using civicrm - swlen · 2018-11-27 · drush procedure installation troubleshooting. configuring...
TRANSCRIPT
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UsingCiviCRM
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TableofContents
UsingCiviCRMCreditsForewordAbouttheAuthorsAbouttheReviewerswww.PacktPub.com
Supportfiles,eBooks,discountoffersandmoreWhySubscribe?FreeAccessforPacktaccountholders
PrefaceWhatthisbookcoversWhatyouneedforthisbookWhothisbookisforConventionsReaderfeedbackCustomersupport
ErrataPiracyQuestions
1.AchievingYourMissionwithCiviCRMWhyyourorganizationneedsConstituentRelationship
ManagementWhatisConstituentRelationshipManagement?
CustomerRelationshipManagementversusConstituentRelationshipManagement
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Whoareyourconstituents?WhenisCiviCRMthebestCRM?
ThinkingthroughalternativesOtherCRMs
WhyCiviCRM?Focusedonneedsofnon-profitsUsersatisfactionNovendorlock-inIntegrationwithDrupalandJoomla!TotalcostDynamicopensourcedevelopmentDocumentationResponsivecommunitysupport
HowCiviCRMwillhelpyourorganizationSummary
2.PlanningYourCRMImplementationBarrierstosuccessPerfectionistheenemyofthegoodDevelopmentmethodologies
TheconventionalWaterfallDevelopmentmethodology
IterativedevelopmentmethodologyAgiledevelopmentmethodologyFoodPantryAssociationofGreaterMetropolis
Right-sizingtheprocessBuildingtheteamGettingstarted
CreatingabaselineDevelopingthevision
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CreatingaprojectplanTotalcostofownership
FocusingonconstituentsandmissionRethinkingorganizationalprocesses
DeterminingyourneedsFunctionalrequirements
ContactrecordmanagementContactsubtypesCustomdata
e-Newslettersandbulke-mailsFundraisingMembershipsandsubscriptionsEventsGrantmanagementActivitiesCasemanagementRolesandpermissions
CMSintegrationThird-partyintegrationServersourcing
ImplementationplanSummary
3.Installation,Configuration,andMaintenanceInstallingCiviCRM
InstallationinJoomla!InstallationinDrupal
Browser/FTPprocedureDrushprocedure
Installationtroubleshooting
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ConfiguringCiviCRMSiteConfigurationViewingandEditingContactsSendinge-mailsHandlingreturne-mailtrafficMaintainingagoode-mailserverreputationConfiguringthee-mailprocessorOnlinepaymentprocessors
IntegratedversusredirectionprocessorsConfiguringthepaymentprocessorSystemworkflowtemplates
Organization,customization,andcomponentsOrganizeyourcontactsCustomizeData,FormsandScreensComponents
OptionListsSynchronizationwithCMSusersDrupalaccesscontrolforCiviCRM
CiviGroupRolesSyncCiviMemberRolesSyncCiviCRMOGSync
CiviCRMaccesscontrolunderDrupalDashboardNavigationSettingupcronjobs
UpgradesandmaintenanceVersionandrevisionupgrades
Joomla!upgradesDrupalupgrades
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MovinganinstallationtoanewserverSystemmaintenanceDevelopingabackuppolicyandprocedure
Summary4.CiviCRMBasics:MovingthroughtheSystemandWorkingwithContacts
IntroductiontotheinterfaceContacts
Individuals,organizations,andhouseholdsContactsubtypesPlanningyourcontacttypes
CoreinformationfieldsContactdetailsCustomdataAddressCommunicationpreferencesDemographics
DeletingcontactsTagsandGroups
TagsGroups
UsinggroupsCreatinggroupsManaginggroupmembership
RelationshipsRelationshiptypesAddingrelationships
ActivitiesNotes
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SearchQuicksearchBasicsearchAdvancedSearchFull-textSearchSearchBuilderUnderstandingcontactversuscomponentsearchesCustomsearch
SearchresultactionsMailactionsGroupsandtagsactionsAddrelationshipactionsAddrelatedrecordactionsUpdatecontactactionsExport/mapactionsSubsequentactionsonthesameselection
WorkingwithcontactrecordsAlternateworkflowsEliminatingduplicates
StrategiesfordealingwithduplicatesFindingandmergingduplicatesFindingduplicatesMergingduplicates
Summary5.Collecting,Organizing,andImportingData
CustomdatafieldsCreatingonlineformswithprofiles
ProfilesinactionEmpoweringuserstoupdateinformation
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SearchinganonlinedirectoryIncludingprofilesincomponentpagesSearchresultviewsandbatchupdates
ExposingprofilepagestoyourwebsiteJoomla!DrupalAdditionaloptionsthroughURLvariables
ImportingcontactandactivitydataContactsimportActivitiesimportTipsforpreparingyourdataMigratingtoaproductionserver
Summary6.CommunicatingBetter
HowtocommunicatebetterAligningeffortswithobjectivesTopic,treatment,tone,andtimingCalltoactionReinforcingyourbrand
Sendinge-mailstooneormoreconstituentsE-mailingusinganexternalclientE-mailingusingCiviCRM
PrintingaddresslabelsRecordingapostalmailing
PrintingaPDFletterOrganizinggroupsforcommunicationEncouragingsubscriptionsusingprofilesSendingabulke-mail
Configuringtheheaderandfooter
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Configuringandsendingbulke-mailsManagingmailingsinprocess
Creatingabulke-mailtemplateCustomizingsystemworkflowmessagesRecordingexternale-mailsSummary
7.Fundraising:MoneyforYourMissionDevelopingafundraisingplan
SegmentingbycategorySegmentingbychannelProgramsMoney,donors,andprospectsBenchmarking
SelectingapaymentprocessorInitialfundraisingconfiguration
ConfiguringCiviContributeConfiguringcontributiontypesConfiguringpaymentinstrumentsConfiguringacceptedcreditcardsConfiguringapaymentprocessorConfiguringpremiumsConfiguringpricesets
ConfiguringCiviPledgeRecordingacontributionmanuallyImportingcontributionsManuallycreatingapledgeSearching,examining,andworkingwithcontributions
FindingcontributionsExaminingcontributions
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TakingactiononcontributionsUpdatePendingContributionStatusPrintorE-mailContributionReceiptsPDFore-mailreceiptsSendinge-mailstocontactsBatchUpdateContributionsViaProfileExportContributionsDeleteContributions
Searching,examining,andtakingactiononpledgesSearchingpledgesExaminingpledgesTakingactiononpledges
ExportPledgesDeletePledges
ReportingCountingprospectswithAdvancedSearchAdditionalsegmentationsuggestionsandtools
ResearchingwithprofilequestionnairesContributionreports
ImplementinganappealPlanningCreatinganonlinecontributionpage
TitleandsettingsContributionamountsMembershipsettingsIncludeProfileThank-youandReceiptingTellaFriendPersonalCampaignPages
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ContributionwidgetPremiumsTest-driveLiveContributionPagePublicizethepage
SendingdirectmailRunningatelemarketingappealDirectcontact
OthertypesofdonationsPermissionsSummary
8.GrowingYourMembershipandInteractingwithMembers
SettingthingsupDefiningmembershiptypesReviewingstatusrulesSettinguprenewalremindersConfiguringcronjobs
WorkingwithmembershipsanddailymanagementtoolsMembershipsinthecontactrecord
FormstosolicitnewmembersandretaintheexistingonesSearchingandreportingBigPictureandothertools
CommonfunctionsinCiviCRMMembershipdirectoriesThird-partyextensions
Summary9.ManagingEvents
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Whyhostevents?Buildingandpromotingyourevent
InformationandsettingsWaitlisting
EventLocationFeesOnlineRegistrationTellaFriendTestingandpromotingBreakfastseminarexample
ProcessingandmanagingparticipantsWorkingwitheventregistrations
HandlingexpectedpaymentsImportingparticipantrecords
Tracking,searching,andreportingTrackingregistrationsusingthedashboardSearchingforparticipantsEventreports
IntegratingeventsintoyourCRMstrategySummary
10.InteractingwithConstituents:ManagingCasesThinkingthroughyourcasemanagementsystem
MakingitrealConfiguringcases
Definingactivities,workflows,andtimelinesWhoareyourkeyplayers?Whatoutsiderelationshipsareinvolved?Additionaloptionsandtesting
Tracking,managing,andresolvingcases
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CreatingandmanagingcaserecordsTracking,searching,andreportingcases
Summary11.ProvidingSupport:GrantManagement
DefiningthegrantapplicationprocessManaginggranteesTrackinggrantapplicationsOthersideofthecoin:ApplyingforgrantsSummary
12.TellingYourStory:BuildingReportsGettingtothebottomlineToolsetsandtiming
ReportCriteriaReportSettingsReportworkflowsAvailabletemplates
ContactreporttemplatesContributionreporttemplatesMemberreporttemplatesEventreporttemplatesPledgereporttemplatesCasereporttemplatesGrantreporttemplates
CustomizingandbuildingyourowntemplatesSummary
13.Customization,Community,andCooperationFutureversionsandprojectroadmap
NewfunctionalityUpcomingversions
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CustomizingandextendingBuilttobecustomized
HooksandoverridesAPIsDeveloperdocumentationandsamplecodeForums,IRC,andtheissuetracker
CommunityandcooperationSummary
Index
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UsingCiviCRM
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UsingCiviCRMCopyright©2011PacktPublishing
Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthisbookmaybereproduced,storedinaretrievalsystem,ortransmittedinanyformorbyanymeans,withoutthepriorwrittenpermissionofthepublisher,exceptinthecaseofbriefquotationsembeddedincriticalarticlesorreviews.
Everyefforthasbeenmadeinthepreparationofthisbooktoensuretheaccuracyoftheinformationpresented.However,theinformationcontainedinthisbookissoldwithoutwarranty,eitherexpressorimplied.Neithertheauthors,norPacktPublishing,anditsdealersanddistributorswillbeheldliableforanydamagescausedorallegedtobecauseddirectlyorindirectlybythisbook.
PacktPublishinghasendeavoredtoprovidetrademarkinformationaboutallofthecompaniesandproductsmentionedinthisbookbytheappropriateuseofcapitals.However,PacktPublishingcannotguaranteetheaccuracyofthisinformation.
Firstpublished:February2011
ProductionReference:2170211
PublishedbyPacktPublishingLtd.
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32LincolnRoad
Olton
Birmingham,B276PA,UK.
ISBN978-1-849512-26-8
www.packtpub.com
CoverImagebyJohnM.Quick()
http://www.packtpub.commailto:[email protected]
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CreditsAuthors
JosephMurray,PhD
BrianP.Shaughnessy
Reviewers
AlanDixon
DavidGeilhufe
MohamedM.Hagag
RicoLandman
EileenMcNaughton
AcquisitionEditor
StevenWilding
DevelopmentEditor
NehaMallik
TechnicalEditor
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KrutikaKatelia
CopyEditor
NehaShetty
EditorialTeamLeader
AksharaAware
ProjectTeamLeader
PriyaMukherji
ProjectCoordinator
ShubhanjanChatterjee
Indexer
HemanginiBari
Proofreader
AaronNash
Graphics
NileshMohite
ProductionCoordinator
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KruthikaBangera
CoverWork
KruthikaBangera
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ForewordDonaldLobo,MichalMach,andIstartedCiviCRMalmostsixyearsago.Backthen,opensourcesoftwarehadgainedtractionintheoperatingsystemarena,buttheideaofanopensourceapplicationdesignedfromthegrounduptomeettheneedsofnon-profitsandothercivicsectororganizationswasprettyradical.Wewereconvincedthattherewasanaturalaffinitybetweentheprincipalsofopensourcedevelopment,namelypeerproduction,collaboration,andtransparency,andthegoalsandcultureofmanycivicsectororganizations.
AsIseeit,thechiefbenefitofopensourcesoftwareisthatthecapabilitiesofthesoftwaregrowandexpandtomeettheneedsoftheorganizationsthataresponsoringandusingit.Thishasbeencalled"fitnessforpurpose",anddifferentiatesCiviCRMfromotherCRMsoftware,whichoftenismorelikeanill-fitting"hand-me-down"fromtheenterprisesector.
