Japan NPO Center

What Japan NPO Center does

Japan NPO Center, formally 特定非営利活動法人NPOサポートセンター (Specified Non-Profit Corporation NPO Support Center), is a Tokyo-headquartered non-profit organization established on September 1, 1993, self-identifying as Japan's first privately-run NPO support organization. It operates at the intersection of Japan's NPO, public, and corporate sectors, delivering organizational development services to nonprofits, local governments, social entrepreneurs, and corporates. Its service portfolio spans four core pillars: NPO Consulting (Salesforce CRM implementation and marketing programs), B-SAPO back-office support (accounting, donor management, IT, operations outsourcing), Good Business Studio training (HR, marketing, PR, web operations, fundraising), and the NPO Marketing Marathon (a seven-month intensive marketing program co-hosted with Panasonic since 2008). The organization operates from offices in Minato-ku and Chuo-ku, Tokyo, and reaches over 1,300 NPO corporations through its Salesforce practice, 90+ organizations through B-SAPO, 68 graduates of the Marketing Program, and 2,500+ training program participants cumulatively.

The technology foundation is built on Salesforce as the core CRM and member/supporter management platform, supplemented by an ecosystem of third-party integrations including vyndex for Excel-based Salesforce data editing, SkyVisualEditor for visual page building, mitoco for groupware, Phone Appli for contact management, and UiPath DX Rocket for RPA-driven back-office automation. The organization also operates the NPO Support Collection (Nコレ！/N-Colle), a free web catalog of 100+ categorized NPO support services, and the BUSINESS to NPO World online showcase connecting 40+ corporate exhibitors with 300+ NPO leaders. Programmatic revenue dominates: training seminars (3,000-30,000 yen), Salesforce hands-on support (160,000 yen) and implementation packages (from 600,000 yen), annual after-support contracts (120,000 yen/year), the Marketing Program (70,000 yen per organization), and Tri-Sector Members subscriptions. The B-SAPO and Salesforce implementation services function as managed-services revenue, while Good Business Studio and ad-hoc seminars operate on a transactional pay-as-you-go model.

The go-to-market is sales-led and relationship-driven, combining direct consulting engagements (including on-site visits across Japan, e.g., six-visit Salesforce hands-on engagements over 2-4 months), training program enrollment via online forms, and event-based engagement through the BUSINESS to NPO World exhibition and the Kyodo Station Central co-located collaboration space in Nihonbashi. Customer segments are split across NPOs/NGOs (primary), Japanese municipal governments (for collaboration promotion and coordinator training), corporate partners (CSR, employee volunteering, NPO service procurement), and social entrepreneurs (cross-sector innovation). Marketing relies primarily on email newsletter, the npo-sc.org website, in-person/online seminars, and a Facebook presence. Strategic partnerships with Salesforce.com Foundation (technology), Panasonic (Marketing Program co-host since 2008), Tama University Graduate School (academic support), and the NPO Accounting Certification Association (examination delivery) anchor the platform. A 2024 Kyndryl Foundation grant underwrote research on NPO support personnel development, signaling the organization's emerging research and advocacy function alongside direct service delivery.

Name

Japan NPO Center

Legal name

特定非营利活動法人NPOサポートセンター

Website

https://npo-sc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Japan NPO Center is a Tokyo-based specified non-profit organization (established 1993) that delivers Salesforce CRM implementation, back-office support (B-SAPO), training programs (Good Business Studio), and marketing consulting to Japanese NPOs, local governments, and corporations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Support Services

NAICS

Office Administrative Services (56111), Public Administration (92)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Institutional Capacity Building & Training (Workforce/Systems Strengthening) (BPADAEAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Technical Cooperation, Capacity Building & Policy Advisory Programs (BPADABAO), CRM Managed Services & Support (BPAEAGAD)

Keywords

• NPO capacity building
• Nonprofit consulting services
• Salesforce implementation
• Back-office outsourcing
• Fundraising training

