CiviCRM Functionality and Features Evaluation

Many of us wander through our day not thinking too much about why we do routine tasks, whether they still work or if we might be able to save time with an adjustment or two. Life is busy, so we just do it. Then down the line we find out that because of our routine a bunch of things have piled up next to the door or on the kitchen table. We discover that somehow there are more spices in the cabinet than we could ever use (and half of them are past their expiration dates!). Some routines change us, such as eating healthy and exercising. Suddenly, we get a positive blood test back or that really hard 2 mile uphill run wasn’t so hard one day. Routines are great and can be helpful, but they can also keep us from growing if we don’t stop to evaluate them from time to time.

If you have been using CiviCRM for a while now, you may have settled into a comfortable and familiar routine with it. That routine may be so comfortable, however, that you might be missing out on some great functionality and features that could enhance your productivity. Maybe it’s time to ask yourself some questions about how you’re using CiviCRM!

Are you using CiviCRM to its fullest capacity? In particular:

• If you’re not using Civi for online giving or payments, should you be? Are you missing out on revenue for your organization by not utilizing Civi contribution pages? With CiviCRM you can collect and record contributions to your organization made via check, phone, and public Web forms, then tie them directly to constituent contact records. Here is a guide from the CiviCRM knowledgebase to help you create one, if this is new to you.
• Just navigate to the Contributions tab to get started.

• Then select “New Contribution Page”

• If you host events for your constituents, are you registering them with CiviCRM? If you are not using Civi for event registration, you might want to consider doing that now. CiviCRM allows you to set up registration and follow-up emails. All the registration information is tied directly to the constituent contact record. Here is a guide from the knowledgebase to help you start utilizing this helpful tool. To get you started, just click on Events at the top of your screen to see the menu.

• Then select “New Event” to add an event.

Additionally, consider whether you’re using CiviCRM as efficiently as possible:

• Are there extensions you could add to increase functionality and/or improve your efficiency? Is there something you keep wanting CiviCRM to do for you? Do you keep wondering if there is an easier way to do something? If you have some ideas about what you want your CRM to do, an extension may already be available to make it a reality. It might be easier than you expect to get what you want. Visit the CiviCRM Extensions Directory to see what’s possible.
• Are there extensions you aren’t using anymore? Everyone goes through phases of trying different extensions to see what works for them (as suggested above). When was the last time you went through to remove the extensions that are lying around unused? Clearing these out keeps your server cleaner and safer.
• Is it time to do some cleanup of unengaged or duplicate contacts? Data hygiene isn’t the most interesting task, but it’s definitely important – and keeping your data clean can improve how your CRM operates, as well as making it easier to identify the data you actually have.
• Does the data on your contacts’ records tell you everything you need to know? Are you missing important information? Is the data poorly organized? Maybe it’s time to take a good look at how your data is structured and displayed on screen. For example, are you flagging pertinent information that everyone needs to know on a constituents record?

I recommend making it a yearly event to evaluate functionality and features. Changing up your routine every now and then allows CiviCRM to grow with your organization and stay clean.

If these ideas sound interesting but overwhelming, or like they won’t quite fit into your current routine — well, that’s where we come in! Our team is skilled at implementing the features we mentioned here, as well as reviewing your needs and making suggestions for how to prioritize enhancements. So if you’re interested in exploring some of these questions, send an email to your support address or contact us and we’ll be happy to explore them with you.