Explanation:
When a deployment date overlaps a Salesforce seasonal release, a nonprofit must ensure that the sandbox and production environments are aligned to avoid version mismatches that can break deployments. Additionally, deployments should occur outside the upgrade window because production may be temporarily unavailable or unstable during the release. By verifying version alignment and scheduling deployments correctly, the organization reduces deployment risk and ensures a smooth transition of new features.

Correct Option:

A. Verify the sandbox is on the same release as production.
Sandboxes must be on the same Salesforce release version as production to ensure successful deployments. If a sandbox is on a preview release while production is not yet upgraded, components may not be compatible, leading to deployment failures. Verifying release alignment enables the nonprofit to test on a representative environment and avoid issues caused by differing metadata capabilities or API versions during deployment.

C. Deploy a Change Set during the upgrade window for the production instance.
Deployments should NOT be attempted in the middle of a Salesforce release upgrade window. The intent of this answer is that the nonprofit needs to plan deployments around the upgrade window because deployment functionality may be restricted when Salesforce is performing the seasonal release. Ensuring the deployment fits within a window that avoids the active upgrade process protects the integrity of the release and avoids unexpected downtime.

Incorrect Option:

B. Log a Salesforce support case to change the version of the sandbox release.
Salesforce does not allow customers to choose arbitrary release versions or downgrade environments through support requests. Sandboxes automatically move to preview or non-preview status based on Salesforce’s published preview schedule. Therefore, opening a support case is not a valid method for controlling release timing or aligning sandboxes and production.

D. Review the sandbox preview instructions for the upcoming release.
While reviewing preview instructions is a good administrative practice, it does not directly address the issue of deploying features during a seasonal release window. Preview instructions help understand upcoming changes but do not ensure successful deployment or environment version alignment. This option is useful preparation but not one of the critical steps needed to manage deployment timing.

Reference:
Salesforce Sandbox Preview Guide

Salesforce Release Readiness & Maintenance Documentation

Help Article: Plan & Prepare for Salesforce Releases

Explanation:
In NPSP, a Household Account cannot be deleted if it has any Closed/Won Opportunities (donations) directly associated with it. Salesforce enforces a hard restriction on deleting any Account that has Closed/Won Opportunities, regardless of the account model. The system throws an error message: “This account cannot be deleted because it has associated closed opportunities.” Affiliations and Relationships do not block deletion because they are related to Contacts, not directly to the Account.

Correct Option:

A – Since Closed/Won donations are associated with the Account record, an error message displays.
Salesforce standard behavior prevents Account deletion when Closed/Won Opportunities exist to protect revenue data integrity.

The error appears immediately when the admin clicks Delete on the Household Account record.

To delete the Account, the Closed/Won Opportunities must first be deleted or moved to another Account.

Incorrect Option:

B – The Household Account record and its standard related records are deleted.
This would only occur if no Closed/Won Opportunities exist. With donations present, deletion is blocked entirely.

C – Since Affiliations and Relationships are associated with the Contacts in this Account, an error message displays.
Affiliations and Relationships are Contact-to-Contact or Contact-to-Organization records; they do not prevent Account deletion.

D – The Household Account record and its standard related records remain.
The record does remain, but only because deletion is blocked by the Closed/Won Opportunities—not because the system silently does nothing without feedback.

Reference:
NPSP Documentation → Managing Households → “Deleting Household Accounts”

Explanation:
When a nonprofit receives a single check representing donations from multiple donors and intended for a specific program, NPSP must track both program-specific allocation and financial segmentation. GAU Allocations allow designating funds to a particular program or initiative, while Multiple Payments help divide a single gift into separate payments. These two features together accurately reflect donor intent and program funding.

Correct Options:

A. GAU Allocations
GAU (General Accounting Unit) Allocations allow nonprofits to assign portions of a donation to specific programs, funds, or designations. In this scenario, since the check supports a specific program, the consultant can configure GAU Allocations so the donation is properly credited to that program’s funding bucket. This maintains financial transparency and ensures the organization can track designated revenue accurately.

D. Multiple Payments
Multiple Payments allow a single gift or check to be split into several payment entries. This is needed when one check represents contributions from multiple donors. By using Multiple Payments, the nonprofit can link each payment to the appropriate donor record while still tying everything back to the original gift, maintaining accurate donor history and finance tracking.