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Training and Seminar Programs: Good Business Studio offers training programs for NPOs covering business strategy, marketing, HR/organization, fundraising, and back-office operations. Programs include individual seminars and multi-session 'Zemi' (seminar-workshop hybrid) formats with fees ranging from 5,000 to 30,000 yen per program.
2. Salesforce Implementation & Consulting: Provides Salesforce CRM implementation support for NPOs including training seminars (3,000-30,000 yen), hands-on support (160,000 yen), implementation packages (600,000+ yen), and annual maintenance contracts (120,000 yen/year).
3. B-SAPO Back Office Services: Back-office operational support services for NPOs including accounting, donor management, and IT tool implementation. Supports over 90 organizations nationwide.
4. NPO Marketing Program: 7-month intensive marketing training and consulting program for NPOs, conducted in collaboration with Panasonic. Participation fee of 70,000 yen per organization.
5. Membership Fees (Tri-Sector Members): Annual membership program offering access to exclusive information, networking events, and member benefits for NPO professionals.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Japan NPO Center provides training, consulting, Salesforce CRM implementation support, and back-office operational services (B-SAPO) to nonprofit organizations in Japan. It also facilitates cross-sector collaboration between NPOs, local governments, and corporations through programs such as the Good Business Studio, NPO Marketing Program, and BUSINESS to NPO World. Additional offerings include fundraising capacity building, organizational development consulting, and regional co-creation support for Japanese municipalities.

Product overview

NPO Support Center (特定非営利活動法人NPOサポートセンター) offers a comprehensive suite of NPO support services built around four core pillars: (1) NPO Consulting including Salesforce implementation and marketing programs, (2) B-SAPO back-office support services for accounting, donor management, and operations, (3) Good Business Studio training platform with courses in HR/organization, marketing, PR, and fundraising, and (4) NPO Marketing Program providing intensive marketing training with individual consulting. Additional services include the NPO Support Collection (N-Colle) web catalog, BUSINESS to NPO World online showcase, and regional collaboration support. The organization serves as Japan's first privately-run NPO support organization, established in 1993.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Good Business Studio: A training program for organizations and individuals working on social issue resolution, offering seminars and workshops.
• B-SAPO (NPOバックオフィスサポート)
• Nコレ！ (NPO支援コレクション)
• BUSINESS to NPO World
• Salesforce導入・活用サポート