CiviCRMhasgrowntobecometheCRMsoftwareofchoiceforthousandsoforganizationsaroundtheglobe.We'vebuiltatalentedanddedicatedteamofdevelopers,andmetthechallengesofbuildingsoftwarewhichaddressesthediverseneedsoforganizationsrangingfromcommunityartsgroupstonationalmembershipassociations,grassrootsorganizations,politicalcampaigns,
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religiousorganizations,foundations,andgovernmentagencies.
Alongtheway,we'vestruggledwithfindingtherightprocessesandtoolsfornurturingasupportiveandwelcomingcommunity,improvingthequalityandusabilityofthesoftwarewhilerespondingtothenever-endingstreamofrequestsformore(andmorecomplex)functionality,anddevelopingarevenuestreamtosustaintheproject.Thisisanongoingjourney,andtheadventofthefirstcommerciallypublishedguidetoCiviCRMisanothermilestone.
Thisbookisapowertoolofsorts.Asa"manualofpossibility",itwillignitenewthinkingastohowyoucanmaximizereturnstoyourorganizationthathavenotbeenpossiblebeforebasedonpriortechnologiesyoumayhaveused(orlacked).Ifyou'reacurrentCiviCRMuser,youwillfindwaystostreamlineworkflowsandleveragethedatayouhavemoreeffectively.Regardlessofyoursituation,thisbookhasbeendesignedwithYOUinmind.
Theauthors,BrianShaughnessyandJosephMurray,havebeenactiveintheCiviCRMcommunityforseveralyears,andhaveimplementedCiviCRM-basedsolutionsforawidevarietyoforganizations.ThishasgiventheminsightintowhatCiviCRMisallabout,andhowitcanbeusedforoptimalreturn.
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WhenIseenewandcreativeCiviCRM-basedcampaignscomeacrossmyTwitterfeed,newlocalCivimeet-upsannounced,orpatchessubmittedbyanewlyup-to-speeddeveloper,orwatchanon-profitstaffperson'seyeslightupwhentheyseethepowerofhavingalltheirconstituentinformationinonecentralizedplace,IfeelconfidentinthefutureofCiviCRM.
Ultimately,thatstrengthofanyopensourceprojectisthestrengthofthecommunitybehindit.IurgeallofyouwhouseCiviCRMtoparticipateactivelyinthecommunity.Sponsornewfeaturesandimprovements,submitpatches,sharecasestudies,andhelpotherswhoaregettingstarted!Youcandoitallathttp://civicrm.org/.
DavidGreenberg
Co-FounderofCiviCRM
http://civicrm.org/
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AbouttheAuthorsJosephMurray,PhD,istheownerandprincipalofJMAConsulting,specialistsine-Advocacy,e-Consultation,andCitizenEngagementforprogressiveorganizations.Hehasextensiveexperienceonnon-profitboards,atseniorlevelsofgovernment,andrunningelectoral,referendum,andadvocacycampaigns.JMAConsultinghasprovidedCRMsystemstohundredsofpoliticalcampaignstrackinginteractionswithtensofmillionsofvoters,aswellasprovidingDrupalandCiviCRMstrategy,implementation,developmentandtrainingservicestonumerousnon-profitandadvocacygroups.
JoehasservedontheCiviCRMCommunityAdvisoryGroup,andisaDirectoroftheTorontoDrupalUsersGroup.
I'dliketothankmylifepartner,LisaAustin,forherpatience,love,andsupport;andoursons,CalumandRafe,forthewrestlingmatchesandticklefights.Thanksalsotomyclients,fortheirCRMchallenges,patronage,andthoughtfulandpassionateeffortstomaketheworldabetterplace,toDave,Lobo,Kurund,andtherestofthecoreteamfortheirleadership,vision,andhardwork;toBrianforshoulderingsomuchworkinthiswonderfulcollaboration;andtoStevenWildingandrestofPacktcrewfortheirsupportandassistanceinmakingthisbookareality.
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Finally,I'dliketothankalltheCiviCRMcommunitydevelopers,wikiauthors,forumposters,andusersaroundtheworld-you'retheinspirationforthisbookandthepeoplewhoreallymakeouropensourceprojectprosper.
JPM
BrianP.ShaughnessyistheownerandprincipalofLighthouseConsulting&Design,awebdevelopmentfirmspecializinginJoomla!andCiviCRMimplementations.Brianpreviouslyworkedwithanassociationmanagementcompanyforover10years,providingservicestonot-for-profitprofessional,trade,andcharitableorganizations.Afterstartinghisownbusiness,hechanneledthatexperienceintoeffectiveimplementationsofCiviCRMfornot-for-profits.Hehasworkedwithorganizationsaroundtheworld,helpingtoachievegreaterefficienciesandexpandfunctionalitythroughCiviCRM.
BrianhasservedontheCiviCRMCommunityAdvisoryGroupandhelpedauthorthefirsteditionofUnderstandingCiviCRM(laterrenamedCiviCRM:AComprehensiveGuide).Hehasworkedwiththecoredevelopmentteamtoprovideend-usertrainingandmaintainsastrongworkingrelationshipwiththeprojectleaders.BrianhasalsobeenactiveintheJoomla!project,servingontheGoogleSummerofCodeprogramasaJoomla!mentor.HehasprovidedprofessionalJoomla!trainingthroughhttp://technicallead.com/.
http://technicallead.com/
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I'dliketothankmyfamilyfortheirsupportwhilewritingthisbook,andtoJoeforhelpingspearheadtheprojectandpartneringasmyco-author.I'dalsoliketogiveparticularthankstothecoredevelopmentteamandCiviCRMcommunityforhelpingmakeaterrificpieceofsoftware.Lobo,Dave,Kurund,andthedevelopersspreadaroundtheworld—thanksforbringingthepowerofanopensourceCRMtothenot-for-profitcommunity.
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AbouttheReviewersAlanDixonhasbeenhelpingnon-profitswiththeircontactdatabasessince1989.Heworksasanindependentwebsitedeveloper,isbasedinToronto,Canada,andhasbeenbuildingwebsiteswithCiviCRMsince2006.Hemaintainsthesitehttp://community.civicrm.ca.
DavidGeilhufe,bornandraisedinSiliconValley,focusesontheintersectionoftechnologyandsocialchange.Hehasfoundednon-profitsandfor-profits,builttheoperationsofcorporatecitizenshiporganizationsandprivatefoundations,developedventure-fundedenterprisesoftwaresystems,broughttogetheropensourcecommunities,andmentoredat-riskyouthintohigh-techemployment.He'salwayslookingtocreateandexecuteabigideathatwilldoalittlegoodfortheworld.
Davidcurrentlyrunshttp://netsuite.org/,NetSuite'scorporatecitizenshipprogramfocusedondeliveringanultra-low-costbackofficesolutiontocharitiesandsocialenterprisesworldwide.
MohamedM.HagagisaUnix/Linuxsystemengineerwithfreeopensourcesoftwarepassion.HelikesresearchanddevelopmentonFOSS,andisworkingindependentlyandwithteamsonFOSSR&Dsince2004.Hiscurrentandpastemployersaresmallandmedium-scalecompaniesworking
http://community.civicrm.cahttp://netsuite.org/
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intheITmarketingeneralwithsomelevelofUNIX/Linuxspecialization.Thoughhehasn'tofficiallyworkedonanybook,hehasworkedontranslatingsometechnicalbookstoArabiclanguage.
IwanttofirstthankGodforeverythinggoodinmylife,andthenthankmyparents,sistersandmywifeformakingmylifethatnice,sothatIcanmoveahead.
RicoLandmanisawebdeveloperfromZwolle,theNetherlands.Afterworkingforseveralcompaniesasawebdeveloper,hestartedhisowncompanyFuturix.HemainlyworkswithPHPandisadevotedopensourcepartisan,excellingintheuseofMagento,Drupal,vTiger,andsoon.
Inthelastfewyearshehastendedtoseekcooperationwithotheropen-source-orientedcompanies.MostofhisprojectsresideunderSimourix(co-owner)orTrinfinity,aninternationalnetworkofspecialistsworkinginthehigh-endInternetindustry.
DedicatedtoMarja,Carmen,andRalph,andalsotomybusinesspartnersMarcelloandHans.
EileenMcNaughtonlivesinWellington,NewZealandwhereshedivideshertimebetweenCiviCRMconsulting,accountsforthefamilyautomotivebusiness,twopre-schoolsuper-heroes,andtheoccasionalbitofsleep.ShefirstbecameinvolvedinCiviCRMwhilesettinguponlineclass
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registrationsforWellingtonCircusTrust(forwhichsheisaTrustee)andhasbeeninvolvedinanumberofCiviCRMandDrupalimplementationsforFuzionsincethen.ShehascontributednumerouspatchestotheCorecodebaseincludingpaymentprocessors,acustomsearch,andenhancementstoinvoices.ShehasalsobeenworkingonintegrationwithXeroaccountspackageandaCiviCRMextensiontothepopularDrupalMigratemodule.
SheisaregularvoiceontheforumsandCiviCRMblog,andisdrivingtheMake-it-Happeninitiative.SheservesontheCiviCRMAPIandCiviAccountsteam,appointmentstowhichareanhonoronsomedays,andbringtheword"sucker"tomindonothers.EileenwaspartoftheteamthatwrotetheoriginalCiviCRMFlossmanualinthebooksprint.
IwouldliketothankDonaldLoboandtherestoftheCiviCRMcoreteamformakingsuchagreatCRMavailabletotheworldandforthehugeefforttheyputintohelpingpeopleuseit.
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PrefaceCiviCRMisaweb-based,opensourceConstituentRelationshipManagement(CRM)system,designedspecificallytomeettheneedsofadvocacy,non-profit,andnon-governmentalorganizations.Electedofficials,professional/tradeassociations,politicalcampaignsandparties,governmentagencies,andothersimilarorganizationsareamongitsgrowingnumberofenthusiasticusers.ThisbookshowsyouhowtoharnessCiviCRM'simpressivearrayofpossibilitiesasyoudevelopandexecuteperformance-criticalCRMstrategies.
Throughoutthisbook,wewillreviewthestructureandmainfunctionalityofCiviCRMasweguideyouindevelopingandsuccessfullyimplementingaCRMstrategyforyourorganizationusingdetailedexplanationsandpracticalexamples.
Inaddition,wewilldiscussorganizationalprocesses/workflowsthatareimpactedbyCiviCRM,providingguidanceasyoureviewandanalyzeyourinternaloperationswithregardtotheCRMimplementation.WewillpresentbestpracticesofconstituentrelationshipmanagementandprovideguidanceonhowtoeffectivelyimplementthemwithCiviCRM.ThebenefitsofusingCiviCRMwillbefeltacrossyourorganization,helpingtobetterachieveyourmission.
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UsingCiviCRM,yourorganizationwillinteractwithconstituentsmoreeffectivelyandhandlestaffingchangesmoresmoothlybytrackingcontactsandinteractionswiththeminaunifiedsystemsharedacrosstheorganization.Organizationleadershipwillusedatagatheredfromconstituentstoanalyzeandinformtheirdecisionmakingprocess.
Ifyourorganizationraisesfundsthroughdonations,contributions,eventfees,andmembership,you'llbeabletoraisemoremoneyandreducecostsbyidentifyingqualifiedprospectsfortargetedfundraisinginitiatives.Wewilldemonstratehowtoattractnewprospectsandconvertthemtodonorsusingonline,directmail,telemarketing,anddirectcontactchannelsusingCiviCRM.Youwilllearnwhyandhowtosetupandgrowyourmonthlydonorprogram,aswellasimprovethefrequency,averagedonationamounts,andretentionratesofyourdonorbase.
WithCiviCRM,you'llbeabletoreducetheburdenonadministrativeresourcesbyprovidingonlinepaymentsandself-serviceoptionsforeventregistrationsandmembershiprenewals.Youcanincreasethelikelihoodofyourexistingconstituentsbecomingmoreinvolvedwithyourorganization,ensuringmoreofyourmembersshowuptovolunteer,identifyingpotentialleaders,andstewardingtheirvolunteeractivities.
Finally,youwillbemakingrelevantinformationeasily
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availablethatquantifieswhatagreatjobyou'vebeendoing,includingthenumberofhoursthatvolunteersgavetoyourorganizationlastyear,thenumberofcasesmanaged,membershipretentionrates,eventparticipationstatistics,orthenumberofnewviralsignupsfromyourlatesturgentactione-mail.
