact. Link a New Contact to an Existing Household Account Let 's say you need to enter new donor information and you have the names of each partner in a household. When you create the ﬁ rst Contact record, NPSP automatically generates the Household Account. When you create the second Contact, you can enter the Household Account in the Account Name. Here's a workﬂow diagram for this process: 1. A user creates a Contact, populating the Account Name ﬁeld with an existing Household Account. 2. NPSP updates the Account Name ﬁeld for all Contacts related to the existing Household Account. NPSP Workﬂows Set a new Primary Aﬃliation on a Contact 3. NPSP updates these Household Account ﬁelds: a. Account Name b. Formal Greeting c. Informal Greeting d. Number of Household Members For more information, read Add or Remove a

FAQs

What is the purpose of the NPSP Workﬂow Diagrams guide?

It provides workflow diagrams and text descriptions for several automated NPSP processes implemented with Apex, helping technical readers understand how the automation works.

How does NPSP automatically create a Household Account for a new Contact?

When a user creates a Contact and leaves the Account Name field blank, NPSP creates a Household Account and populates the Primary Contact field on that Household Account, then fills the Contact’s Account Name with the new Household Account.

How does NPSP handle changes to a Contact’s Primary Aﬃliation?

When a user sets or updates the Primary Aﬃliation field, NPSP generates or updates the related Aﬃliation record(s), marking the Primary record as Current and setting values like Start Date to Today.

Oct 25, 2026

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