Where we test tomorrow’s tools before you depend on them
The Innovation Lab is fusionSpan’s research and development arena. We look ahead at new technology, from AI agents built with Claude and Agentforce to headless experiences, test it against what we see across our clients, and turn what works into products.
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Research grounded in real client problems
We work with hundreds of nonprofits and associations, so we see the same problems surface again and again: data that will not move between systems, customizations rebuilt for every project, and testing that takes too long. The Innovation Lab exists to solve those problems once, properly.
We research, develop, and fully test products that any organization can use, with the goal of saving our clients time and money. We prototype fast and release only what holds up in testing. If you have an idea for a technology solution, we are ready to help you explore it.
Results from the Lab
fusionCore
Associations kept paying for AMS modules they did not use while buying other tools to fill the gaps. The result is our Salesforce-native membership and subscription engine, built on standard Salesforce objects and ready for Agentforce, so organizations can build a best-of-need stack around a strong core.
fusionConnect
We saw clients struggling to share data across systems, which hurt data governance and reporting. The result is a fully managed integration platform built on MuleSoft.
Salesforce Accelerators
Clients kept needing the same customizations, so we built them once and made them available to every client who needs them.
Automated testing
Browser-based tests that mimic end-user behavior. A single scenario may need to run up to 10 times across desktop and mobile browsers, and automated tests can run 24/7. We now use automated testing on all of our projects.
Fonteva, inside Claude
Fonteva HXL lets your team work in Fonteva from a conversation with Claude. People stay in control: every change waits for approval before it posts.
- Look up any memberAsk by name and see tier, term, history and spend, with the Salesforce record one click away.
- Orders and paymentsCreate an order, add items and take a payment. Nothing posts until you approve it.
- RefundsChoose the items, the method and the reason, then approve.
- Group registrationsAttach a spreadsheet. Every row is checked for missing emails and duplicates before it is sent.
Read the transcript
Fonteva, inside Claude.
Ask for a member by name.
Claude opens a live profile: tier, term, history and spend.
The same record opens in Salesforce, one click away.
Create an order from the profile, add an item, and enter the check.
Nothing posts until you approve it in the chat and allow it once.
Then the receipt posts.
Refunds work the same way.
Choose the items, the method and the reason.
Approve it, and the refund posts in Fonteva.
To register a group, attach a spreadsheet.
The card checks every row and flags errors, like a missing email or a duplicate.
Fix the flagged rows in the card, then send them for approval.
Approve once, and fifteen registrations go onto one order.
Take the payment in Fonteva, and the card shows the receipt.
Fonteva HXL, by fusionSpan.
AI in the Lab
AI is now a central focus. Our team builds and tests agents and AI workflows with Agentforce and Claude, and we share what we learn openly through webinars and articles. Our Volunteer Coordinator Super Agent won the Dreamforce Agents for Good Hackathon in 2025.
What we learn in the Lab shapes the AI services we offer clients, from readiness assessments to production agents. We test so you do not have to experiment on your members.
Who leads the Lab
Himali Shah
Himali is a Salesforce veteran with more than 10 years of experience working with nonprofits and associations. She leads fusionSpan’s Salesforce Accelerators.
How an idea becomes a product
Spot the pattern
A problem shows up across several clients or a client brings us an idea.
Research and prototype
We evaluate forward-looking technologies and build a working prototype.
Test thoroughly
We test across real scenarios and environments until the product is reliable.
Deliver to clients
Proven products become offerings like fusionCore, fusionConnect, and our accelerators.
Questions we hear
Can we bring the Lab a problem of our own?
Yes. Bring it to us and we will help you explore it. Ideas that apply to many organizations are the ones most likely to become products.
How do Lab products reach clients?
Through our normal projects and managed services. Accelerators, for example, can be added during or after a Salesforce implementation, and fusionConnect is offered as a managed service.
Is the Lab only about Salesforce?
No. Salesforce is our home platform, but the Lab looks at any technology that could help nonprofits and associations, including AI tools such as Claude.
Planning a modernization or AI project?
Talk with a consultant who knows your industry.