Thiseasy-to-understandbookwillguideyouthroughbuildingawell-formulatedandawell-executedCRMsystemthatmeetsyourorganization'sneedsperfectly.
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WhatthisbookcoversChapter1,AchievingYourMissionwithCiviCRMhelpsyouunderstandthegoal,purpose,andfunctionofaCRM,lookingbeyondthetechnologytotheunderlyingobjectivesandbenefitsofaunifiedapproachtocontactandcommunicationmanagement.Inthischapter,youlearnhowCiviCRMcanbeusedtoeffectivelyandefficientlymeettheseobjectives.
Chapter2,PlanningYourCRMImplementationshowsyouhowtoreviewcriticalstepsandconsiderationsasyouplanyourCRMimplementation,includingprojectmanagementmethods,buildingtheprojectteam,andsettingrealisticyeteffectivegoals.
Chapter3,Installation,Configuration,andMaintenanceshowsyouhowtosystematicallyandcomprehensivelyreviewtheinstallationandinitialconfigurationprocessforCiviCRM,whilelearningaboutcoreconceptsandhowtheywillaffectthewayyoutrackandmanageinformation.Inthischapter,youwillalsoestablishapathforongoingmaintenanceandupdates.
Chapter4,CiviCRMBasics:MovingthroughtheSystemandWorkingwithContactsshowsyouhowtoseeyourdatathroughthelensofthecontactrecordandlearnhowtocreate,edit,andworkwiththecontactanditsrelated
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records,includingrelationships,activities,notes,tags,andgroups.Beginusingthevarioussearchtoolstofindandworkwithmultiplecontactsthroughbulkactions.
Chapter5,Collecting,Organizing,andImportingDatashowsyouhowtocreatecustomdatafieldsfordifferentpurposesandorganizethemalongwithcoreinformationfieldsintoprofilesfordataentry,searching,andlisting.Walkthroughthedataimportprocess,frompre-processdatascrubbingandstructuralclean-uptoimportoptionsandfieldmapping.
Chapter6,CommunicatingBettertakesyourmessagetothemassesthrougheffectivecommunication.IthelpsyouunderstandhowCiviCRMtoolscanbeharnessedthroughanintegratedapproachtosend,track,andmeasuretheeffectivenessofyourprinted,spoken,anddigitalcommunications.
Chapter7,Fundraising:MoneyforYourMissionteachesyouhowtodevelopafundraisingplanandhowtoconfigurethetoolstopromoteandtrackyourefforts.Inthischapter,youwillalsoworkwithcontributionsthroughthecontactrecordandothermanagementtools.
Chapter8,GrowingYourMembershipandInteractingwithMembersshowsyouhowtoconfigurethesystemforyourmembershipneedsandunderstandthecoreconceptsofmembertrackinginCiviCRM.Youcanuseonlineformsto
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solicitnewmembersandencouragerenewals,andtrack,search,andreportonmemberactivity.
Chapter9,ManagingEventsshowsyouhowtostepthroughtheeventcreationwizard,understandingthevariousoptionsforhandlingregistrations,waitlists,andapproval-basedworkflows.Promoteyoureventthrougheventinformationandregistrationpages,andRSS/iCal/HTMLlists.Trackregistrationsastheycomeinandworkwiththeparticipantdetailsthroughthecontactrecord,attendancelists,andreports.
Chapter10,InteractingwithConstituents:ManagingCasesmakesyouunderstandthepurposeandkeyconceptsofcasemanagementwhilereviewingpossibleusesthatcouldbeofvaluetoyourorganization.Youalsoconfigureacasetypewithcustomactivitiesandatimelineworkflow,andreviewthemanagementandtrackingtoolsavailableasyouseekcaseresolution.
Chapter11,ProvidingSupport:GrantManagementshowsyouhowyoucanimprovethewaysyousupportconstituentsthroughgrantdisseminationusingCiviCRM'sgranttrackingtools.Italsoshowshowyoucanmanagetheapplicationandapprovalprocessandlatertrackmonetarydisbursementsandreportingrequirements.
Chapter12,TellingYourStory:BuildingReportshelpsyoutellthestoryofyourorganizationthroughreports,having
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nowcoveredthefullsetoffeaturesandfunctionalityprovidedbyCiviCRM.
Chapter13,Customization,Community,andCooperationmakesyoulookaheadtofutureversionsofCiviCRM,understandtheessentialbestpracticesforcustomizingyourinstallation,andlearnhowyourinvolvementintheCiviCRMcommunitycanhelpsupportyourorganizationwhileadvancingthesoftware.
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WhatyouneedforthisbookInadditiontotheCiviCRMsoftwareitself(freelyavailablefromhttp://civicrm.org),youwillneedeitherDrupal(http://drupal.org)orJoomla!(http://joomla.org)astheCMSframeworkinwhichCiviCRMwillreside.
CiviCRMrunsonanApache/MySQL/PHPplatform.Itrequiresafairamountofserversystemresourcesmorethansomeotherweb-basedsoftware,includingDrupalorJoomla!runningontheirown.Virtualprivateserversavailablefromcommercialhostingprovidersareagoodoptionforhosting,anddedicatedserverswithhighavailabilityandhighperformanceserverclusterscanalsobeusedinmoredemandingsituations.WhileyoumaybeabletorunCiviCRMonsharedhostingforsmallimplementations,youwillgenerallyfindtheresourcelimitationsproblematic,particularlywhenyouruseofthesoftwaregrows.
Fortestingpurposesorinspecialcircumstanceswhereyouwantapersonalinstance,youcansetupanimplementationonalocalmachinerunning:
XAMPP:www.apachefriends.org/en/xampp.htmlMAMP:www.mamp.infoWAMP:www.wampserver.com
Throughoutthisbook,wehaveassumedyouarerunning
http://civicrm.orghttp://drupal.orghttp://joomla.orghttp://www.apachefriends.org/en/xampp.htmlhttp://www.mamp.infohttp://www.wampserver.com
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CiviCRMonaLinuxoperatingsystem.SomeoftheconfigurationtasksrequiredifferentprocedureswhenrunningunderWindowsthatarenotdocumentedhere.UnlessyouarefamiliarenoughwithLinuxandWindowsthatyoucantranslateaccuratelybetweencrontabandscheduledtasks,fileanddirectorypermissionsystems,andsimpleCommandPrompt/commandlinecommands,youshouldavoidusingCiviCRMonaWindowsenvironment.
ThisbookdealswithCiviCRMandthusaddressestheDrupal/Joomla!environmentasitpertainstoCiviCRMintegration.ThoughoccasionalmentionismadeoftheothertechnologiesusedtoimplementCiviCRM(includingPHP,MySQL,Apache,jQuery,andSmarty),nopriorknowledgeisrequiredtoinstallandconfigurethesoftware.
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WhothisbookisforThisbookisforprojectimplementers,organizationleaders,staff,andvolunteersinadvocacy,non-profitandnon-governmentalorganizations,electioncampaigns,professional/tradeassociations,politicalcampaignsandparties,governmentagencies,andothersimilarorganizationswhowanttoimplementCiviCRMinamannertailoredtotheirorganization'ssize,culture,andneeds.ItaddressesCRMstrategists,implementers,administrators,andenduserslookingtobecomepowerusersincommunicating,fundraising,managingevents,memberships,grants,cases,andpeople-resourcemanagement.
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ConventionsInthisbookyouwillfindanumberofstylesoftextthatdistinguishbetweendifferentkindsofinformation.Herearesomeexamplesofthesestylesandanexplanationoftheirmeaning.
Codewordsintextareshownasfollows:"Adding&search=0willopenthepagewithjustalisting(nosearchform)."
Ablockofcodeissetasfollows:
{if$receipt_text}{$receipt_text}{/if}{if$is_pay_later}
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Chapter1.AchievingYourMissionwithCiviCRMMostpeopleworkinginthenon-profitsectorwouldloveitiftheirorganizationcoulddomorewithitsexistingstaffandvolunteerresources.Weoftencarepassionatelyabouttheworkwedo,butlamentthewastefulwayswehavetodothings.Wastedhours,wastedmoney,wastedcontacts,andwastedopportunities!We'retiredofbeingfrustratedbythewaythingsare.Wewanttomakeadifference,abiggerdifference.
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WhyyourorganizationneedsConstituentRelationshipManagementYourorganizationwillbetterachieveitsmissionwithawell-formulatedandwell-executedConstituentRelationshipManagement(CRM)strategy.Ifyou'relikemostnon-profit,advocacy,andmembership-basedorganizations,CiviCRMisthebesttoolforenablingsuccess.
Doesyourorganizationlackanintegratedsystemformanagingcontacts?Thisisacommonissuefornon-profitorganizations,betheylargeorsmall,moreorlessorganized.Canyouidentifyyourorganizationinanyofthefollowingsituations?
DopeopleinyourofficehavetheirownpersonalExcelsheetofcontactsthattheyuseintheirfundraising,volunteerwork,ormailmerges?Doyouhaveonesystemfore-mailsubscribersforyouronlinenewsletter,anotheronlinesystemwithpeoplewhohaveattendedoneofyourevents,adifferentonecontainingresponsestosurveys,andadesktopsystemforlabelsforseason'sgreetingscards?DoyouhaveaseparateoldmembershipdatabaseinMicrosoftAccess,maybedevelopedbyavolunteeror
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staffperson,longsincedeparted?Doesyourfundraiserhavehisownsystem,maybeanexpensiveonelikeRaiser'sEdge,whileyourvolunteerorganizerdoeseverythinginOutlook?Haveyoulostaccesstodatawhenastaffpersonleft?Doyouhaveoldpapersign-insheetsfrompeopleattendingevents,indicatingthattheywereinterested,buthaven'tbeenenteredinanysystem?
AcontactmanagementsystemistheheartofeveryCRM.Yet,CiviCRMismorethanjustacontactmanagementsystem.Asanintegratedonlinesystemthathandlescontacts,donations,eventregistration,bulke-mailing,casemanagement,andotherfunctions,suchasactivitytracking,grants,reporting,andanalytics,CiviCRMconsistentlyreceivestopratingsfromnon-profittechnologyusers.
AsuccessfulCRMstrategycanhelpyourorganizationinmanyconcreteways.Herearesomestrategies:
Improvingthefrequency,averagedonationamounts,and/orretentionratesofyourdonorsAtamorebasiclevel,enablingsupporterstodonateonlinethroughyourwebsiteinsteadofhavingtogetchecksfromthemandrecordingeverythingyourselfinyouraccountingbooksAutomatingtheregistrationprocessformembersattendinganupcomingconferenceIncreasingthelikelihoodofyourexistingsubscribers
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becomingmoreinvolvedwithyourorganizationanditsmissionEnsuringthatmoreofyourmembersshowuptovolunteerIdentifyingcontactsthatarealreadyinteractingwithyourorganizationwhohavetherightskillsetandintereststobeworthapproachingforacommitmentaboutanopenboardpositionMakinginformationeasilyavailablethatquantifieswhatagreatjobyou'vebeendoing,includingthenumberofhoursthatvolunteersgavetoyourorganizationlastyear,thenumberofcasesmanaged,andthenumberofnewviralsignupsfromyourlatesturgentactione-mail
CiviCRMcanhelpinalltheseareas.
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WhatisConstituentRelationshipManagement?ConstituentRelationshipManagementisthesetofprocessesandsupportingtechnologiesusedtoinitiateandimproverelationshipswithconstituents.It'simportanttorealizethatCRMisnotjustatechnologythatisbroughtintoyourorganization.Managingrelationshipswithconstituentsinvolvesalloftheworkflows,processes,andreportingthatyourorganizationusestogetthingsdoneinordertoachieveitsmission,andthenshowhowwellithasachieveditsmission.
ConstituentRelationshipManagementisthenon-profitequivalentofCustomerRelationshipManagementinthebusinessworld.Bycomparingandcontrastingthesetwoconcepts,wewillunderstandthepurposeandscopeofthisbookbetter.
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CustomerRelationshipManagementversusConstituentRelationshipManagementInthebusinessworld,CustomerRelationshipManagementsystemsareusedtooptimizeacompany'ssalesbyfocusingitsresourcesonthosewhoarelikelytobuy.Theyarealsousedtoimprovecustomersatisfactionandlowercostsbyprovidingself-serviceoptions.
