Evaluating CiviCRM
Much of the information in this chapter assumes that you have already evaluated what your organization needs from a CRM system. If you have not done that, you might want to before reading this chapter.
CiviCRM is a complex and powerful software. It is critical that before deciding to use CiviCRM, you evaluate whether or not it is right for your organization and will fundamentally fit its needs. Broadly speaking, there are four approaches to evaluating whether CiviCRM is right for your organization:
- Play with the free demonstration site,
- Talk to other users and organizations using the system,
- Install a test database,
- Hire a CiviCRM consultant.
As you try any or all of the above methods, it is critically important to always remember your needs as an organization. Resist the temptation to be drawn to things that are "cool" but may not ultimately benefit your organization's mission.
Demonstration sites
CiviCRM hosts three freely accessible demo sites - one for each of the two supported Content Management Systems, Drupal and Joomla!, and one for standalone mode. The demo sites all present a working copy of the latest stable version of CiviCRM with sample data. You can play with CiviCRM on these sites as you wish but be aware that they are publicly viewable so don't enter any real data.
There are a few limitations of the demo sites. It will not send out emails, you do no have access to creating permissions for users and you can only do limited exploration of accepting online payments.
Talk to Others
If you know an organization using CiviCRM then talk to them about their experiences. It would be most helpful to talk to someone who has had experience in an organisation which is a similar size and has similar operations to your own organization. If you don't immediately know anyone else that has used CiviCRM then visit the CiviCRM forums.
The forums, hosted online at CiviCRM.org, are an excellent resource for just about anything you can think of that is related to CiviCRM. The forums are there to help people like you get answers to your questions about CiviCRM so that you can decide whether or not it is right for your organization before investing too much time or money. You can explore the CiviCRM forum site here: http://forum.civicrm.org/ and you can start asking your questions whenever you are ready.
If you are brand new to CiviCRM, the topics that will probably be of most interest to you at this point are the discussions under the forum board called "Pre-installation Questions" (http://forum.civicrm.org/index.php/board,5.0.html).
If you wish you to contribute to the discussions or ask questions you will need to register first (http://forum.civicrm.org/index.php?action=register)
Also worth checking out is the "documentation" section of the forum. This section will not give any detailed instruction on how to use CiviCRM, but will give you a general overview of its capabilities.
Test installation
Another option for those with more technical skills is to download CiviCRM and set it up on your desktop or server. Be advised that doing this requires some advanced technical skills, so is probably not a useful option if you don't have those and don't have anyone who can help you.
if you want to pursue this option, up-to-date information for installations (including troubleshooting tips) is maintained at http://wiki.civicrm.org/confluence/display/CRMDOC/Installation+and+Upgrades. You should always refer to that information when installing or upgrading a test or real installation of CiviCRM.
Hiring a CiviCRM Consultant
If you have complex needs, regardless of your size, you may want to hire a CiviCRM expert to help you through the process of evaluating CiviCRM. On CiviCRM.org there is a page that lists professional vendors and consultants that can help walk you through CiviCRM. This may include providing a more detailed hands-on demo of the software and answering some of your specific questions. To see the professional services page on CiviCRM.org visit: http://civicrm.org/professional
