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November 28, 2018 Update: Our MVP nomination process has changed since the publication of this blog post. To find out more, please read this article.

 

We're excited to announce that MVP nominations for 2018 are now open! Visit salesforce.com/mvp to learn about the program and nominate the Trailblazer Community members who have helped you most in 2017!

The Salesforce MVP program has been a big part of the Salesforce Ohana (and an incredible competitive advantage) since 2010. Erica Kuhl, VP Trailblazer Community, initially launched the program because she saw community members going above and beyond to help the rest of the community connect, learn, and get inspired to blaze trails with Salesforce. These awesome people were prolific on the Trailblazer Community, offered expertise at Salesforce events, mentored new customers, and more. Erica wanted to honor them for their contributions, provide them awesome access and exposure, and make it easy for them to do even more good.

As the Salesforce ecosystem grows, so does the Trailblazer Community. And as millions of Trailblazers connect with one another around the world, leaders rise up while lifting others up. Each time we open Salesforce MVP nominations we're thrilled to see hundreds of nominations and hear all the good Trailblazers are doing in the community. Holly Firestone (Director, Trailblazer Community), the Trailblazer Community team, and current MVPs review every nomination with great care to identify the new class of MVPs.

 
 

People always ask what it takes to be a Salesforce MVP. The fact is, it's not a matter of science (i.e. a specific stack ranked list of contributions), it's a matter of heart — exceptional Trailheart to be exact.

Most MVPs will tell you, it's not about making it to MVP, it's about sharing expertise, doing well and doing good, and falling in love with the act of helping others blaze trails.

At Dreamforce '17, we heard Dale Ziegler, Salesforce MVP since 2015, answer this FAQ...”What makes a great MVP?” We loved his response, so thought we'd share highlights of Dale's awesome answer here!

  • It starts with inspiration and motivation — someone helped us along the way and that motivated us to pay it forward.
  • At some point in all of our journeys, we fell in love with Salesforce and found so many people willing to help others, that fueled us to give back to others.
  • There is no “right” way to start helping the community, it has to be authentic to the contributor — their channel, their passion, their favorite ways to put themselves out there (like blogs, podcasts, leading Community Groups, providing answers on the Trailblazer Community, mentoring new members, etc).
  • Advice for getting started contributing to the Trailblazer Community: pick your path based on what you're most passionate about, put yourself out there, and stay true to the mission of helping others. People will notice, and whether or not it leads to an MVP nomination, it will give you an incredible sense of accomplishment and impact.

If someone has helped you blaze trails with Salesforce and you think they would make a great Salesforce MVP, share your nomination now!