Inordertodothisproperly,thesesystemstrack,automate,andpersonalizeallaspectsofclientinteractionsacrossallcommunicationchannels,includingwebsite,phone,in-store,e-mail,andsocialmediasuchasTwitter,forums,andblogs.Everytimeacustomertouchestheorganizationinwhateverway,theinteractionislogged.Thisinformationisusedtobetterunderstandtherelationshipwiththeclient,andensurethatalltheinteractionsaredesigned,fromoneperspective,tomaximizethelong-termprofitabilityoftheclienttothebusiness.Typically,CustomerRelationshipManagementsystemsfocusontrackingandenhancingcustomerinteractionsinthemarketingandsalesfunnelworkflowfornewandreturningcustomers,andimprovingafter-salessupport.Dependingontheindustryandthecompany,CRMsystemsandtechniquesmightalsobeusedfortrackingandenhancingrelationshipswithotherstakeholders,suchasregulators,shareholders,ormedia.
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TheideasdevelopedforCustomerRelationshipManagementsystemsinthebusinessworldhavebeenadaptedtotheneedsofthenon-profitworldinConstituentRelationshipManagementsystems.Whileincreaseddonationsparallelhigherbusinesssales,thereareslightbutsignificantdifferencesinterminologyandprocesses.Forexample,goodConstituentRelationshipManagementsystemsaredesignedtoaccountforpledges,recurringdonations,softcreditdonations,andtheportionofticketpriceseligibleforpoliticalorcharitabletaxreceipts.Relationswithnon-profitstakeholdersincludingmedia,boardmembers,andgrantingfoundationsmayalsobemanagedwithConstituentRelationshipManagementsystems.
Non-profitorganizationshaveadditionalcriticalnon-monetarymeasuresofsuccessbeyondincreasedrevenueandlowercosts.Thesemayincludeeducation,service,advocacy,orotheroutcomesrelevanttonon-profitmissions.NonprofitCRMsmayneedtotrackoneormorenon-monetaryobjectivesalongtheselines.Forexample,inadditiontowantingtoincreasedonationsasameanstosupporttheirmission,anadvocacyorganizationmightwanttheirCRMtohelpthemachievetheirobjectiveofinfluencinglegislatorsorvotersthroughmeanssuchasmoreletterstotheeditor,e-mails,visitstolegislators,orforwardstofriends.Similarly,adirectservicenon-profitorganizationmightaimtoimprovetheoutcomesofitsclientcaseswiththeirCRMsystem'scasemanagement
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functionality,oralegislatormightaimtoassistmorevoterstoaccessgovernmentresources.
Despitethesedifferences,ConstituentRelationshipManagementsystemsaresimilartoCustomerRelationshipManagementsystemsinaimingtosupportthegrowthinnumbersanddepthofengagementofcontactswithanorganization.
Inthebusinessworld,thisisusuallydonebykeepingexistingcustomershappyinordertoavoidhighcostsofclientacquisition.Similarstrategiesandtechniquesapplyinthenon-profitworld,giventhegenerallyhighercostofacquiringnewdonors,activists,volunteers,ormembers,ascomparedtoretainingexistingones.
Agoodgeneralstrategyinbusinessistoaimtoincreasethevolumeofbusinessitreceivesfromitsexistingclients.Forexample,thismaybedonebyidentifyingprospectivebuyersandcommunicatingbetterwiththemonwhytheywouldwantamoreexpensiveproduct(up-selling),orwhytheywouldwantadditionalrelatedproducts(cross-selling).Itmayalsobeachievedbyfocusingonincreasingrepeatedbusinessfromcustomerswhoreturnmorefrequentlyforthesameproduct(forexample,towatchmoviesmorefrequently).
Non-profitorganizationsbenefitfromthisstrategy,bothinfundraisingandinnon-monetaryappeals.Fundraisersaim
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toincreasetherecency(thatis,howrecentlyeachdonorhasdonated),frequency,andmonetaryvalueofgiftsfromtheirdonors.
Fornon-monetarycontributions,non-profitorganizationsbenefitbyfocusingonincreasingthenumberofactionstakenbytheexistingactivists,suchasappealssent,educationalprogramsattended,orshut-insvoluntarilyvisited.Theyalsobenefitbygettingthemtoundertakeactionsthatrequiremoreco-operationfromthemandresultinmoreimpact,suchascallingupacall-inshowinadditiontosigningapetition,visitingtheirelectedrepresentativeaswellassendinghimorheraletter,andsoon.
Increasingthenumberanddepthofinteractionscanofteninvolvetargetingclientswithsharedcharacteristics,suchasthosewhohavemadeseveralrecentlow-costpurchasesorsmalldonationsforaspecialtreatmentsuchasanoffer,aspecialask,orotherfollow-upcommunication.
Anotherobjectivemaybetoensurethatthosebestsuitedforaproductorservicereceivesuchagreatexperienceinteractingwithacompany,thattheyrecommendittoothers.
Inthefor-profitsector,thiscaninvolvesalespersonnelorsystemsrespondingmoreappropriately,giventhepurchasehistoryofanindividualoracompany,byofferingappropriatediscounts,cross-sellingorup-selling
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suggestions,andsoon.Forexample,alongtermcustomermightbeofferedadiscountwhenheshowsupatawebsite,acomputerbuyermightbeofferedsmallitemsatcheckouttimeincludinggamesforapreviouslypurchasedgamesystem,oraclientwhohasmadepremiumpurchasesmightgetamoreexpensiverangeofproducts.After-salessupportpersonnelwouldbeprovidedwiththewholerecordofattemptsanindividualmighthavemadetoresolveaproblem,asthisoftenhelpsnarrowdownanissueandavoidirritatingrequeststorepeatactions.Acompletecustomerrecordmightshowthatanindividualwithatoughproblemisconsideringamajorpurchase,orthattheyhavehadahistoryofmakingunauthorizedtechnicalchangestotheproductthatmighthaveimpaireditsfunctionalityandvoideditswarranty.
Inthenon-profitworld,theparallelsmightbetoencourage:
AregularattendeeateventstocometoanupcomingbreakfastseminarwithadiscountUserswhosignpetitionstomakeadonationThosewhovolunteeredmorethantwiceinthepastyeartoconsiderbecomingaboardmember
Similarly,techsupporthasparallelsinnon-profitcasemanagement.Imaginehowmuchanon-profitserving"at-risk"youthcouldbenefitfrombeingabletoeasilypulluptherecordsofsomeonecallinginaboutdepressionwhenthoserecordsrevealacallerhasahistoryofsuicide
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attempts.
Inalloftheprecedingbusinessandnon-profitexamples,atinyorganizationwithasinglestaffpersonservingasmallclientelewouldbechallengedtorecognizetheindividual,rememberthehistoryofinteractionswiththem,andactappropriatelybyprovidingadiscount.Moredifficultchallengesincludecallingupsomeonewhohadstoppedcomingin,goingtheextradistanceforsomeonewhoneedsit,orcurtailingresourcesdedicatedtoarelationshipnotrelatedtothemissionoftheorganization.Technologyhelpstoscaletheseappropriatebehaviorstosituationswheremanystaffmembersandvolunteershavebeeninvolvedintheinteractionswiththeclientorcustomer.Itcanhelpinsituationswheresomeofthestaffmembersorvolunteersmaynothavethebestmemory,andmaynothavethebestjudgmentastohowtorespondinthesituation.
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Whoareyourconstituents?We'vemadeanassumptionsofarthatyouhaveaclearconceptofyourconstituents,butitisworthtakingthetimetodefinethisclearlyforyourorganization.Aconstituentisanyperson,household,ororganizationthathassomerelationshipwithyourorganization.Dependingonyourorganization,itmayinclude:
DonorsFundersElectedofficialsyouseektoengage,educate,orinfluenceNewslettersubscriberseNewsletterandactionalertsubscribersMembersofyourorganizationCoalitionmembersParticipantsinyourpetition,e-mail,andletterwritingcampaignsParticipantsinyourface-to-faceeventsVolunteersClientsWebsitevisitorsBoardmembersStaffOrganizationsorindividualswhoarenotstaffmembers,buthelpyoudeliverprogramsandservices(forexample,lawyersvolunteeringforaprobonolegalservicesclinic)
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UsersorpurchasersofyourproductsorservicesMediaoutletsand/orpersonnelyourorganizationcontactsAdvertisersorsponsorsofyourorganization,itsevents,orpublicationsGovernmentagencieswhoinfluencepoliciesimpactingyourorganization
Insomecases,yourrelationshipwithoneconstituentmayneedtobethroughanother.Forexample,aparentmightbetheconstituentwhosignsuptheirchildforaprogram,orastaffpersonmightbethecontactpersonfortheorganizationtheyworkfor.
Whichconstituentsyourorganizationneedstofocuson—individualdonors,volunteers,grantingagencies,newslettersubscribers—dependsonyourmissionandsituation.It'susuallygoodtokeepinmindthatonepersonoftenhasmanyhatsandmayfallintoseveralcategoriesofconstituents.
It'softeneffectivetogatherinformationaboutarelationshipwhentheconstituentcanunderstandwhyitisneeded,andthatprovidingitmakessense.Forexample,explainingthatamailingaddressisneededtoprovideacharitabletaxreceiptwhenadonationisbeingmade,askingaboutfoodpreferencesonlywhensomeoneispurchasingticketsfordinner,orrequestingpolicyinterestswhensigningupforanewsletterhelpsreducetheburdeninanyparticular
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interaction,andmakesforamorenaturaldeepeningoftherelationship.
WhiledesigningyourCRMstrategy,youwillneedtobalancethebenefitsofhavinginformationonrelationshipswithyourconstituentswiththecostsofacquiring,maintaining,andusingit.Asyoudevelopyourstrategy,youshouldensurethatitfocusesongatheringdatathatwillhelpyourorganizationacteffectively,andknowthatitisactingeffectively,intheconstituentrelationshipsthataremostimportanttoachievingitsmission.Theseareoftentheconstituentswiththemosttransactionalencounterswithyourorganization—donors,volunteers,members,eventparticipants,andsoon.However,sometimes,asmallnumberofconstituentscanprovideabreakoutvalue—agame-changing,qualitativeimprovement.Forexample,investinginsomeresearchandwooingafewkeymediacontacts,potentialcoalitionpartners,orswinglegislatorsmayhelpyourorganizationrealizeitsmissionmorethangreatgainsinnumberandefficiencyatotherlevels.
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WhenisCiviCRMthebestCRM?Sofar,wehavediscussedCRMsgenerically,comparinghowtheyareusedinthebusinessworldwiththenon-profitsector.However,therearemanyoptionsforimplementingaCRM,sowhenisCiviCRMthebestCRM?CiviCRMisgreatfororganizationsthatneedtoworkwithalotofcontactdata,especiallythosethatwanttousesophisticatedfunctionalityprebuiltforcommonnon-profittransactionalusecasesincludingthefollowing:
DonationsandpledgesEventsmanagementMembershipmanagementCasemanagementBulke-mailing
Ifyourorganizationrequiresfunctionalityinacoupleoftheseareas,thenitisverylikelythatyouwouldbenefitfromCiviCRM.CiviCRM'sintegrationwithJoomla!andDrupal(popularopensourcecontentmanagementsystemsthatareexcellentforrunningyourwebsite)alsodistinguishesitfromanumberofcompetingCRMs.
We'regoingtoexplainthemanyreasonswhyCiviCRMdoessowellinsurveysofnon-profittechnologyusers.Still,wewanttoacknowledgeupfrontthatCiviCRMisn'tthe
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righttoolforeverynon-profittomanageitsconstituentrelationships.Itdependsonyourneedsandresources,whichcanmakeittoobigortoosmall,toofeature-rich,ornotflexibleorpowerfulenough.ThissectionprovidessomegeneralguidelinesforsituationswhereyoumightwanttoconsideranalternativetoCiviCRM.Wehavetendedtoerronthesideofexcludingsomecases,wherepeoplecan,andhave,successfullyandhappilyusedCiviCRMratherthanincludingcaseswherepeople'sexpectationsmaynotbemetandsurpassed.
