CiviCRM on a Budget Stuart from Korlon LLC (Stoob) CiviCon 2012
Intended Audience ● Smaller nonprofits who are exploring CiviCRM as a solution. ● Developers and implementers interested in learning how to cater to the smaller market. ● Smaller nonprofits using CiviCRM who wish to expand use without breaking the bank. ● Smaller nonprofits who have implemented CiviCRM but are struggling to make it work for them.
Keeping your goals realistic What you need vs. what you want ● Make a big list, prioritize needs first ● Examine workflows and time savers ○ What does the staff work on the most? ○ How can we save time in those areas? ● Watch out for pet projects, problem children, money wasters
Making and breaking a budget Put a number on it! $ 500 $800 €1500 $746 €450 $30 $2500
Keeping your goals realistic The ZEN of software ● Welcome to the flowing river of technology... with an extremely small paddle ● You know what is said about assume? ● Avoid design driven projects. If someone's designing screens, you have lost already ● If you are on a budget, you must adopt a attitude of gratitude, not a plan of demand
Are you gonna host at GoDaddy? I CAN'T HEAR YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11
Hosting nightmares Hey, no seriously , CiviCRM is resource intensive - they ain't lying! The hidden cost of getting it wrong... Do you feel like spending hundreds or thousands of dollars on consulting fees, subjecting your staff to slow page loads, amounting to thousands in lost wages, to save $40/month?
Best hosting for CiviCRM ● Shared hosting: CiviHosting is pretty much the only real, tested choice. Not for PCI. ● VPS: If you need PCI, this is first real option. Decent VPS start at the $50 price point. Gotchas: ○ email rate limiting ○ no root access, SSH, VPS that isn't really ● DIY: Only you have a hardware, expertise, and co-location. It's time consuming.
Hosting companies I've worked with and like Spiretech CiviHosting RimuHosting Liquidweb Yes, that is a short list, isn't it?
And the award for North American payment processor goes to... Cheapest: Paypal Standard Most awkward: Google Checkout Most expensive: Authorize.net (PCI) Worst idea: Coding your own ...and the winner is: Paypal Pro
Data management Dedupe rules Don't fear the merger 1. merge on first (len: 3), last and email or first+last if multi-registering without email 2. merge every week 3. import with external id, watch your dupes
Data management Methods that breed good data 1. How's the public using your forms? 2. Sometimes it's best to collect plain text and have staff build data, for instance honor/memory is not my recommendation, build a custom field, then use a soft credit 3. Humans need to review your data, regularly
Staff Build & keep a library of know-how Naturals Know them: ● asking tough questions with hard answers ● begin showing others how to do stuff ● proactively finding info on their own Use them: ● increase their Civi access, have them record their knowledge, train others, and dedupe
Staff Build & keep a library of know-how Regulars Know them: ● reluctant to try, but catch on with help ● use Civi only when necessary ● ask the same questions twice Use them: ● keep basic access, these are the people the training library was built for
Staff People who will sink your ship Tinkerers Know them: ● coming up with schemes and ideas ● changing things they shouldn't ● treat Civi like a toy or science project Use them: ● limit access, listen to their ideas sincerely but with a grain of salt
Staff People who will sink your ship Disasters Know them: ● the questions never cease ● the action never starts ● reckless and rude Use them: ● these are the people view only access are for
Kitten break Enough depressing talk about trouble- makers, right?
Memberships Let the software decide your workflow for you if you are on a budget. Do not let your board or executive director devise some kind of bizarre system and force their egos upon your website. If possible, take the easy way out... Rolling 1 year memberships.
Memberships Reduce duplication and staff effort by using checksum , a Civi feature many of you may not know about. Combine checksum and online renewal forms with automated reminder emails for memberships and witness the power of a fully operational membership system .
Memberships: auto-renewal Auto-renewal system is not fully realized, yet . Auto-renewal is not a magic bullet. Credit cards change, transactions are denied, expirations are reached, people lose their card. Civi doesn't 'restart' well, yet . CiviCRM and/or Paypal will never be capable of reaching into someone's wallet for new card
Civi's Public Form Capabilities for Family and Org Memberships Organization 'on behalf of' Family 'on behalf of'
Versions and upgrades How will I know? (don't trust your feelings) I say a prayer with every heartbeat I'm asking you what you know about these things R.I.P. Whitney...
Care and feeding...on a budget ● Upgrade at the end of a revision cycle unless... you need something now ● Beta or x.x.0 versions are a risk you cannot afford to take from: Hyperbole and a Half ● Schedule an upgrade a couple times a year, schedule backups daily ● After upgrades check your primary systems
Asking for help...consultants and all that jazz Have at least two specialists on call Do not sign service retainers unless you can afford them AND get results The duality of consultants: Don't build anything without asking them BUT consultants are the primary expense that breaks budgets Get involved in the forum: help and be helped
Question time... thanks! Please do not preface your question with a long winded statement. Please do not ask two questions at once. Please wait until everyone has had a chance to ask their one question before you ask a second.
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