So if you're involved with a nonprofit or maybe an advocacy
group, you know what it's like, that constant juggle, managing
donors, keeping track of volunteers, sorting out events,
memberships, it's, uh, it's a lot.
It really is.
Sometimes it feels like you're drowning in spreadsheets.
Exactly.
More time on admin than the actual, you know, mission.
Okay.
Before we really dive into a solution for that, just a quick
shout out to our supporter, safeserver.de.
They're the experts who handle hosting for exactly this kind of essential
software we're discussing today.
And they can really help you with your digital transformation.
Super important support.
You can find out more at www.safeserver.de.
Honestly, their support makes these deep dives possible.
Definitely.
Okay.
So let's get into it today.
We're looking closely at something called CivicRM.
Right.
CivicRM.
It's an open source system and it's specifically built to help, well,
all those groups we mentioned.
Yeah. Nonprofits, NGOs.
If you've ever felt that admin burden just crushing your mission, this is a,
this is definitely for you.
We're going to unpack how it helps literally thousands of groups get organized.
And our goal here really is to give you a clear sort of beginner friendly view
of CivicRM.
We'll break down what CRM even means for a nonprofit, why open source is such a
big deal here, and really connect the dots on how it helps groups focus on their
purpose, not just the paperwork.
It's about understanding why it's, well, a bit of a game changer.
Okay. Perfect. So let's start with basics. CRM.
Usually customer relationship management.
Right. The standard definition.
But you hinted customer isn't quite the right word for nonprofits.
So how does CivicRM change that?
Yeah, that's, that's really fundamental. See commercial CRMs,
they're all about sales leads, customer journeys. Right.
CivicRM is built around constituent relationship management. So for you,
if you're in a nonprofit, your constituents, they're everyone.
You're donors obviously, but also your volunteers, your members,
people who come to events, your advocates online.
It's a much wider net.
All community.
Exactly. CivicSRM is designed from the ground up to understand and
really nurture those specific kinds of relationships.
It's about building that community, keeping people engaged,
organizing everyone who supports the cause.
It's just a different mindset than sales.
That makes total sense.
It's about connection, not just transactions.
Precisely.
So thinking practically, what are the core headaches it solves?
If you've got this system, what does it actually do for you day to day?
Well, the big thing is centralization.
It pulls everything together.
Imagine one place, right?
Where you track all your communications with people, manage all your donors,
one-time gifts, monthly pledges, the whole lot.
Handle your event signups, manage memberships and renewals.
It's built to automate a lot of those repetitive tasks.
Like fundraising admin.
Exactly.
Fundraising admin, grant tracking, maybe volunteer hours, sending out targeted
emails based on, you know, who's done what.
It just streamlines so much of that.
It's a load off.
A huge load, frees up staff and volunteers.
Right.
Which sounds amazing, but you mentioned open source.
Now nonprofits range from tiny local groups to huge international NGOs.
What's the real benefit of open source here?
Isn't it sometimes, well, harder to manage?
That's a really good question.
And it gets right to the heart of civiserum's impact.
Okay.
So open source means a few key things.
First, the software itself, it's free, like properly free to download and use
under a license called GNU AGPL3.
Okay.
Free is good.
It is.
But that license is important too.
It basically guarantees the software stays open and community owned.
No one company can just take it over and lock everyone in.
Ah, right. So you get transparency.
Transparency, yeah.
You can see the code, you get incredible flexibility to adapt it and crucially
big cost savings over time because you're not paying those endless license fees.
No vendor lock-in.
Exactly.
It's genuinely community driven, developed by the nonprofit world for the nonprofit
world.
So it's not just about the money saved, though that's huge.
It's more about control, alignment.
That's a great way to put it.
The insight is open source frees you from a software company's priorities.
The community decides what features get built, what gets fixed based on actual
mission needs, not just the latest commercial fad.
Your tech stays aligned with your purpose, future proof in a way.
OK, let's talk scale then, because this isn't some tiny project.
The numbers you shared are, they're huge.
They really are.
Over 11,000 nonprofits using it.
That's significant penetration.
It is.
And think about the activity within those installs.
Like the 24 million event participants registered.
Yeah, or over 116 million donations processed and managing, what was it?
Over 189 million contacts globally.
Just massive numbers.
And what's fascinating is how that translates into real power on the ground.
OK, give us an example.
Well, take MAF Norway.
They used Civis ERM to completely automate their fundraising processes.
Think about the time that saved.
It wasn't just about being more efficient.
It meant their team could spend more time actually talking to supporters,
delivering programs, you know, the mission stuff.
Right. So it becomes less of a database, more of an operational engine.
Exactly. An operational backbone.
It lets groups put their resources, people, money back into their core purpose
away from just shuffling paper.
And is that backbone flexible?
I mean, can you just plug it into what you already have or do you need a whole new
setup?