Asalow-endcut-off,yourorganizationneedstohaveresourcestosetup,host,andmaintainCiviCRM,eitherbypayingahostingproviderandconsultants,orbyusinginternalstaffresources.TinycommunitygroupswithnobudgetorITresourceswillnotbeabletoaffordthesecostseventhoughCiviCRMisfreeopensourcesoftwarewithoutanyupfrontorongoinglicensefees.Whilethepublic-facingpagesareeasy-to-use,administeringaCRMalsorequiresacertainamountoftech-savvinesstoconstructsearches,setuptemplatesthatwillbemergedwithcontactdatafore-mailblasts,decideonthefieldstoputonforms,andothersimilaractivities.Moreadvancedskillsarenecessaryforsomeinitialsetuptaskssuchasconfiguringe-commerceconnectionstopaymentprocessorsanddesigninghowtostoreinformationamongfieldsrepresentingcontacts,theircontributions,participationinevents,memberships,relationswithothercontacts,andsoon.Notallorganizationshavetheseskillsavailable
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internally,orcanaffordtooutsourceforthem.
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ThinkingthroughalternativesIfyourorganizationdoesnothaveaneedformorethanonekindofCRMfunctionality,andespeciallyifyourneedsaresimpleinthatarea,thenitmightbebettertouseasingle-purposetool,whetherfree,purchased,oravailablethroughpaidsubscriptions.Best-of-breedsingle-purposetoolscanprovidesuperiorusability,desirableflexibility,lowercost,loweradministrativeburdens,andhigher-endfeaturesforthatparticularfunctionality.Google,Yahoo!,andnumerousotherprovidersoffreegroupe-mailbroadcastanddiscussionsoftwareisoneexample.EventBriteisanexampleintheeventsmanagementarea;e-mailmanagementsystemslikeExactTargetcanbegoodforbulke-mails.Manysingle-purposetoolshavebuiltoutsomefunctionalityintootherareas,butareprimarilyfocusedononearea.Incontrast,CiviCRMisverygoodinmostofthesefunctionalareas.Itssuperiorcapabilitiesacrossmanyareasneededbynon-profits,advocacy,andmembership-basedorganizationsusuallysetsitabovecompetitorswithevenmoderateCRMfunctionality.
Adownsideformanyorganizationsisthattheystartusingoneoftheseservicestomeetoneneed,andthenadoptasecondforarequirementinadifferentarea,andsoonendupwithmultipledatasilos,systemsthatwon'ttalktoeachother,orcomplexdata-syncingprotocolsandissues.MigratingtoCiviCRMatthatpointiscommon,butthe
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additionalhassleofthemigrationandchangeintoolsandprocedurescanbeavoidedbychoosingCiviCRMfromthestart.
Adifferenttypeofproblemconfrontsorganizationsthathavesignificantandwell-definedneedsthatarenotmetbyCiviCRMout-of-the-boxorthroughconfiguration.Inthesecases,thequestionisoftenbetweenbuildinganin-houseapplicationandgettinganexternally-developedapplicationlikeCiviCRMtodothejob.CiviCRMasthebaseofacustomsolutionmakessenseinanumberofthesescenarios.Somearespecificallylisted,asfollows:
Whenthefunctionalitybeingdevelopedwillbeintegratedintocore(thatis,theCiviCRMsoftwarethateveryonedownloads),similartothecasemanagementfunctionalitydevelopedforthePhysician'sHealthProgramofBritishColumbiaWhenyouhavetheskillstodecodethevarioustechnologiesusedtobuildCiviCRMorthebudgettohirethosewhocandothatWhenyouarewillingtoinvestmoreinitiallyinmoregeneralandcustomizablesoftware,inreturnforgettingtheservicesofotheruserswhowillreportbugs,improvedocumentation,submitpatches,andenhancethefunctionalityyouhavecontributedWhenyoucanworkwiththecoreteamandcommunityeffectively,whichusuallyinvolvesmoretimeandawillingnesstotakeotherviewpointsand
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interestsintoaccount,whichoftenincludesthebenefitofotherssharingthecostsofdevelopment
TherearesomescenarioswhenusingCiviCRMasabaseofcustomsolutiondoesn'tmakesense.Forexample,itcanbecheaperandsimplertobuildasingleCRMfeatureinDrupaloranotherCMS,especiallyifyoudon'tneedtherestofCiviCRM'sfunctionality.
Thestrongadvantagesofbuildingfunctionalityintoafull-fledgedCRMalsosometimesneedtobebalancedagainstthehighcostofextendingCiviCRM.ItisprogrammedinPHP,Smartytemplates,andothertechnologiessuchasjQueryusingenterprise-orientedn-tierarchitecture.ThevarietyoflibrariesandtechnologiesandthesizeofthecodebasehavepresentedbarriersfordevelopershopingtomodifyorextendthesoftwarethattheCiviCRMteamdistributesandmaintains.DevelopingintheCiviCRMprojectusuallyresultsinlongertimeframes,highercosts,andagreaterdifficultyinsourcingpersonnelfordevelopmentandmaintenanceascomparedtobuildingthesamecustomfunctionalityinarapidapplicationdevelopmentframeworksuchasDrupal.
Thoughitwouldn'tmakesenseforyourorganizationtore-implementCiviCRMfunctionality,itcanoftenmakesensetoextendCiviCRMwithDrupalmodules(orperhapsJoomla!extensions),especiallywiththevarietyofexistingDrupalintegrationmodulesavailableforcustomcontent,
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views,andaccesscontrol.ItisworthnotingthatseveralareasofCiviCRMfunctionalityhadbeeninitiallydevelopedasDrupalmodules.Then,astheusecasesbecameclearerandthedemandforintegrationwithotherCiviCRMfunctionalitygrew,theywerere-implementedwithinCiviCRMitself.
CiviCRMisanopensourceprojectthatisquiteresponsivetocommunityneedsandcontributionstoaddressareasitdoesnotcurrentlycover.Indeed,theprojectgenerallyextendsitsfunctionalitybyworkingcloselywithorganizationsthatcansponsornewfunctionalityorcontributenewfeaturesback.Insteadofhackingthecorejustforyourownimplementation,youcanimprovethecorecodesothatithandlesyourownneedsandthoseofotherswithsimilarneeds.
IfyousearchtheCiviCRMwiki(http://wiki.civicrm.org)andforums(http://forum.civicrm.org),andcommunicatewiththecoreteamandthecommunityviatheforums,youmayfindthatthereareotherswhoareinterestedinthesamefunctionalityandmaybeabletocontributesomethingtohavingitbuilt.Evenifyourneedsareunique,theremaybewaystogeneralizethemsothattheycanbemetwithsoftwarethataddressestheneedsofothersatthesametime.Autumn2010sawsomeearlysuccesseswithaMakeItHappeninitiativethathelpedaggregatesupportfrommanyusersandconsultantsforseveralnewpiecesoffunctionality.
http://wiki.civicrm.orghttp://forum.civicrm.org
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Alternatively,yourforumpostmayresultinsuggestionsforsimpleoringeniousworkaroundsthatcansufficeinaddressinganoddityinyourrequirementsthatwasholdingyourorganizationbackfromgoingwithCiviCRM.
Whiletheburdenofmaintainingyourowncodeinsyncwithchangesinthecoreissignificant,well-resourcedorganizationssometimesfindthatitmakesmostsensetodevelopcustomversionsofopensourcesoftwarecontainingfeaturesthatarenotsharedbackwiththecommunity.Usually,thisisbecausetheneedsarequiteunique,suchasintegratingwithacustomin-houselegacyapplication.
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OtherCRMsWhendecidingonaCRMtool,therearemanyexistingCRMofferingsthatcouldbeconsidered.TheNonprofitTechnologyNetwork(http://NTEN.org)conductsperiodicsurveysoftechnologyuseinthenon-profitsectorandpublishestheresults.ThoughtheyareheavilyfocusedonNorthAmericannon-profits,theyprovideagoodindicationofCRMmarketpenetrationandusersatisfactionwithcommonsolutionsinthisverylargeandinfluentialregion.
CiviCRM,Salesforce,andConvioarethethreemost-usedsystemsinthemostrecentsurveys.OtherprovidersortoolswidelyusedoracceptablyratedinthesesurveysincludeAntharia,Blackbaud,SugarCRM,KinteraSphere,DemocracyInAction,andOrganizer'sDatabase.Althoughthecostandfunctionalityaresignificantlydifferent,AmDocsandMicrosoftCRMareothernotableCRMsystemsinthelargernon-profitsector,whileSalsasometimescrossesoverfromitsfocusonsmallandmediumsizedbusinesses.
NeedsvaryfromoneorganizationthatusesaCRMtoanother.ThisaffectswhichCRMisbestforthem.Forexample,Salesforcehastendedtodobetterwithlargeorganizations(thosewithgreaterthan$3Mbudget),thoughtheCiviAccountenhancementsin2011maychangethis.AsyouevaluateaCRMtoolforyourorganization,youshouldtakeintoaccountthecurrentandexpectedneedsofyour
http://NTEN.org
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organization,aswellasthecurrentandanticipatedfunctionalityinpossibleCRMs.Giventhiscaveat,thenextsectionwilloutlinecommonreasonsforadoptingCiviCRMovertheotheralternatives.
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WhyCiviCRM?EveryorganizationshoulddoitsownevaluationofCRMoptionsusingcriteriaappropriatetotheirparticularneeds,weighingeachsuitablytoprovidetherightoverallbalance.ThissectionsummarizessomeofthereasonswhyCiviCRMisrightformanynon-profit,advocacy,andmember-basedorganizations.
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Focusedonneedsofnon-profitsMorethananythingelse,whatsetsCiviCRMapartfromothercompetingprogramsisthatitisdesignedspecificallytomeettheneedsofnon-profits,andprovidesawell-integratedplatformthataddressesalltheirbasicneeds.Thisavoidsoralleviatesthecomplexities,problems,time,andexpensesassociatedwithrunningseparatesystemsforthingssuchasdonations,e-mailing,events,andmembership,ortryingtoprogrammaticallyintegratethem.
CiviCRMiswell-suitedtotheneedsofmanykindsandsizesoforganizations:
Non-profitsNon-governmentalorganizationsGovernmentagenciesandtheofficesofelectedrepresentativesMembership-basedorganizationsAdvocacyorganizationsGrantgivingorganizationsServiceprovidingorganizationsNeighborhoodassociationsPoliticalcampaignsandorganizationsBusinessassociationsGovernmententitiesUnionsSportsclubsDancestudios
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ManyCRMsarebuiltaroundcommonworkflowsinfor-profitbusinessesthatdon'talwaysmapwellintothenon-profitworld.Thesalesfunnelmodelandterminologyunderlyingsalesforceautomation,forexample,maynotmapwelltotheactivitiesinanawarenessraisingcampaign.Substitutingsometermsandaddingsomenon-profitspecificthings,asConvioCommonGrounddoeswithSalesforce,doesn'talwaysovercometheissueswiththeunderlyingmodel.
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UsersatisfactionNTEN's2007CRMSatisfactionSurveydeterminedthefollowing:
Thethreesystemsthatweremostcommonlyusedbyallorganizations—CiviCRM,Salesforce,andConvio—wererankedfirst,second,andsixth,respectivelyinwillingnesstorecommendrespectively.
NTEN's2009DataEcosystemSurveyreinforcedthisresultbyfindingthattheoverallhappinessoforganizationswassimilar,withgradesofB+,B,andB-goingtothetopthreetools:CiviCRM,Salesforce,andConvio,respectively.
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Novendorlock-inAsignificantproblemwithmanyproprietaryCRMsisthedifficultyorganizationsfaceinmovingtoadifferentvendor.Asafreeandopensourcesoftwaresystem,CiviCRMwillalwaysletorganizationsusingitgettheirdataoutiftheyeverwanttomovetoadifferentsystem.Theabilitytodirectlyaccessandworkwithyourdataforcustomization,advanceddatabasequeries,datamigration,andsoonisoftenquiteimportant.
Someproprietarysystemsareonlyofferedbyasinglevendor.Serviceoutages,poorhelpresponsetimes,orunhelpfultechnicalsupportresponsesmayleaveyourorganizationwithnooptionbuttoswitchtoadifferentCRMjusttodealwithvendorissues.Bycontrast,thegrowingpoolofintegrators,trainers,andconsultantsforCiviCRM(http://civicrm.org/professional)enablesorganizationstoshiftfromoneprovidertoanotherwithouthavingtochangeCRMs.
