Nonprofit Open Source Systems. Are They Really Free?

It’s enticing to think about having a free CRM or website, especially for nonprofit organizations that have other places they’d rather spend their donor or grant dollars. If that’s what you’re after, are open source systems the way to go?

Well, maybe! The biggest misconception about open source systems is that they’re free to use. You may have heard someone say that open source is “free like a kitten,” which is closer to the truth. If someone gave you a kitten as a gift, you’d still have to feed it, spend time taking care of it, pay for its medical care, grooming, toys, and so on. With open source systems, you avoid most license or subscription fees, but a well-managed system will still have real costs associated with it.

If you’re considering adopting an open source system, here are some of the time, attention, and financial costs to keep in mind.

You own it. You maintain it.

What isn’t usually considered is the risk of vulnerability. There are regular updates issued that will need to be applied in order to keep your data safe. Your organization will need to keep up with these updates, install them, and fix any bugs caused by them. Missed an update? Admin on vacation? Now your website or CRM data is an open door. As soon as there’s a patch issued, hackers know about the vulnerability. Now they have the keys to your website or CRM. It may not seem like you have valuable data (especially on a standard website), but no matter what you use, you do have login data which leaves your system vulnerable. It’s important to make sure someone is there, regardless of what is happening with programming, fundraising and other organizational functions.

Customization and configuration, pleasant dream or nightmare?

Another benefit of open source is the ability to customize and configure the system to do what you want/need it to do. If you know what you’re doing, you can make it work for you. If you don’t know what you’re doing (or only sort of think you know what you are doing), it can be a nightmare. One reason nonprofits come to us is because they implemented an open source solution which worked great until someone tried to do a customization and it broke, they created data leaks, or holes. At that point there’s no patch that will help you. Someone is going to need to do some heavy lifting (for a fee) to fix the problem.

What is your organization willing to risk and manage?

Before deciding on a free (not free) open source solution, it’s important to think it through carefully. It might look more costly to go with a SaaS solution on paper, when comparing features, database size, amount of logins, and what it can do for your organization. What you won’t see on paper is the cost of behind the scenes work a SaaS solution does automatically. That work isn’t just going to happen with open source software unless you have a great partner to take care of the system for you. This decision is not one to make lightly as your organization will have to live with the consequences for years to come.

A Technology Assessment is worth investing in to make sure you get the system that is manageable, within your budget, and will grow with your organization. We know what’s available for nonprofits. Contact us to help you.