Incorrect Options:
B. Recurring Donations
Recurring Donations are used for ongoing commitments where donors give regularly over time—monthly, quarterly, or annually. They do not help with splitting a single check among multiple donors or allocating it to a specific program. This option is unrelated to handling bundled or multi-donor gifts.

C. Partial Soft Credits
Partial Soft Credits recognize indirect influence donors had on gifts (such as a fundraiser or spouse), not actual donor payments included in a single check. They are not intended for splitting funds across multiple donors contributing to the same check. Using Partial Soft Credits would misrepresent actual revenue sources.

Reference:
Salesforce NPSP Documentation: GAU Allocations

NPSP Gift Entry & Payments Guide

NPSP Data Model: Payments and Allocations

Explanation:
This question focuses on the correct data model within the Nonprofit Cloud Program Management Module. The module is designed to track service delivery programs and client participation. A "Program" represents the overall service offering, while a "Program Engagement" tracks an individual client's enrollment, progress, and status within that specific program.

Correct Option:

B. Programs and Program Engagements
Programs: This object stores the definition of the after-school program (name, description, duration, etc.).

Program Engagements: This object links a Contact (the youth) to a Program and tracks their individual enrollment details, status (e.g., Active, Completed, Withdrawn), start/end dates, and other case notes. This is the core object for managing participant status within a program.

Incorrect Options:

A. Programs and Attendance
Attendance is a separate object used to track individual session participation (e.g., which youth attended on a specific date). While important, it is a granular detail under a Program Engagement. It does not track the overall enrollment status of a youth in the program, which is the primary requirement.

C. Programs and Contacts
Contacts are the youth, but a direct relationship between Program and Contact does not capture enrollment-specific data like status or dates. The Program Engagement object is the necessary junction object that sits between Program and Contact to manage the enrollment relationship and its attributes.

D. Program Engagements and Program Cohorts
Program Cohorts are used to group multiple Program Engagements (participants) together for a specific iteration or session of a program (e.g., "Fall 2023 After-School Program Cohort"). While useful, the question asks for tracking the program itself and the status of youth enrolled. The fundamental objects are Programs (the offering) and Program Engagements (the individual enrollment record with status).

Reference:
Nonprofit Cloud Program Management Module data model documentation. The standard model is:

Program (the service)

Program Engagement (links a Contact to a Program, tracks enrollment status)

Program Cohort (optional grouping of Engagements)

Attendance (session-level tracking under an Engagement)

Explanation:
This question assesses foundational data governance and maintenance best practices for a new administrator inheriting an NPSP org. The focus is on hygiene practices that improve system health, usability, and data quality, not on creating new data structures or performing destructive deletions without audit.

Correct Options:

A. Organize reports into appropriate folders.
This is a critical hygiene practice for maintainability and user adoption. Organizing reports into public folders with clear naming conventions prevents report sprawl, makes it easier for users to find information, and allows for proper management of sharing and permissions, which is essential in a multi-user nonprofit environment.

C. Run Health Check.
Health Check is a primary Salesforce hygiene tool. It scans the org's security and performance settings against Salesforce standards, identifying critical vulnerabilities like weak password policies, outdated TLS settings, or overly permissive object permissions. This should be a first step for any new admin to understand the baseline security posture.

Incorrect Options:

B. Create a new custom object to store legacy data.
This is not a hygiene practice; it is a schema change that adds complexity. Blindly moving "legacy data" without a clear business need or data archiving strategy can worsen data management. Proper hygiene involves auditing, cleaning, and potentially archiving or purging legacy data, not just relocating it.

D. Delete all past activities.
This is a destructive, non-selective action that violates data integrity and compliance. Past activities (Tasks, Events) are vital historical records of donor and constituent interactions. A proper hygiene practice would involve defining a data retention policy and using tools like the Data Archive service or batch deletion of records beyond a legal retention period, not a blanket deletion.

Reference:
Salesforce Help: "Health Check" and "Best Practices for Organizing Reports and Dashboards." NPSP-specific data management guidance also emphasizes regular audits, using Health Check, and maintaining organized report folders for operational clarity.