Unlikewithsomeproprietarysystems,thereisnovendorlock-inwithCiviCRM.
http://civicrm.org/professional
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IntegrationwithDrupalandJoomla!DrupalandJoomla!arecommonlyusedCMSs(ContentManagementSystems)inthenon-profitworld.CiviCRMintegrateswellwithbothofthem.ThisisimportantbecauseitallowsyourCRMtoeasilypresentpublicorstafffacingformsandlistingsontheWeb.Easyconfigurationofdonationandeventsignupformsandself-servefunctionalityformembershipsignupandrenewalsareincrediblyimportanttomanyorganizations.
Therearesignificantdifferencesbetweenthecapabilitieseachcontentmanagementsystemprovides.ThemostnotableoneforCiviCRMisthatithasmoreadvancedaccesscontrolcapabilities,andmoreflexiblerepurposingofcontentwhenintegratingwithDrupal.
Drupal'suseasaframeworkfordevelopingcustomizedsites,especiallythewayitfacilitatesmashingtogetherdataandfunctionalityfromnumerousexistingmodules,cantakeadvantageofCiviCRM'ssignificantandgrowingsupportforimportantcoreandcontributedmodules.ThisincludesexposingCiviCRMdatainViews,Drupal6CCKfieldsforCiviCRMcontacts,andsynchronizationofroles,groups,memberships,andorganicgroupsinvariousways.Thisallowsuserpermissionsonyourwebsite,e-mailprivileges,membershipstatus,groupcollaborationspaces,andexpressedinterestsintopicstobemixedandmatchedininterestingandusefulways.
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OntheJoomla!side,thereisagrowinglistofextensionsavailablethattapintoCiviCRMresourcestodisplaycontentinmodules,limitaccesstocontentauthoring,andcontroluserauthenticationandaccountcreationbasedonmembershipstatus.
Inbothcases,CiviCRMletsyoutakeadvantageofapowerfulopensourcecontentmanagementsystem,integratingyourcontactdatabasedirectlyintoyourorganization'swebsite.CiviCRMhasahistoryofkeepingupwithdevelopmentsinbothCMSs,andthereiseveryindicationthatthisintegrationwillcontinueanddeepenwithDrupal7andJoomla!1.6supportinCiviCRM4.0.
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TotalcostThecommonsayingthatfreeandopensourcesoftwareisfreelikekittensratherthanfreelikebeerappliestoCiviCRM.Thetotalcostofownershipofasoftwaresystemisanimportantmetricfordecidingwhichismoreappropriate.OpensourcesoftwarecostsforasystemlikeCiviCRMaredifferentfromthoseofproprietarysystems.Theabsenceofanupfrontpurchasecostisnottheendofthestory.Costsofmaintainingthesystemoveritswholelifeneedtobecalculated.Insteadofone-timepurchasecosts,orannualormonthlysoftwarelicensecosts,therearelikelytobeadditionalexpendituresoninstallation,training,andsupport.Dependingonanorganization'sCRMneeds,numberofCRMusers,andstaffcompetencies,CiviCRMmaybelessexpensive,orsometimesmuchlessexpensive,thantheotheralternatives.
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DynamicopensourcedevelopmentThe"free"in"freeandopensourcesoftware"isprimarilythefreedomtomodifythesoftwaretomeetone'sneeds(seehttp://wiki.civicrm.org/confluence/display/CRM/Developing+with+the+CiviCRM+teamThisiscertainlyanadvantageformanyorganizationswithresourcesthatareunabletogetproprietarysystemsadaptedastheyrequire,orthatareunwillingtoletanotherorganizationdrivethefeaturedevelopmentroadmapandtimeframeoftheirenterpriseCRMsystem.
CiviCRMhasastrong,growingopensourcecommunityandsoftwareecosystem.CiviCRMisaveragingover8,000downloadspermonthin2010.Therehavebeenover12,000installationssinceversion2.0,witharound3,000activeCiviCRMinstallationsinthefallof2010(seethefollowingfigurewhichcountsmostsitesthathavehadadministrativesettingschangedorreviewedduringamonth).Notethattheapparentgrowthduring2.0isgreatlyexaggeratedbynotbeingabletoportrayupgradesfromearlierversions.Alsonotethatthenumberofactivesitesisnotbeingdirectlymeasured;soduringupgrade,therearespikesasnewandoldsitesarebothcounted,andon-goingimprovementstotheusabilityandadministrativeeaseofthesystemislikelytoincreasethenumberofactivesitesthatarenotcountedinthefollowinggraph:
http://wiki.civicrm.org/confluence/display/CRM/Developing+with+the+CiviCRM+team
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Intermsofdevelopmentenergy,over90individualsandconsultantsdonatedtosupportenhancingCiviCRMduringthefallof2010.InadditiontotheseMakeItHappencontributions,therehavebeenalargenumberofothercontributionsfromthecommunityintermsofcodepatchesfornewfeatures,forumsuggestionshavesponsoredmajornewfeatures,including:
BCPhysicianHealthProgramFrontLineInternationalFoundationforHumanRightsDefendersGreaterManchesterCentreforVoluntaryOrganisation
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InternationalMountainBikingAssociationUSPublicInterestResearchGroupQuestScholarsAlphaInternationalNewYorkStateSenateProgressiveTechnologyProject
Thenumberofissuesreportedandpatchessubmittedbythecommunityhasincreasedsignificantlyovertheyears.
Whilesomemightperceivemoreissuesbeingfiledbythecommunityasaproblem(peoplearefindingtheproductbuggy),itisveryhealthyfromanotherperspective.Forexample,themostrecentspikeincommunityissuesoccurredduringthealphaandbetatestingprecedingthemajor3.0release.Communitymemberswereencouragedtodownload,install,andtestpre-productionversionsinordertoprovidefeedbackonfeatures,usability,easeofupgrading,aswellasbugsbeforethenewversionwasreleased.Thispushwasverysuccessfulandledtoaspikeinpatchessubmitted,asillustratedinthefollowinghistogram,makingitabetterandmorebug-freerelease.During2010,therehasbeenanefforttogetconsultantsandbetter-resourceduserstocontributepatchesinordertoallowthecoreteamtofocusonenhancementsfornewreleases.
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Over2,000newpostsappearedontheforumpermonthin2010,continuingthegradualgrowthofpreviousyearsforthismetric.
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Thisrelevantnewcontentsupportedasteadyandlargergrowthinpageviews,asillustratedinthefollowinggraph:
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OneuniqueaspectofCiviCRMthatsetsitapartfrommanyotheropensourceprojectsisthepresenceofacoredevelopmentteamworkingfull-timeonprojectdevelopment.Whilecommunityinvolvementisagreatsignofprojecthealth,thepresenceofacoredevelopmentteamhasensuredsteadyreleases,anaggressively-plannedprojectroadmap,andmoreresponsivesupportpatchingbugsandsupportingusers.
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DocumentationExtensiveadministrator,user,anddeveloperdocumentationavailableathttp://wiki.civicrm.orgisupdatedforeachversionofCiviCRMbeforeitisreleased.Inaddition,UnderstandingCiviCRM:AComprehensiveGuideisavailableforfreeathttp://en.flossmanuals.net/civicrm.Oftenwhenanissuearises,othershavetriedtotacklethesamechallenge,andarecordofhowtheywerehelpedtosolvetheirissuecanbefoundbysearchinginthecommunityforumsathttp://forum.civicrm.org.
http://wiki.civicrm.orghttp://en.flossmanuals.net/civicrmhttp://forum.civicrm.org
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ResponsivecommunitysupportOneofthechallengesfacedbyusersofsomeopensourcesoftwarecomparedtoproprietarysoftwarehasbeenthedifficultyofassuringthatsupportwillbeavailablewhenneeded.InadditiontothepaidsupportofferingsfromnumerousprofessionalCiviCRMconsultantsmentionedpreviously,theCiviCRMcommunityandcoreteamarerenownedfortheirquickandgenerousrepliestoquestionsintheforums.ForthosedevelopinginCiviCRM,thereisalsoa#civicrmircchannelonhttp://freenode.net,whereonecanusuallyfindthecoreteamandotherknowledgeablecommunitymembersrespondingtomorechallenginginquiries.
http://freenode.net
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HowCiviCRMwillhelpyourorganizationGoodCRMimplementationsfacilitatebetteroutcomesandimprovedrelationshipswithyourconstituentsshownby,forexample,moredonationsandvolunteertime.Theyalsoimprovestaffefficiencyandautomateworkflows,reducingtheaveragecostandtimeinvolvedininteractionswiththeconstituents.Thisallowsyouandyourorganizationtodomore.CiviCRMwillimprovetherelationshipyourconstituentshavewithyourorganizationthroughvariousfeatures,including:
EasieronlineeventregistrationSelf-servemembershiprenewalMorecompleterecordofhistoryofinteractionsavailabletotheentirequalifiedstaffAutomatedworkflowimprovementsforcasemanagementPersonalizede-mailsAnti-spamoptionstoensurealle-mailcommunicationsarepermission-based
Improvedrelationshipsalsoresultfromdeeperchangestotheworkofanorganization.Segmentationofconstituentscanenablemoretargetedandeffectivecommunicationandinteraction.Forexample,sendingatextversionofyournewsletterratherthanthenormalHTMLversiontothose
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whohavenotopenedthreeHTMLissuesinarowcanimprovedeliverability.Cross-marketingactionalertstofrequentdonorsordonationappealstofrequentactivistscanbemoreeffectivethansendingtheseappealstoalldonorsoractivists,sincethelattermayendupfillingpeople'sinboxestoofrequently,leadingmanytounsubscribe.Surveyingthosewhoimmediatelyreturnformoreserviceontheircasecanrevealsystemicissuesincaseofmanagementprotocols,orqualityassuranceissues.
Organizationswithwell-focusedandright-sizedCRMstrategiesproperlybalancethecostsofacquiringandupdatingconstituentinformationagainstthebenefitsofhavingandusingit.Staffeffortandconstituentinconveniencemeanthatitisoftenbetternottoforceorevenencouragetheentryoflessimportantinformation.Nonetheless,CiviCRMwillprovidequantitativeandqualitativeinformationthatcanguideactions,informexecutivedecision-making,andallowbalancedscorecardtypesofreportingtoboardsandexternalfunders.
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SummaryInthischapterwelookedat:
ThereasonsthatorganizationschoosetoadoptaCRMstrategyTheimportanceofconsideringtheworkprocessesaswellasthesupportingtechnologieswhendevelopingyourConstituentRelationshipManagementstrategyThewaysinwhichnon-profitconstituentrelationshipmanagementissimilarto,butdifferentfrom,businesscustomerrelationshipmanagementinobjectivesandtechniquesHowtoidentifyandprioritizetheconstituentsandinteractionstobemanagedbyyourCRMWhenCiviCRMismoreappropriateasatooltosupportyourCRMstrategyratherthansinglepurposetools,customsoftwaredevelopment,orotherCRMsystemsThecommonadvantagesthatCiviCRMprovidesinclude:
Betterfocusonnon-profitneedsGreaterusersatisfactionAvoidanceofvendorlock-inExcellentintegrationwithpopularandpowerfulDrupalandJoomla!contentmanagementsystemsLowertotalcostofownershipAstrongandactivedevelopmentcommunity
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ExtensivedocumentationforallkindsofusersGoodfreeandpaidsupport
ThebenefitsyourorganizationwillbelikelytoseewhenitadoptsCiviCRM
ItmightbetemptingtojumpinandstartinstallingandconfiguringCiviCRMandmigratingdatafromyourexistingsystems.However,ourexperienceisthattherearegreatadvantagesindevelopingaCRMimplementationplanthatidentifies,ataminimum,yourteam,yourrequirements,andthemajortasksthatwillneedtobeaccomplished.ThenextchapterwillwalkyouthroughhowtodevelopaCRMimplementationplanthatissuitedtoyourorganization'ssize,culture,andneeds.
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Chapter2.PlanningYourCRMImplementationSonow,youthinkthatyourorganizationwillbetteraccomplishitsmissionwithCiviCRM.ThischapterwillhelpyouplanyourimplementationofCiviCRM,sothatyourCRMinitiativehasthebestchancetoenablegreaterorganizationsuccess.
