What action should a consultant take when installing NPSP for a nonprofit organization using the memberships feature?

When installing the Nonprofit Success Pack (NPSP) for a nonprofit organization that plans to utilize the memberships feature, creating a Membership Opportunity record type is essential. This action allows the organization to effectively track and manage membership renewals and benefits associated with membership types.

A Membership Opportunity record type enables the nonprofit to distinguish membership-related opportunities from other types of opportunities within Salesforce, such as donations or event registrations. By setting up this specific record type, the organization can customize the fields and processes relevant to memberships, ensuring that they capture all necessary information required for membership management.

In contrast, while adding a value in the Type field on Opportunity for Membership could have implications for categorization, it does not provide the comprehensive management capabilities and customizability that defining a dedicated Membership Opportunity record type offers. Similarly, creating a Membership Affiliation record type or adding a checkbox field may contribute to membership management, but they do not leverage the full functionality of Opportunities tailored for memberships, potentially complicating reporting and data management down the line. Thus, establishing a Membership Opportunity record type is the most effective action for a consultant to take in this scenario.