Products and services

• NPO Consulting (NPOコンサルティング) Organizational development and management consulting services for Japanese NPOs and NGOs, including Salesforce implementation support, marketing program consulting, and organizational capacity building.
• Salesforce Implementation & Utilization Support (Salesforce導入・活用サポート) Salesforce CRM implementation and ongoing support services for nonprofit organizations in partnership with Salesforce.com Foundation. Includes training seminars, hands-on support (160,000 yen, 6 visits over 2-4 months), implementation packages (from 600,000 yen), and annual after-support contracts (120,000 yen/year). Serves over 1,300 NPO corporations nationwide.
• NPO Marketing Program (NPOマーケティングプログラム / NPO Marketing Marathon) Seven-month training and consulting program combining group training, overnight retreats, and individual consulting to help NPOs develop marketing capabilities and solve organizational challenges. Co-hosted with Panasonic as official partner. Participation fee 70,000 yen per organization. 68 organizations have participated since 2008.
• B-SAPO Back-Office Support Services (B-SAPO バックオフィスサポートサービス) Back-office operational support services for nonprofit organizations including accounting, donor and member management, IT tool introduction, daily operations outsourcing, and virtual office services. Supports over 90 organizations nationwide.
• Good Business Studio Training Program Training program for organizations and individuals working on social problem-solving. Offers courses and seminars covering HR/organization, marketing, PR, web operations, and fundraising. Programs range from 5,000-30,000 yen. Over 2,500 past participants. Includes an on-demand Premium plan with extended viewing access.
• NPO Support Collection (Nコレ! / NPO支援コレクション) Web-based catalog of 100+ NPO support services organized by category (business strategy, PR, fundraising, organization and personnel, general affairs/accounting). All information is freely accessible to NPOs seeking support services.
• BUSINESS to NPO World Online Showcase Online showcase connecting NPOs with corporate service providers, featuring exhibitor presentations, interviews, and seasonal exhibitions covering fundraising, back-office, and sustainable operations topics. Connects 40+ corporate service providers with 300+ NPO leaders.
• Regional Collaboration Promotion Services (地域協創の推進) Regional co-creation promotion services supporting Japanese local governments on civic co-creation, collaboration, activity support, intermediary support function improvement, and regional issue platform development. Includes collaboration advisor placements, coordinator training, municipal staff training, and collaboration hub operations.
• BtoN Corporate-NPO Partnership Initiative (Business to NPO) Initiative connecting Japanese corporations with NPOs to promote corporate social contribution activities and address NPO management challenges. Includes NPO industry marketing support and human resource training leveraging social contribution activities.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1,300 NPO corporations using Salesforce services nationwide
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration12 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Salesforce.com FoundationcoreTechnology or IntegrationStrategic partnership for providing Salesforce CRM implementation and support services to nonprofit organizations in Japan. The foundation provides discounted and donated nonprofit editions of Salesforce, while Japan NPO Center offers training, implementation consulting, and ongoing support. Over 1,300 NPO corporations use their Salesforce services.
• Panasonic Corporation (パナソニック株式会社)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial co-host partner for the NPO Marketing Program (NPO Marketing Marathon - マーケソン), a 7-month intensive marketing training and consulting program for NPOs. Panasonic has co-sponsored the program since 2008 with 68 participating organizations.
• Tama University Graduate School (多摩大学総合研究所)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-host partner for NPO Marketing Program 2016 winter session, providing academic research support and program development expertise through the university's research institute.
• NPO Accounting Certification Association (NPO会計力検定協会)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-host organization for NPO Accounting Certification examinations held multiple times annually across 5 venues nationwide (Tokyo, Aichi, Osaka, Fukuoka, Okinawa).
• National Business Support Conference (全国事務支援カンファレンス)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEvent organizer for NPO Administrative Skills Certification (入門手続編), with Japan NPO Center as cooperating organization for training and examination delivery.
• NPO Support Collection (NPO支援コレクション)minorOthersWeb-based catalog of 100+ NPO support services organized by category (business strategy, PR, fundraising, organization/personnel, general affairs/accounting) providing free information access for NPOs seeking support.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• TechSoup Global: TechSoup Global runs a worldwide network providing nonprofits with discounted technology (including Salesforce) and capacity-building services. Both organizations occupy the same niche of providing technology adoption and operational support specifically to the nonprofit sector.
• BoardSource: BoardSource is a U.S.-based nonprofit capacity-building organization focused on nonprofit governance, leadership, and board effectiveness. It is comparable to Japan NPO Center's training/consulting arm addressing organizational sustainability for nonprofits.
• Candid (formerly Foundation Center + GuideStar): Candid provides data, research, and training resources to the nonprofit sector (foundations, NGOs). Comparable mission around strengthening nonprofit organizational capacity and transparency via information infrastructure and learning.

Broad incumbents

• Salesforce.org (Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud): Salesforce.org is the philanthropic arm of Salesforce that provides the discounted Power of Us / Nonprofit Cloud platform to NGOs globally, including the offering distributed through Japan NPO Center. They are the upstream platform provider and partner that the company's CRM practice depends on.
• National Council of Nonprofits: National Council of Nonprofits is a U.S. network of state and regional nonprofit associations serving as an advocate and capacity builder. Comparable as a broad sector-stewardship organization to NPOs, though anchored in U.S. policy advocacy rather than direct service delivery.

Regional players

• ETIC. (Entrepreneurial Training for Innovative Communities): ETIC. is a Japanese social-sector intermediary that develops social entrepreneurs and supports cross-sector ventures. Comparable to Japan NPO Center's NPO Marketing Program and social entrepreneur support segments in the Japanese domestic market.
• Hokkaido NPO Support Center (北海道NPOサポートセンター): Hokkaido NPO Support Center is a regional Japanese NPO support organization whose back-office and training staff have historically come from / trained with Japan NPO Center's B-SAPO team. They serve as a regional peer in the same NPO intermediation function.

Emerging players

• Cause Consulting Japan (コーズコンサルティング): Cause Consulting provides consulting and capacity-building services specifically for nonprofits and foundations in Japan. Comparable consulting overlap to Japan NPO Center's NPO Consulting line and NPO Marketing Program.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/nposc
• Facebookfacebook.com/nposc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/npo-support-center

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Japan NPO Center