Inthischapter,wewilldothefollowing:
IdentifypotentialbarrierstosuccessandlearnhowtoovercomethemSelectanappropriatedevelopmentmethodologyBuildabalancedteamGetstartedbymeasuringbaselinemetrics,creatingavision,andcreatingaplanFocusyourCRMstrategyfirstonyourconstituentsandmission,andthenonoperationalefficiencyRevieweffectivewaystogatherrequirementsIdentifyspecifictypesofrequirementstobeexaminedineachofthemajorareasofCiviCRMfunctionalityItemizeelementsofagoodimplementationplanReviewhowtocalculatethetotalcostofownershipofCRMsystemsandtheiralternativesPlanforsuccess
Thischapterspeakstopeoplewhohavetheresponsibility
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forinitiating,scoping,andmanagingdevelopmentandimplementationfortheCRMstrategy.Theinitialsectionsofthechapterespeciallyaremanagement-oriented.Thematerialonimprovingconstituentrelationshipsisoftennon-technical,andnotspecifictoCiviCRM.Wehavewrittenitsothatitprimarilyaddressesexecutives,directors,andmanagersatmediumandlarge-sizedorganizations.Thepersonnelinsmallerorganizationsshouldalsobenefit,eventhoughtheymayneedtoscaledownthesuggestions.Forreaderswhoaretechnicaland/ordonothavemanagerialorexecutiveresponsibilities,thissectionshouldprovideagoodcontextforyourwork,andmayhelpyouadvisemanagersandexecutiveswhodonothaveexperiencewithCRMstrategydevelopmentandimplementation.
Thelatterpartsofthechapterfocusonidentifyingyourorganization'srequirementsforCRMfunctionalityindifferentareassuchascommunication,membership,fundraising,andevents.Thesesectionsareintendedtohelpwithbrainstormingtechniquesthatcouldbeapartofyourorganization'soverallCRMstrategy.Althoughexecutivesandmanagersoftheseareasareresponsiblefordecidingwhichtechniquestheywilluse,technicalstaffwantingtoelicitrequirementsfromthemwillfindnumeroussuggestedquestions.
Ofcourse,youmightbeasemi-technicalpersonwho'stryingtosolvethedatabaseproblematasmallnon-profitwithathree-memberstaff.Ifthisissoundsmorelikeyour
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situation,thentheinitialpartsofthischaptermayprovideinspirationonwhereyouwouldliketoaim,whilethelatterpartswillprovideusefulideasandsuggestionsthatwillbemoreimmediatelyandpracticallyrelevantasyouplanyourwork.
IfyoualreadyhaveCiviCRMoranotherCRMoperatingin-housewithoutaCRMstrategy,it'snottoolatetobemoremethodicalinyourapproach.Thestepsbelowcanbeusedtoplantore-invigorateandre-focustheuseofCRMwithinyourorganizationasmuchastoplanafirstimplementation.
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BarrierstosuccessConstituentRelationshipManagementinitiativescanbedifficult.Attheirbest,theyinvolvechangingexternalrelationshipsandinternalprocessesandtools.Externally,theexperiencesthattheconstituentshaveofyourorganizationneedtochange,sothattheyprovidemorevalueandfewerbarrierstoinvolvement.Internally,businessprocessesandsupportingtechnologicalsystemsneedtochangeinordertobreakdowndepartmentaloperations'silos,increaseefficiencies,andenablemoreeffectivetargeting,improvedresponsiveness,andnewinitiatives.ThesuccessoftheCRMprojectsoftendependsonchangingthebehaviorandattitudesofindividualsacrosstheorganization,andreplacing,changing,and/orintegratingmanyITsystemsusedacrosstheorganization.
Succeedingwiththemanagementoforganizationalculturechangemayinvolvegettingstaffmemberstotakeontasksandresponsibilitiesthatmaynotdirectlybenefitthemorthedepartmentmanagedbytheirsupervisor,butonlyprovidevaluetotheorganizationbywhatitenablesothersintheorganizationtoaccomplishoravoid.Asaresult,itismorechallengingtoaligntheinterestsofthestaffandorganizationalunitswiththeorganization'sinterestinimprovedconstituentrelations,aspromisedbytheCRMstrategy.ThisiswhyanExecutiveSponsor,suchastheExecutiveDirectorofasmalloramedium-sizednon-profit
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organization,issoimportant.
Onthetechnicalside,CRMprojectsforreasonably-sizedorganizationstypicallyinvolvereplacingorintegratingmanysystems.Configuringandcustomizingasinglenewsoftwaresystem,migratingdatatoit,testinganddeployingit,andtrainingthestaffmemberscanbeachallengeatthebestoftimes.Doingitformultiplesystemsandmoreusersmultipliesthechallenge.SinceaCRMinitiativeinvolvesintegratingseparatesystems,thecomplexityofsuchendeavorsmustbefaced,suchasdisparatedataschemasrequiringtransformationsforinteroperability,andkeepingmiddlewareinsyncwithchangesinmultipleindependentsoftwarepackages.
Unfortunately,thesechallengestotheCRMimplementationinitiativemayleadtoaprojectfailureiftheyarenotrealizedandaddressed.Thecommoncausesforfailureareasfollows:
Lackofexecutive-levelsponsorshipresultinginimproperlyresolvedturfwars.IT-ledinitiativeshaveagreatertendencytofocusoncostefficiency.Thisfocuswillgenerallynotresultinbetterconstituentrelationsthatareorientedtowardachievingtheorganization'smission.AnITapproach,particularlywhereusersandusabilityexpertsarenotontheprojectteam,mayalsoleadtopooruseradoptionifthesystemisnotadaptedtotheirneeds,or
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eveniftheusersarepoorlytrained.Nocustomerdataintegrationapproachresultinginnotovercomingthedatasilosproblem,noconsolidatedviewofconstituents,poorertargeting,andaninabilitytorealizeenterprise-levelbenefits.Lackofbuy-in,leadingtoalackofuseofthenewCRMsystemandcontinueduseoftheoldprocessesandsystemsitwasmeanttosupplant.Lackoftrainingandfollow-uptrainingcausingstaffanxietyandopposition.Thismaycausenon-useormisuseofthesystem,resultinginpoordatahandlingandmix-upsinthewayinwhichconstituentsaretreated.Notcustomizingenoughtoactuallymeettherequirementsoftheorganizationintheareasof:
DataintegrationBusinessprocessesUserexperiences
Over-customizing,causing:ThecostsofthesystemtoescalateThebestpracticesincorporatedinthebasefunctionalitytobeoverriddeninsomecasesUserformstobecomeoverlycomplexUserexperiencestobecomeoff-putting
Nostrategyfordealingwiththetechnicalchallengesassociatedwithdeveloping,extending,and/orintegratingtheCRMsoftwaresystem,leadingto:
CostoverrunsPoorlydesignedandbuiltsoftware
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PooruserexperiencesIncompleteorinvaliddata
However,thisdoesnotmeanthatprojectfailureisinevitableorcommon.Theseclearlyidentifiablecausesoffailurecanbeovercomethrougheffectiveprojectplanning.
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PerfectionistheenemyofthegoodCRMsystemsandtheirfunctionalcomponentssuchasfundraising,ticketsales,communicationwithsubscribersandotherstakeholders,membershipmanagement,andcasemanagementareessentialforthecoreoperationsofmostnon-profits.Thiscanleadtoalegitimatefearofprojectfailurewhenchangingthem.However,thisfearcaneasilycreateaperfectionistmentality,wheretheprojectteamattemptstoovercompensatebycreatingtoomuchoversight,toomuchcontingencyplanning,andtoomuchprojectdiscoverytimeinanefforttoavoidmissinganypotentiallyusefulfeaturethatcouldbeintegratedintotheproject.Whileplanningisgood,perfectionmaynotbegood,sinceperfectionisoftentheenemyofthegood.
CRMimplementationsriskerringonthesideofwhatisknown,somewhattongue-in-cheek,astheMITApproach.TheMITapproachbelievesin,andattemptstodesign,construct,anddeploy,the"RightThing"rightfromthestart.Itsbig-brainapproachtoproblemsolvingleadstocorrectness,completeness,andconsistencyinthedesign.Itvaluessimplicityintheuserinterfaceoversimplicityintheimplementationdesign.Theotherendofthespectrumiscapturedwithaphorismslike"LessisMore,""KISS"(Keepitsimple,stupid),and"WorseisBetter".Thisalternateview
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willinglyacceptsdeviationsfromcorrectness,completeness,andconsistencyindesigninfavorofgeneralsimplicity,orsimplicityofimplementationoversimplicityofuserinterface.Thereasonthatsuchcounter-intuitiveapproachestodevelopingsolutionshavebecomerespectedandpopularistheproblemsandfailuresthatcanresultfromtryingtodoitallperfectlyfromthestart.
Neitherendofthespectrumishealthier.Handcuffingtheprojecttoanunattainablestandardofperfection,orover-simplifyinginordertoartificiallyreducecomplexitywillbothleadtoprojectfailure.
Thereisnoperfectantidotetothesetwoextremes.Asaprojectmanageritwillbeyourresponsibilitytosetthetone,determinepriorities,andplantheimplementationanddevelopmentprocess.Althoughitisnotaperspectiveonprojectmanagement,onerulethatwillhelpachievebalanceandmovetheprojectforwardis"Releaseearly,releaseoften."Thisiscommonlyembracedintheopensourcecommunitywherecollaborationisessentialtosuccess.Thismotto:
CapturestheintentofcatchingerrorsearlierAllowsuserstocapturevaluefromthesystemsoonerAllowsuserstobetterimagineandarticulatewhatthesoftwareshoulddothroughongoinguseandinteractionwithaworkingsystemearlyintheprocess
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DevelopmentmethodologiesWhateverapproachyourorganizationdecidestotakefordevelopingandimplementingitsCRMstrategy,it'susuallygoodtohaveanagreeduponprocessandmethodology.Yourprocessesdefinethestepstobetakenasyouimplementtheproject.Yourmethodologydefinestherulesfortheprocess,thatis,themethodstobeusedthroughoutthecourseoftheproject.ThespiritoftheproblemsolvingapproachesjustreviewedcanbeseenintheTraditionalWaterfallDevelopmentmodelandinthecontrastingIterativeandIncrementalDevelopmentmodel.
Note
Projectsnaturallychangeandevolveovertime.Youmayfindthatyouembraceoneofthesemethodologiesforinitialimplementation,andthenmigratetoadifferentmethodormixed-methodformaintenanceandfuturedevelopmentwork.Bynomeansshouldyoufeelrestrictedbythedefinitionsprovided,butratheradjusttheprinciplestomeetyourchangingneedsthroughoutthecourseoftheproject.Thatbeingsaid,it'simportantthatyourteamunderstandstheprojectrulesatagivenpointintime,sothattheprojectmanagementprinciplesarerespected.
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TheconventionalWaterfallDevelopmentmethodologyThetraditionalWaterfallmethodofsoftwaredevelopmentissometimesthoughtofas"bigdesignupfront".Itemploysasequentialapproachtodevelopment,movingfromneedsanalysisandrequirements,toarchitecturalanduserexperience,detaileddesign,implementation,integration,testing,deployment,andmaintenance.Theoutputofeachsteporphaseflowsdownward,likewater,tothenextstepintheprocess,asillustratedbythearrowsinthefollowingfigure:
TheWaterfallmodeltendstobemoreformal,more
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planned,includesmoredocumentation,andoftenhasastrongerdivisionoflabor.Thismethodologybenefitsfromhavingclear,linear,andprogressivedevelopmentstepsinwhicheachphasebuildsuponthepreviousone.However,itcansufferfrominflexibilityifusedtoorigidly.Forexample,ifduringtheverificationandqualityassurancephase,yourealizeasignificantfunctionalitygapresultingfromincorrect(orchanging)specificationrequirements,thenitmaybedifficulttointerjectthosenewneedsintotheprocess.The"releaseearly,releaseoften"iterativeprinciplementionedearliercanhelpovercomethatinflexibility.Iftheoverallprocessiskepttightandthedevelopmentwindowshort,youcanjustifydelayingthenewfunctionalityorcorrectivespecificationsforthenextrelease.
