CiviCRM

CiviCRM is a web-based CRM that integrates with Drupal, allows online donation, membership and event registration processing, mass mailings and easy customization. Being open source, it's cost-effective for our limited resources, which go into a good Civi consultant, upgrades and in-house training. It's good to control our own data and know that the software keeps being developed by an active and lively community.

Definitely needed to outsource actually configuring and customizing the platform, so did have costs associated with it in that respect (as well as maintaining updates and backups).Because CiviCRM can do so much, there's a tendency for new users to overreach, or conversely ignore many options. Error messages can occasionally be frustrating to resolve, and while the support network is good it's not like a vendor based solution - though much cheaper as a result.

CiviCRM is the rare organization that values the worlds of open source and non-profits while maintaining a commitment to the ethos of both. Civi attracts developers and users by being friendly and accessible as both a software solution and an organization. This sensibility extends to responsive and eager help, on the forums, by email and at conferences - it feels like a true community of users. It's a pleasure to use tools made this way, which softens the frustrations that inevitable with Open source software.