About CiviCRM
Overview
CiviCRM is an open source constituent relationship management (CRM) platform designed for nonprofits, NGOs, and advocacy organizations. Released under the GNU Affero General Public License version 3, the web-based software is freely available to download, install, and modify, and more than 14,000 nonprofits use it to run their operations.
Founded in 2005 as a California-based limited liability company, CiviCRM was created as an open alternative to proprietary nonprofit CRMs. The project is community driven, translated into dozens of languages, and shaped by a global community of developers and nonprofit professionals.
Key Benefits
- Centralize constituent communications, donor records, and membership data in one web-based system.
- Integrate with any website, including popular CMSs such as WordPress, Drupal, Joomla, and Backdrop.
- Manage contributions, memberships, events, and cases with dedicated CiviCRM components.
- Keep full ownership of your data and code through GNU AGPL v3 open source licensing.
- Scale from small teams to global networks — CiviCRM sites manage more than 189 million contacts.
- Choose self-hosting or a certified hosting partner to match your technical capacity.
How It Works
Organizations install CiviCRM on their own infrastructure or launch through a hosting partner for a managed setup. Staff then record contacts, build contribution and event forms, segment audiences, and send targeted email campaigns through CiviMail. Because all records live in one CRM, fundraising, membership, and engagement stay connected.
Use Cases
- Fundraising teams automate donation processing and peer-to-peer campaigns.
- Membership coordinators manage renewals, price sets, and automated member communications.
- Event organizers handle complex registrations, pricing, and participant outreach.
- Caseworkers track client interactions with customizable CiviCase workflows.
- Advocacy groups maintain constituent records and run targeted outreach to supporters.
Why Choose This Product
Beyond its open source licensing, CiviCRM reports real-world scale: more than 189 million contacts managed, 116 million donations processed, and 24 million event participants registered across its user base. The project pairs this reach with a large partner ecosystem that helps organizations of all sizes implement and extend the platform.
CiviCRM Pros & Cons
- Free open source CRM released under GNU AGPL v3
- Trusted by more than 14,000 nonprofits worldwide
- Integrates with WordPress, Drupal, Joomla, and Backdrop
- Manages 189M+ contacts and processed 116M+ donations
- Offers self-hosting or certified hosting partners
- Self-hosting is noted as experts only
Key Features
Contact Management
The core component of CiviCRM associates all types of constituent records and data with individual contacts.
Contribution Pages
Create unlimited contribution forms with custom fields, preset amounts, and custom donation prompts.
Event Management
Create complex event registrations with flexible pricing and automated participant communications.
Membership Management
CiviMember supports flexible price sets, membership rules, and automated communications to engage members.
Case Management
CiviCase lets staff plan, customize, track, and manage client or constituent interactions with built workflows.
Bulk Messaging
CiviMail sends rich HTML and text-only email campaigns targeted from CRM data and ships with Spark for Pro subscribers.
Peer-to-Peer Fundraising
Supporters can raise funds, spread the mission, and engage new donors through dedicated peer-to-peer tools.
Detailed Reporting
Reporting tools track performance and analyze data to inform organizational decisions.
CiviCRM Pricing
Pricing extracted from the product website and may change. Check the source for current details.