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IterativedevelopmentmethodologyIterativedevelopmentmodelsdepartfromthisstructurebybreakingtheworkupintochunksthatcanbedevelopedanddeliveredseparately.TheWaterfallprocessisusedineachphaseorsegmentoftheproject,buttheoverallprojectstructureisnotnecessarilyheldtothesamerigidprocess.AsonemovesfartherawayfromtheWaterfallapproach,thereisagreateremphasisonevaluatingincrementally-deliveredpiecesofthesolution,andincorporatingfeedbackonwhathasalreadybeendevelopedintotheplanningoffuturework,asillustratedintheloopinthefollowingfigure:
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ThismethodologyseekstotakewhatisgoodinthetraditionalWaterfallapproach—structure,clearly-definedlinearsteps,astrongdevelopment/qualityassurance/rolloutprocess—andimproveitthroughshorterdevelopmentcyclesthatarecenteredonsmallersegmentsoftheoverallproject.Perhapsthebiggestchallengeinthismodelistheprojectmanagementrole,asitmayresultinmanymovingpiecesthatmustbetightlycoordinatedinordertoreleasethefinalworkingproduct.
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AgiledevelopmentmethodologyAgiledevelopmentmethodologiesareaneffectivederivativeoftheiterativedevelopmentmodelthatmovesonestepfurtherawayfromtheWaterfallmodel.Theyarecharacterizedbyrequirementsandsolutionsevolvingtogether,requiringworkteamstobedrawnfromalltherelevantpartsoftheorganization.Theyorganizethemselvestoworkinrapidonetofour-weekiterationcycles.Agilecentersontime-basedreleasecycles,andinthisway,differsfromtheothermethodologiesdiscussed,whichareorientedmoretowardfunctionality-basedreleases.
ThefollowingfigureillustratestheimplementationofanAgilemethodologythathighlightsshortdailyScrumstatusmeetings,aproductbacklogcontainingfeaturesoruserstoriesforeachiteration,andasprintbacklogcontainingrevisableandre-prioritizableworkitemsfortheteamduringthecurrentiteration.
Adeliberateeffortisusuallymadeinordertoensurethatthesprintbacklogislongenoughtoensurethatthelowestpriorityitemswillnotbedealtwithbeforetheendoftheiteration.Althoughtheycanbeputontothelistofworkitemsthatmayormaynotbeselectedforthenextiteration,theideaisthattheclientortheproductownershould,atsomepoint,decidethatitnotworthinvestingmoreresourcesinthe"nicetohave,butnotreallynecessary"
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items.
Asonemightexpect,thismethodologyreliesheavilyoneffectiveprioritization.Sincesoftwarereleasesanddevelopmentcyclesadheretorigidtimeframes,onlyhighpriorityissuesorfeaturesareactivelyaddressedatagivenpointintime;theremainderissuesfallingloweronthelistaresubjecttoreassignmentforthenextcycle.
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FoodPantryAssociationofGreaterMetropolisThroughouttherestofthisbookwewilluseacasestudytohelpintroduceconceptsandexplainhowtoconfigure,customize,anduseCiviCRM.Whiletheorganizationandnamesareentirelyfictitiousandnotintendedtorefertoactualorganizationsorpeople,theorganization'sneedsandhowitoperatesareintendedtoreflectcommonpatternsinthenon-profitandadvocacysector.
InourcasestudyyouareinchargeofalladministrativefunctionsincludingcomputersystemsandfinancesforTheFoodPantryAssociationofGreaterMetropolis.FPAGMisthecentralorganizationinthefoodpantrysysteminthecityofMetropolisanditssurroundingareas.Thepantries,knownelsewhereasfoodbanks,rangefromsmallfaith-basedgroupstoafewlargernot-for-profitsinthecenteroftheonlylargecityinthearea.Thepantriesprovidethepoorwithfoodtobetakenhomeforconsumptionlater,andarekeptparticularlybusyduringthewintermonthsinthiscityofapproximately2.1millionpeople.
FPAGMenvisionsacommunitywherenoonesuffersfromhunger.Itsmissionistoprovidecost-effectivesharedservicestofoodpantriesintheregion.Operationally,FPAGMdoesthefollowing:
Provideswholesalefoodpickupfrombusinessdonors,
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storageatadepot,andregulardeliveryofneededsuppliestopantriesSharesbestpracticesamongstfoodpantriesandfoodpantrydonorsBeginsassistingpantriesindealingwithproblematicindividualswhoabusethesystemorstaffRepresentstheconcernsofthepantriestolocalandstateadvocacyefforts,oftenbyundertakingresearchanddevelopingpolicysubmissions
TheFPAGMBoardofDirectorsconsistsoffourofficersandfivemembers-at-large.Yourboss,theExecutiveDirector,overseestheworkoffivefull-timestaff.Inaddition,theorganizationreceivesregularvolunteersupporttoassistwithdailyoperations.
Asbefore,moststaffresourcesaretakenupwithprovidingfooddistributionservicesforthepantries.AffiliatemembersandotherfoodproviderscontacttheFPAGMwhentheyhavesurplusfoodavailableforpickup.TheassociationownsthreevansfortransportingfoodfromtheproviderstoawarehouseattachedtotheFPAGMoffices,andthendistributingittothepantries.
TheFPAGMstaffalsohandlesdistribution.Thepantriesplacerequestsforfoodandthecosts(measuredbyweight)aretrackedagainsttheiraccounts.
Thissystemallowsthepantriesintheregiontofocuson
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providingfoodandservicestoclients,poormembersofthecommunity,withoutmuchneedtoidentifyfoodsupplysources.Theassociationalsobenefitsfromeconomiesofscale,particularlywithwarehousespace,staff,andvehiclesrequiredtodistributefoodtothepantries.
Theassociationhoststwotrainingeventsandanannualconferencethatdrawsattendeesfromtheentirestatewhoareinvolvedinfoodpantrysupport.
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Right-sizingtheprocessIt'simportanttoensurethattheprocessandmethodologyyouadoptforyourCRMinitiativeisappropriatetoyourorganization'scultureandsize,thecomplexityofitsexistingsystems,andthescaleofyourCRMeffort.Thisgoalof"right-sizing"theprocesstofityourneedsisessential,bothforyouastheprojectmanager/decisionmaker,andforanyconsultantsyouengageintheprocess.Besideshavingfamiliaritywithyourmethodologyofchoice,theprojectteam(organizationleaders,staff,andconsultants)shouldunderstandandappreciatehowyouhaveright-sizedtheproject.Forexample,ifyourepresentasmallorganizationwithtwotofivestaffmembers,avolunteerboardandcommitteestructure,and3,000contactrecords,buildingtoomuchstructureandprocessintoyourprojectwillimpedeefficientprogressratherthanhelpingit.Youneedenoughstructuretomakesurethattheprojectiswell-defined,well-managed,effectivelytested,andimplementedontimeandwithinbudget;butnotsomuchstructurethatyouspendallyourtimemanagingthemethodsinsteadofimplementingaCRM.
Otherthingsbeingequal,larger,older,andmorehierarchical,formalandbureaucraticorganizationstendtoneedamoreformalapproachwithmoredocuments,moreapprovals,andsoon.Smaller,newer,flatter,matrix-managed,andmoreflexibleorganizationswillfinditeasier
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tomovealongthespectrumtowardstheAgilemethods.
Tinyorganizationsorinitiativesmaynotneedtoiteratebecausethescopeofworkistoosmall.AprojectintendingtoreplaceasingleexistingCRMsystemwithCiviCRMmayfinditbettertoproceedinasingleproductrollouttoreducetheeffortinvolvedinrunningoldandnewsystemsinparallel.Bycontrast,replacinganumberofseparatesiloedsystemswithCiviCRMcanbegroupedintooneormoreiterationsforeachsystembeingreplaced.
Sometimes,itcanbeusefultopilotCiviCRMinanimportant,urgent,oreasyarea.Youmightwanttoreachforalow-hangingfruitbyautomatingeventregistrationforthefirsttime.Anotherstrategywouldbetotacklethetoughestareafirst,sothatyoudon'tgethalf-waydownapathofconvertingtoanewCRMbeforeyourealizetherearesomeaspectsofyourneedsthatwillrequiremorecustomizationthanoriginallyenvisioned.Bytacklingtheelephantintheroomfirst,youcanreallocateresourcestoensureyourcriticalfunctionalityareasarefullyaddressed.
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BuildingtheteamAcriticalfactorinthesuccessofyourCRMinitiativewillbedecidingwhoisonyourstrategyandimplementationteam.Thesizeoftheteamwillobviouslyvarybetweenorganizations;thosewiththreestaffmemberswillhavetodothingsdifferentlythanthosewith300.Whilethissectionisorientedtowardslargerorganizations,theprinciplesapplytoanysize.
Theimplementationteamincludesthepeoplewhowillplayadirectroleintheongoingprojectdevelopment.NoteveryoneaffectedbytheCRMinitiativeneedstobeonthiscoreteamtaskedwithdrivingthestrategyandimplementation.Agoodworkinggroupseldomislargerthansixtoeightpeople,andveryoften,asmallergroupcanbemoreeffective.Whatismostimportantisthatthisteamshouldberepresentativeofthedifferentvoicesoftheproject—organization,leadership,endusers,developers/implementers,importantstakeholders,andsoon.
Usually,itisimmediatelyclearthattheinvolvementandcooperationofsomeindividualsintheorganizationwillbenecessaryforthesuccessoftheinitiative.Inaddition,itisimportanttohaveavarietyofpeoplerepresentingdifferentrolesontheteam.Theteammembersmustbringtherightmixofexpertiseandexperiencetotheproject,bewillingto
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worktogethertoeffectivelyaccomplishwhatneedstobedone,andworkinordertoensurethattheperspectivesandneedsofalltheaffectedpartsoftheorganizationareheardandweighedappropriately.Ifyouhavetightlinkstoexternalstakeholders,involvingtheminyourCRMstrategydevelopmentandtestingbeforeroll-outcandramaticallyimprovethesuccessofyourinitiative.
Fromahumanresourceperspective,atransformationalinitiativesuchasthisoneisagreatopportunitytoprovideemergingleaderswithastretchassignmentfortheirtalentandambition,experienceinmattersbeyondtheircurrentjobresponsibilities,andexposureacrosstheorganization.Theseniorteammemberscanevaluateandprovidefeedbacktothemastheystretchtheirwings.
Asrepresentativesfortheinitiativeinsideandoutsidetheorganization,theteammembersareideallyplacedwiththegoaltoadvocateandevangelizefortheirownsub-constituenciesinsupportoftheoverallCRMvision.Whatdowemeanbythat?Eachmemberoftheteamshouldrepresentavoiceinyourorganization—management,frontlinestaff,communication,accounting/bookkeeping,eventcoordination,advocacy,enduserconstituents,developers,differentkindsofexternalstakeholders,andsoon,eachwiththeirownexpectations,goals,andconcernswiththeCRMimplementation.Thecombineddiversityofperspectiveisessentialinordertoachieveawell-balancedandeffectiveteam.
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You'llneedtojudgewhetherpeoplewhoarelikelytoberesistanttochange,ortotheinitiativeingeneral,shouldbebroughtintothetentearlyorlate.Theiroppositionorreluctancemaybeduetotheirpersonality,apatternofconflictwithateammember,institutionalfactorssuchaslossofcontrolofdataorbudget,orperceivedcriticism,assystemsandworkintheirareaofresponsibilityaretargetedforimprovement.Ourexperienceisthatitisusuallybettertobringtheminearlysothattheirvoicescanbeheardandtheirconcernsaddressedduringtheimplementation.Obtaintheirbuy-intotheprojectearlyinordertoreducethelikelihoodofthempoisoningtheperceptionwhenit'stimefororganization-wideadoption.Thisalsomakesitlesslikelythattheywillbetakingpot-shotsattheinitiativefromthesidelines,andwillbeunabletolegitimatelyclaimattheirendthattheirconcernswerenotgivendueconsideration.Acknowledgeandincorporateasmanypositiveaspectsfromtheexistingwaysofdoingthingsaspossibleandensurethatthereisadequateopportunityforfamiliarizationandtrainingwiththenewsysteminordertoencouragethatbuy-in.Skepticalvoicesarevaluablewhentheyhelptoprovidearealitycheckonoptimisticambitions,butcanbecomepoisonousiftheyveertowardsunreasonablenegativity.
Theidealteammayinclude:
Anexecutiveorboardspo