Once a year, Salesforce invites the community to nominate leaders in the Salesforce ecosystem who go above and beyond to share their expertise and help the Trailblazer Community.
In 2025, the multi-phase nomination process will take place from January 14 to February 7, 2025. The next class of Salesforce MVPs will then be announced in June 2025. As an existing Salesforce MVP, I’m here to give you the low down on exactly what it takes to become an MVP and how you can nominate someone.
What Is a Salesforce MVP?
The term MVP comes from the sporting term “Most Valuable Player”. In the Salesforce ecosystem, MVP stands for “Most Valuable Professional”.
The Salesforce MVP program began in 2010 to annually showcase and celebrate individuals who demonstrate exceptional leadership qualities. To become a Salesforce MVP, they must embody three characteristics, which we will explore in more detail in the next section.
Each year, Salesforce invites the entire community to submit nominations. If awarded MVP status, you begin a one-year term as an MVP. MVP status is evaluated every year, and not all MVPs get renewed. Being an MVP takes continuous dedication and effort to retain the title.
Typically, there are 20-30 new MVPs each year, plus MVPs that are renewed. There are currently 250+ Salesforce MVPs globally. You can find out more about each of them here.
What Is the Hall of Fame?
If you are renewed as a Salesforce MVP for five consecutive years, you are inducted into the Salesforce MVP Hall of Fame. It is a lifetime award to recognize those who have given back to the community for an extended period of time.
Those in the Salesforce Hall of Fame still get access to many of the MVP perks.
What Qualities Make a Salesforce MVP?
Anyone can be nominated, but to be considered, you must meet three characteristics: expertise, leadership, and generosity.
- Expertise: Salesforce MVPs are expected to be product experts and evangelists. We never gatekeep information. Our job is to share our expertise via blogs, podcasts, vlogs, the Answers Community, speaking at events, and more.
- Leadership: Salesforce MVPs consistently give back to the community. This can be as a community group leader, a community conference organizer, or participating in programs such as MVP Office Hours. MVPs are expected to follow a code of conduct and represent Salesforce and the community in all their endeavors. This means showing up professionally and enabling those around them to skill up and feel supported.
- Generosity: Salesforce MVPs donate an extraordinary amount of their personal time, giving back via mentoring, organizing community groups and events, speaking at conferences, and so much more. They do this not for recognition but because they have an innate desire to help others, especially those more disadvantaged than themselves. We strive to lift others up.
Think hard before making your nominations. Salesforce MVPs should be approachable, trusted, warm, kind people with the best of intentions for the entire ecosystem. Salesforce MVP is the ultimate reward and should be truly earned. Individuals should demonstrate their dedication to the community over a period of years, not just a few months in the hope of receiving MVP.
This is not a popularity contest. This is not about social media ‘influencers’. Just because you see someone being very active online does not mean they embody the characteristics of an MVP or that they make a true difference.
Keep an eye out for the unsung heroes that aren’t splashed all over social media. There are plenty of them. Be wary of those that have made becoming a Salesforce MVP their goal. I have found that those who are truly passionate and dedicated to helping others rarely speak about it – they are too busy opening doors for others and creating opportunities where others can shine.
How Do You Become a Salesforce MVP?
It only takes one nomination for someone to be considered, and the process of selecting MVPs is pretty laborious as each nomination goes through several phases. First up, there is a public vote, where anyone can nominate someone who has made a difference to them, in line with the characteristics described above.
Next, the nominations go through Salesforce employees who are active in the community and existing Salesforce MVPs who can add their support and feedback. Lastly, nominations go through the Salesforce Community team before being whittled down to the final list.
There are hundreds of nominations each year, so it takes a lot of time to review them all! To make your nomination really count, provide details on exactly how someone has helped you and why you think they deserve to become an MVP. Provide real examples of things they have done and ways they embody the key characteristics: expertise, leadership, and generosity. One thoughtfully crafted nomination with plenty of detail is better than lots of nominations with no information.
To nominate yourself, you’ll follow the same process here.
Salesforce MVP Benefits
There are plenty of perks for MVPs – we are so lucky to be supported by the Salesforce Community team, who make us feel very special and appreciated.
Perks include:
- Private Slack channels
- Event invites
- Speaking opportunities
- Certification vouchers
- Training
- Mentorship and professional development
- Swag
I know, I know…you want a bit more detail, right? Well, I’m not going to give away any secrets, but I can reveal some more info.
As Salesforce product evangelists, we get to participate in things like feedback sessions where we provide our thoughts and input to Salesforce execs. We also get invited to webinars where we get to view and provide our thoughts on features or enhancements on the roadmap before anyone else.
As community leaders, we attend professional development events. For example, I participated in a session about how to network effectively.
There is reserved seating at keynotes and MVP parties at big events like Dreamforce and TDX, and it’s a real pleasure to spend quality time in a smaller group setting.
And yes, there is swag – including MVP hoodies, pins, stickers, backpacks, water bottles, and so on.
Salesforce MVP Nominations
If you know someone deserving of the coveted Salesforce MVP award, nominations open each November for the following year.
Nominations for 2025 are now open!
- January 14 – February 7: Submit your nominations before the nomination period closes on February 7, 2025.
- February – April 2025: Nominations will go through a multi-phase review process.
- June 2025: New and renewed Salesforce MVPs will be announced in June 2025.
Do you have more questions about what it takes to be an MVP or the nomination process? Drop your question in the comments!
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