Oh, incredibly flexible. That's a major strength.
How so?
Well, you can run it as its own standalone thing, a PHP web app if you want total
control.
OK. But for a lot of groups, the magic is integrating it with their website, CMS,
like WordPress, WordPress, Drupal, Joomla, even backdrop CMS.
You embed Civic CRM right in there.
So it's seamless for the user, like signing up for an event on the website just
goes
straight into the CRM.
Exactly. Unified experience and another big plus hosting freedom.
You're not tied to one company's data center.
You choose where you host it.
That's huge for data control, data sovereignty,
especially for international groups or those with strict privacy rules.
Absolutely. You own your data fully.
That freedom sounds great.
But what if you're listening and thinking, okay, sounds powerful,
but maybe too techie for us? Are there easy ways in?
Definitely. That flexibility covers getting started too.
Good.
If you've got technical folks, sure, download it, install it, host it yourself,
fine tune everything.
If not, then there's this whole ecosystem of expert partners all over the world.
They handle the hosting, setup, customization, support.
They get you going quickly, like a supported service. Exactly.
And there's even something called Civis RM Spark,
which is like a super quick, pre-configured, secure hosted start.
So options for everyone, basically beginner to expert. Pretty much. Yeah.
There's a path for you, whatever your tech level now for slightly more technically
curious. You mentioned it's a PHP application.
We looked at the GitHub repo, Civic, Civic Chrome core.
Lots of activity there. Over 660 stars, more than 840 forks.
That feels like a healthy sign for open source, right? Oh, absolutely.
Those aren't just numbers. They show a really vibrant, active community.
Developers are interested. They're contributing or using it. It's alive.
And that community, how does it actually work?
Because 441 contributors to just the core app.
That's a lot of cooks. It is. And that's the beauty of it.
It's this huge, diverse global group effort. So it's not just code.
Not at all. There are busy forums where users help each other out, share tips.
There are chat channels for developers working together and the documentation
docs.civicrm.org is massive and constantly updated by the community.
Driven by users for users. Exactly.
It's that spirit of sharing knowledge, collective improvement.
Everyone benefits when someone adds something new or fixes a bug.
Proprietary software often struggles to match that pace of community driven
innovation.
OK, so let's say this deep dive has someone interested, maybe for their own group.
Maybe they just want to get involved.
What are the practical next steps?
How do you plug into this ecosystem?
Loads of ways. Got questions.
Hit civicrm.stackexchange.com.
It's like a dedicated Q&A forum.
Really helpful. OK.
Want to network, learn more, look for events.
Civic Camp EU 2025 is coming up.
Things like that are great for connecting.
And if you want to give back?
You can donate directly to the project,
become a supporting member,
or even have your organization become a partner.
All that helps fund development and shape where it goes next.
Right, because it is still evolving.
It's not finished.
What's been happening lately?
What should people know about recent developments?
Oh, it's constantly moving.
Just back in August 2025, we saw the six point five release.
OK. And importantly, a security release alongside it,
updating several versions that shows that ongoing commitment
to stability and critically keeping things secure.
Which is vital when you're handling donor data.
Absolutely. So for you as a user, these regular updates mean
you're always getting improvements, bug fixes and those essential security patches.
Your data stays safer. The system runs better.
So it's not just background noise.
These updates translate into real benefits.
Totally. New releases often bring cool new features, too.
Like there's a new extension called Systopia Event Invitation,
giving more options for event outreach.
And you keep seeing new case studies pop up how groups like the Tor project
are using CIVICERM, even contributing back to it.
It shows it's a living thing, adapting to what users need.
It stays relevant.
OK, so let's try and wrap this up.
What's the main takeaway here? I think for someone listening,
what does this all mean? CIVICERM.
It really stands out, doesn't it, as this powerful, flexible,
community led open source option? It really does.
Ideal for any nonprofit NGO advocacy group that wants to,
well, get their house in order, connect better with their supporters
and focus more on the mission. Yeah.
This deep dive hopefully gives you a solid starting point,
a shortcut to understanding this really critical tool
for organizations making a difference.
And maybe it leaves you with a question to think about in this digital age.
How much more impact could your organization have
if you really embrace tools like this open source tools built by your community
for your mission instead of trying to squeeze your work into generic,
often expensive commercial boxes? That's a powerful thought.
Something definitely worth considering.
OK, that brings us to the end of this deep dive.
A huge thank you again to SafeServer.de for their support.
Yes, thanks SafeServer.de.
For expert help with software hosting, digital transformation,
all that good stuff, do check them out. www.safeserver.de
Really a fantastic resource. Definitely worth a look.
And if CivisRM itself has caught your interest,
the place to go is their website civisrm.org.
Yep, civisrm.org.
You can explore the documentation, maybe even spin up a demo and see it for
yourself.
Until next time, keep learning and keep making those connections.