Here’s a short video on the benefits of using CiviCRM. Explore the CiviCRM.org for a comprehensive list of the functionality and benefits it can bring to your organization.
advantages of using civicrm
You have many options with CRM’s, so what makes CiviCRM different? Here’s the primary areas that are commonly mentioned by end-user organizations that adopt it.
data security
If you’re data is one of the most previous resources of your organization, would you be okay with it in the hands of others? Having total control of your data and who has access to it without worrying about what terms of service a commercial platform has.
avoiding licensing fees
For small organizations, license fees usually don’t become a problem. Commercial systems typically have a limited starter plan, which can work out fine, at least initially. It’s getting you in the door, and hooked. However, as you scale some features may be limited. In one competing system, a membership module and drip campaigns were not available. This is pretty standard functionality and are only restricted to get you on a higher, recurring plan. Or, in cases where you want to give access to a lot of users, the per user license fee becomes prohibitive so you avoid democratizing your data.
With CiviCRM, your growth is not a problem and your software will not cost you more on the whole (at some scale, larger hosting resources may be required). Consider the fact that instead of paying license fees to maintain the software and functionality you have today, you could move that money to expanding and developing it more, or using that funds for your actual organizational mission.
developing in-house expertise
What’s amazing about CiviCRM, is your ability to customize it and at the same time, tool up your in-house team, from operations to development. And as you go along, you’ll become more self-sufficient in configuring and operating it thereby lessening the need for consultants.
Fully customizable
If commercial systems are like renting an apartment, CiviCRM is more like buying a house. While you can make some changes, within a set of rules your landlord has laid out, like painting or adding different furniture, you can’t go knocking down walls or re-plumbing your pipes. A commercial system has inherent restrictions on what you can do and who can do it for you. On the other hand, you’ll find CiviCRM development to be of lower cost and more affordable. It’s a platform solution built with the expectation of customization.
Another benefit? You do not have to ask for permission. Or beg for feature requests to be prioritized. You can prioritize yourself or do it outright. The code is fully open-source. In sum, CiviCRM is a “do-ocracy”. There isn’t a hierarchy that will tell you “no, we aren’t prioritizing that feature development at the present time”. CiviCRM has an official partner list or you can even undertake customizations, depending on what it entails and the effort you are willing to expend. Even as someone who is not a “developer” by trade, significant and meaningful customizations can be made with a knowledge of the extension ecosystem and templating system.
Read the full CiviCRM User Report from 2019 organizations using CiviCRM care about and why they decided to use it.
