> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.virtuous.org/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Partner Resources
> The resources available to Virtuous partners — the Partner Portal, Virtuous Academy, Marketplace, referral program, co-marketing opportunities, and how to get support
The Virtuous Partner Program provides a set of resources designed to help you succeed — whether you're building an integration, delivering implementations, or providing services to nonprofits. This page is the index: what's available, how to access it, and when to use it.
## At a glance
| Resource | What it's for |
| --------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| [Partner Portal](#partner-portal) | Your hub for program resources, requests, marketplace management |
| [Virtuous Academy](#virtuous-academy) | Product training and certifications for you and your team |
| [Marketplace](#marketplace) | Visibility to nonprofits actively looking for partners and integrations |
| [Referral Program](#referral-program) | Sending qualified leads to Virtuous (and receiving leads from us) |
| [Co-Marketing](#co-marketing) | Joint content, webinars, spotlights, and other ways to elevate your work together |
| [API Documentation](#api-documentation) | For technology partners — the developer docs for CRM+, Raise, and Volunteer |
| [GTM Worksheet](#gtm-worksheet) | A structured tool for aligning on activation plays and shared goals |
| [Support](#support) | How to reach Virtuous when you or your customers need help |
***
## Partner Portal
The Partner Portal is your primary hub for the program. It's where you:
* Access program resources, templates, and assets
* Submit requests (co-marketing, customer escalations, new integrations)
* Manage your marketplace listing
* See program announcements and updates
* Find the latest sales enablement and customer-facing materials
**How to access:** Approved partners receive Partner Portal credentials as part of onboarding. If you're already a partner and need access (or need to add team members), reach out to your Partner Manager.
***
## Virtuous Academy
Virtuous Academy is the platform's training environment — courses, certifications, and ongoing education that prepare you and your team to support Virtuous customers effectively.
### Courses and certifications
Course tracks vary by audience and product. Common tracks include:
| Track | Audience |
| --------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Foundational | Anyone new to Virtuous; product overview and core concepts |
| Implementation | S+I partners delivering Virtuous to customers |
| Integration | Technology partners building against the APIs (supplements the API documentation) |
| Adoption and best practices | Service partners helping customers get more value from Virtuous |
| Responsive fundraising | The methodology behind the platform |
Specific certifications and prerequisites may evolve — check the current Academy catalog in the Partner Portal.
### When certifications matter
| Partner type | Certification expectation |
| --------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Technology & Integration Partners | Encouraged; helps with integration design |
| Service & Agency Partners | Encouraged; demonstrates product knowledge to customers |
| Service & Implementation (S+I) Partners | Required — implementation team members complete relevant certifications before delivering implementations |
S+I partners specifically rely on Academy certifications as a customer-facing credential. The certification process validates your team's expertise, which matters to nonprofits choosing an implementation partner.
***
## Marketplace
The **Virtuous Marketplace** is where nonprofits discover partners and integrations. Your marketplace listing is often the first impression a potential customer has of your offering.
### What goes in a marketplace listing
| Element | What it does |
| ------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Headline + positioning | Communicates what your offering does and who it's for |
| Description | Detailed explanation of capabilities and customer value |
| Screenshots | Visuals that help nonprofits envision the offering |
| Category and tags | Help nonprofits filter and find you |
| Pricing model | How customers engage with you (subscription, project-based, etc.) |
| Customer contact / inquiry path | How nonprofits reach out to start a conversation |
### Getting listed
* **Technology partners** get marketplace listing access after passing the [Integration Pathway](/virtuous/partners/integration-pathway) certification step
* **Service and S+I partners** work with their Partner Manager on the listing as part of onboarding
### Maintaining your listing
Marketplace listings aren't set-it-and-forget-it. Update yours when:
* The offering's capabilities change
* Pricing or engagement model shifts
* You add new customer-facing content (case studies, demos, etc.)
* Screenshots are out of date
* Contact information changes
Active, well-maintained listings convert better than stale ones.
***
## Referral Program
The referral program is a key part of the partner ecosystem. Partners refer nonprofits who may be a good fit for Virtuous; Virtuous refers nonprofits looking for partner services and integrations. Both directions are valuable.
### Referring nonprofits to Virtuous
If you're working with a nonprofit who might benefit from Virtuous, you can refer them:
| How to refer | When to use it |
| ---------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Submit a lead through the Partner Portal | The standard, trackable path |
| Email your Partner Manager directly | When context is needed or relationships are involved |
| Make a warm introduction | When you're sharing the Virtuous team with someone who's already a contact |
The leads that work best are **warm or qualified** — there's interest in evaluating CRM, an intro has been made, or there's clear timing. We follow up promptly and keep you in the loop based on your preference.
### Commission
The referral program offers commission for qualifying referrals. **Specifics — including the commission rate, payout cadence, and eligibility — are documented in the partner agreement and discussed with your Partner Manager.** Not all partner types are commission-eligible; some consultants or agencies operate under non-commission referral arrangements.
If you don't have a Referral Agreement on file and would like to participate in the commission program, talk to your Partner Manager — they'll walk you through the process.
### Receiving referrals from Virtuous
We also refer nonprofits to partners when there's a fit. Common scenarios:
* A customer needs an implementation partner — we route to qualified S+I partners
* A customer is looking for fundraising strategy help — we route to relevant service partners
* A customer needs a specific integration that exists in the marketplace — we point them to the listing
Active partners (those engaged in the program with current marketplace listings and current contact information) get more referrals than inactive ones. Visibility within Virtuous and presence in the marketplace both matter.
