DONATE:2012 CivicCRM Framework to Manage Donors for Nonprofits: From Design to Deployment by Imran

Abstract

CiviCRM (Constituent Relationship Management) is an open-source, web based solution geared to eliminate the need to integrate external programs to resolve the needs of non-profit, small non-governmental organizations collecting and tracking constituency data. The goal of this research project is to use the CiviCRM framework to build a system that manages donations for YWCA New Hampshire. The CiviCRM constituency data of interest that the proposed system will include manage donors, donations, donation designations for specific YWCA programs, and events that facilitate fund-raising. Another feature built within CiviCRM are options easy to configure with other content management systems such as Drupal, Joomla!, and Wordpress.

The primary objective is understanding the process of building a framework for deployment. This includes assembling preliminary documentation for a system to be implemented at YWCA. Another objective is to understand real-world applications of CiviCRM framework that are geared towards managing donations. Finally, the solution of developing a system using CiviCRM will be compared and contrasted with the solution of implementing the system using MySQL and PHP directly.

YWCA currently needs a system with an intuitive user interface to manage contact and donor information with ease of access to update, delete, add, search, or view donors/donations. Majority of the functionality is available without rendering to customization. It is cost effective, minimal operators are required, as well as highly customizable with sophisticated tools developed by community. The end result will be a product tailored to the organization's specific purpose.