Why we’re backing CiviCRM
As a workers’ co-op, we spend a lot of time thinking about the tools we use — not just whether they work, but whether they fit. Do they align with how we think about ownership, collaboration, and building things that last? That’s a big part of why we’ve been working with CiviCRM.
So what actually is CiviCRM?
If you haven’t come across it before, CiviCRM is an open source CRM (customer relationship management) system built specifically for nonprofits, charities, campaigning organisations, and membership bodies. It handles the stuff these organisations deal with every day: managing contacts, tracking donations, running events, sending mailings, and handling memberships.
It’s not new — it’s been around since 2005 — and it’s used by thousands of organisations worldwide, from small community groups to large international NGOs. It plugs into WordPress (which is how we typically use it), as well as Drupal, Backdrop, and Joomla.
And crucially, it’s free. Not “free tier with upsells” free — genuinely free, open source software that you can download, install, and use without paying a licence fee.
Open source and co-ops: a natural fit
There’s a reason CiviCRM appeals to us as a co-operative. The values behind open source software — transparency, shared ownership, community-driven development — map closely onto co-operative principles. Nobody owns CiviCRM in the way that Salesforce or HubSpot is owned. It’s maintained by a global community of developers, agencies, and the organisations that use it day to day.
That matters. When your CRM is open source, you’re not locked into a vendor’s pricing model. You’re not at the mercy of a product roadmap decided in a boardroom somewhere. If something doesn’t work the way you need it to, you (or someone in the community) can change it. That kind of agency feels right to us.
It also means the organisations using CiviCRM aren’t having their data monetised or their workflows shaped by someone else’s commercial priorities. For nonprofits and charities who are rightly cautious about data and ethics, that’s a real plus.
What we’ve been doing with it
We’ve been building and configuring CiviCRM for nonprofit clients, pairing it with WordPress to give organisations a CRM that’s tightly integrated with their website. That means things like online donation pages, event registration, membership sign-ups, and mailing lists can all live in one place — no juggling between five different SaaS platforms.
Every project is different, but the common thread is helping organisations get a proper handle on their contacts and communications without blowing their budget on software licensing.
Being honest: it’s not all plain sailing
We’d be doing you a disservice if we pretended CiviCRM was perfect. It has a learning curve. The admin interface can feel overwhelming at first, and some of the configuration options take a bit of getting used to. If you’re coming from something slick and consumer-friendly like Mailchimp, the first impression can be a bit “where do I even start?”
But that’s where having someone to set it up properly makes a big difference. Once it’s configured for your specific needs — with the bits you don’t need tucked away — it becomes a genuinely powerful tool. And because it’s so flexible, it can grow and adapt as your organisation does.
The community is also worth mentioning. There’s an active ecosystem of developers and users, regular meetups, and good documentation. When you hit a wall, there’s usually someone who’s been there before.
Could CiviCRM be right for your organisation?
It’s worth a look if you’re a nonprofit, charity, or community organisation that:
- needs to manage contacts, memberships, donations, or events
- is already using WordPress for your website
- wants to stop paying per-seat licence fees for a CRM
- cares about data ownership and open source values
- is fed up with stitching together a patchwork of different tools
It’s probably not the right fit if you need a sales-focused CRM (think pipelines and lead scoring) or if you don’t have someone technical to help with setup and maintenance.
Let’s have a chat
If you’re curious about whether CiviCRM could work for your organisation, we’d love to talk it through. We can help you figure out whether it’s the right fit, and if it is, get it set up properly so it actually makes your life easier rather than adding to the to-do list.
Creative Coop is a workers’ co-operative building websites and digital tools for organisations that are trying to make the world a bit better. We specialise in WordPress, open source, and working with nonprofits and social enterprises.