***
## Co-Marketing
Co-marketing helps both sides reach more nonprofits. Common opportunities:
| Opportunity | What it is |
| ------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Partner Spotlight** | Featured placement in newsletters, blog posts, or social — highlighting your work and customer wins |
| **Joint webinars** | Co-presented sessions with shared audiences |
| **Co-authored content** | Blog posts, guides, or case studies on shared topics |
| **Customer case studies** | Joint storytelling around a mutual customer's success |
| **Event presence** | Joint moments at the Responsive Summit, industry conferences, or your own events |
| **Podcast features** | Guest appearances on Virtuous-affiliated podcasts (or hosting Virtuous on yours) |
### Getting involved
Co-marketing typically starts with the **GTM Worksheet** during onboarding (see below) — that's where we discuss what activation plays make sense. Once you're in the program, you can:
* Mention specific co-marketing interest in conversations with your Partner Manager
* Respond to opportunities mentioned in the monthly partner newsletter
* Propose ideas — partners often know their audience and customers better than we do, and the best content often originates with the partner
Marketing collaboration isn't just for the highest-tier partners. Every partner type can engage in some form of co-marketing.
***
## API Documentation
For technology and integration partners, the API documentation is the day-to-day reference for building and maintaining integrations.
Donor data platform — Contacts, Gifts, Transactions, Pledges, Recurring Gifts, Designations, Webhooks
Donation platform — Donors, Gifts, Donation Forms, Campaigns, Recurring Gifts, Webhooks
Volunteer management — Users, Projects, Groups, Forms, Certificates, Polling patterns
Each product's docs include:
* **Get Started** — authentication, base URLs, first API call, error handling, rate limits, pagination
* **Core Concepts** — the data model and major resource families
* **Common Workflows** — task-oriented walkthroughs of the most common partner needs
* **Webhooks** (CRM+ and Raise) or **Polling and Sync** (Volunteer) — change detection patterns
* **Integration Recipes** — end-to-end opinionated implementations
* **Best Practices** — cross-cutting patterns for production-grade integrations
Start with the relevant product's Overview, then dive into Concepts before workflows. The Integration Recipes are particularly useful for partners building common integration shapes.
***
## GTM Worksheet
The Go-to-Market (GTM) Worksheet is a structured tool we use during onboarding to align on activation plays and shared goals. It typically covers:
| Section | Contents |
| ------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Partner profile | Your nonprofit-sector positioning, target customer profile, primary services |
| Mutual customer landscape | Existing or expected overlap between your customer base and Virtuous's |
| Joint value proposition | The specific value you and Virtuous together deliver to nonprofits |
| Activation plays | The specific content, events, or programs that fit early in the partnership |
| Success metrics | What we'll measure to know the partnership is working |
| Timeline | The first 90 days, 6 months, and year — at a high level |
The worksheet is sent during onboarding and revisited periodically as the partnership evolves.
***
## Support
The right support path depends on what you need.
### Program and partnership questions
**Your Partner Manager** is your primary contact for:
* Strategic direction and partnership development
* Co-marketing opportunities and joint planning
* Tier reviews and program advancement
* Connecting you with the right Virtuous team for any specific need
* Customer escalation triage (they'll route to the right team)
### Customer escalations
When a mutual customer needs help with the integration or services you provide, the path depends on the issue:
| Issue type | First contact |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Issue with your integration | You — customers contact your support |
| Customer asks about Virtuous-side functionality | The customer's Virtuous Customer Success Manager |
| Issue spanning your product and Virtuous (e.g., data appears in Virtuous but not in yours) | Your Partner Manager — they'll coordinate with the right Virtuous team |
| Urgent production issue affecting multiple customers | Your Partner Manager + the contacts you listed during the [Integration Pathway](/virtuous/partners/integration-pathway#step-9-list-contacts-for-support-sales-and-development) |
### API technical questions
For technology partners, technical questions about the API itself:
* **Public docs** — the [CRM+](/crm/overview), [Raise](/raise/overview), and [Volunteer](/volunteer/overview) documentation covers most questions
* **OpenAPI specs** — referenced from each product's documentation; the source of truth for endpoint shapes
* **Your Partner Manager** — can route specific technical questions to the right engineering team
### Status and changelog
For platform status (outages, scheduled maintenance) and changelog (API updates, new features), check the relevant product's Changelog page or the platform-wide status page if available.
***
## Tips for getting the most from these resources
A few patterns that strong partners follow:
| Pattern | Why it matters |
| ----------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Stay current in the Partner Portal** | Program updates, opportunities, and resources land there first |
| **Complete the certifications relevant to your work** | Validates expertise; opens doors with customers |
| **Keep your marketplace listing fresh** | First impression for many customers; affects discovery |
| **Engage proactively with your Partner Manager** | They can connect you with opportunities you wouldn't see otherwise |
| **Share your wins and customer stories** | The more we know about what's working, the more we can amplify it |
| **Flag friction early** | Issues caught early are easier to solve than ones that simmer |
| **Use the API docs and best practices pages** | The patterns documented for integrations save real engineering effort |
***
## Where to go next
For technology partners — the full workflow from MNDA through marketplace listing.
Details on partner types, tiers, and how to grow within the program.
The application process for new partners.
The program's philosophy and the broader ecosystem.