  Additional ConsiderationsIn addition to ensuring that CiviCRM provides the features that you need and that it is easy to use, you need to consider and plan for several other important things prior to choosing CiviCRM:
Do you need a CMS?One of the biggest criteria for determining if CiviCRM will meet your organizations needs is to consider your needs when it comes to website integration. In other words, if a substantial part of your needs require a system that accepts online donations, online event registrations and member logins a critical element of your implementation will be integrating CiviCRM with one of the two Content Management Systems that it works with: Joomla and Drupal. On the other hand, if your organization has no need for on-line functionality, you might be better off with the standalone version of CiviCRM. The choice is up to you, but do be sure to consider carefully. What are Drupal and Joomla? Drupal and Joomla are open source Content Management Systems; complete environments for creating, organizing, and granting access to website content. They provide an easy way to create and edit your website content and can be extended with a number of features such as forums, photo galleries, blogs, and much more. Integration with CiviCRM means that you effectively end up with a complete and very powerful system that can handle all of your external communication and outreach (website, email, etc.) as well as all of your internal data management needs (such as donors, members and events). The downside to using a CMS in addition to CiviCRM is that you will need to maintain and upgrade both systems. Standalone vs CMS If you are not interested in or ready to consider using a CMS then you might choose to use CiviCRM's Standalone mode. The trade-off here is you won't be able to take advantage of all the CMS's great integrated online features. Alternatively you might install CiviCRM as part of a CMS but not explore the CMS's features until later. Some examples of organizations using CiviCRM in standalone mode include those that:
Drupal or Joomla? Both Drupal and Joomla have large communities of users who are passionate about them. It is generally accepted that Joomla is easier to get started with and more user-friendly, whereas Drupal offers a greater range of possibilities but has a steeper learning curve. Developers often favor Drupal, as it is easier for them to extend. An important factor to consider when choosing which type of CMS to use is how important it is to you to control access to certain information or features. Joomla simply divides people into users who can access its administrative functions (including CiviCRM) and those who can't. With Drupal, you can create a much more detailed permissioning system by determining which roles in your organization (such as volunteers, executive directors or interns) can access or use which parts of CiviCRM (or Drupal for that matter).For example, with Drupal, an organization can limit access to their list of major donors to only the executive director and the development director. You can also allow some people to edit CiviCRM data but others to only view it, or let some people see membership record details, while others only have access to the contact details. More information about Drupal is available at their web site:http://drupal.org/node/152218 More information about Joomla is available at their web site: http://www.joomla.org/about-joomla.html HostingBefore you install CiviCRM you should give some thought as to how you will acquire the Internet services (sometimes referred to as hosting services) you require and who will perform the technical tasks required to maintain the environment. There are several things to consider here:
These things do require some advanced knowledge of servers and hosting environments, so this may be a good topic to discuss with a technical consultant. If you do decide to have your site hosted externally (by someone else), you should keep in mind that unfortunately, in the hosting provider world, you get what you pay for.In many cases, cheap hosting providers keep their prices down by limiting the services or flexibility they provide. Other, more expensive options may be much more reliable, flexible, and stable. If you would like to see some "reviews" of hosting providers, look at http://wiki.civicrm.org/confluence/display/CRM/Hosting+provider+information. Before teaming up with a hosting provider, you should make a list of your requirements and make sure that the vendor you are considering can and will provide them. It's best to get them to confirm they can meet your needs in writing before making a commitment. If you decide to host the site yourself, there are two possibilities: if you have someone on staff who is technically able to manage the site, that's great! If you don't, you might consider hosting the site internally, but hiring someone who can manage it remotely. These days, there are very few things that can not be done via remote access, so this might be a good compromise if you want to save money by avoiding the monthly hosting fee. Just be sure to carefully interview anyone you are considering. Other ResourcesAll successful technology projects require investments of time and resources, and CiviCRM is no different. The last, but certainly not least, thing to consider when evaluating whether CiviCRM is right for you is to assess how much of your organizational resources (time and money) you can devote to making CiviCRM truly work for your organization.For larger organizations with complex needs, a successful CiviCRM project can take several months of planning, development, and training to be successful.This reality is important to keep in mind as you evaluate CiviCRM, or any database system for that matter. Several tasks that will require someone's time and expertise include:
Be sure that you have lined up the appropriate resources, both money and staff-wise, before making a decision to adopt CiviCRM. |