problems problems and problems, that is the only thing I got with this horrible component... installed it & I couldn't login at all on my own admin section...
during install I got a ERROR and since then my entire site is doomed...

advice: DONT USE IT!
better find a stand alone CRM system & use a wrapper, this *ucks!

Well, I CAN say that after this component was installed and setup that it is exactly what we needed...

However, I received a back street, NC-17 rated beat-down trying to do this myself and eventually had to drag my pummeled, bloody body to TWO different developers and payed them to get it correctly installed and setup.

The good news is its a great component once its up and running! And hopefully they will make this an "actual" Joomla supported component in the future... but for now, beware, this bad boy can do some damage to the unsuspecting!

Although it didn't install without a few tweaks to the system*, instructions for doing so were easily located on the authors' forum, and once done, installation was simple and straightforward. This is a very complex system that takes some time to learn, but the capabilities are astonishing. Three cheers for open source!

**add a few lines (documented on the forum) to the Joomla configuration.php file and use "install from directory" rather than "upload and install."

If you're a non-profit looking for a way to manage and communicate with members, stop looking. The answer is here. CiviCRM is EXACTLY what you need, and more.

CiviMail is the killer app. Blows everything else away (once you get it installed). CiviMember and CiviDonate are also amazing. The whole package rocks.

As the integration with joomla becomes even greater in CiviCRM 1.8 and beyond, the two are becoming a perfect couple for any non-profit. But don't wait, get them today!

I'm not going to bag this product as I can see there are a lot of happy people and also the potential (from the demo site).

Minor hurdle with install but I'm tech savvy (but Joomla newb) and forums were a great source of help. After that my problems began - spent a day going round in circles trying to work out so called profiles etc.

Crikey!!! All I want is a search & list on the front-end for goodness sake. With links to email perhaps.

The main area I see as a weaknesses is in the documentation. Sure I could get help but I'm developing this as an intra-net and access to external people is damn difficult in a 'locked down' managed environment.

For the time being I'll use the basic contacts and come back to this "maybe" when it matures more.

After three days of fighting with CiviCRM I finally gave up. I got a few successes only to get error messages about files not existing when I tried to use it after manual installs.

I don't care how good the code is, if you can't install it it's next to useless.

I agree with the comment that it needs to be set up as a separate application with a bridge like SMF and other large apps. There's simply too much here for the Joomla installer to handle reliably and I have yet to find a manual install that actually works.

Oh, and don't tell me to find another, more expensive, host. That's not a good enough answer to this kind of issue.

On a nice sunday (25 feb 2007) i tried CiviCRM for Joomla (version 1.6.8517). I was very enthousiastic that installation with the normal Joomla/administrator/installer as an component was no problem at all! (everything works).

If you want more languages you also have to copy the files in the package "civicrm-1.6.8517-l10n.tar" . I have a lot of experience with SugarCRM, PHProjects and vTiger. CiviCRM has not so much functionality as the other applications. But the advantage is that the application works within Joomla. So if you have too built an application where you don't need dashboards with prospects and that kind of stuff, then you have too look to the CiviCRM. I think that this application is also suitable for other branches then the non profit branch.

So i give this application an "Excellent!" rating because it is really good.

Greeting
Evert Jan Hooijer
General manager dop.nu

CiviCRM is an incredibly powerful and flexible component for managing contact and contribution information for nonprofits. It is huge so you can't usually install it with the component installer (use the install from directory instead).

It seems to work best with mysql 5 and if your host supports the specific aspects of mysql (4 or 5) that it uses. However, I have hosts that don't have 5 or that don't support Innodb, and I was able to modify the installation and it works beautifully.

The best part of this component is the frequency of new releases. The team has a tight schedule and clear road map, and they meet it. They are incredibly responsive to suggestions as well as bug reports. Joining the listserv is a must if you are going to be using the component as is a regular review of the wiki. This is a real open source project where, if we have a problem with the documentation we can fix it.

I've been waiting to use this component since I first ran across it in late 2005.

I tried holding out until ACL's were fully integrated, but an organization redesign came up and I decided to go ahead with the install rather than wait for the ACL functionality with Joomla 1.5.

Even without the the ACL's, I am just thrilled with the funcationality so far. The site I am using it for is for a small member nonprofit organization. Just being able to maintain the membership details online, readily accessible, is a huge bonus.

The profiles provide a very flexible way to display contact information on the front end.

It does take a little more effort to install than standard Joomla components, but I had no problems following the details, step-by-step instructions provided to install from directory.

CiviCRM is a huge contribution to the Web 2.0 tools for all kinds of non-profits from micro to mega organizations. The developer team and user community are very responsive and helpful, from technical support getting CiviCRM working to business process and high level design and customization advice. I've been using CiviCRM on Drupal for over a year - in which time CiviCRM has gone through 4 or 5 major releases and Drupal went through 3. I have just started trying the Joomla version, and it rocks too!

CiviCRM has acquired a reputation in some quarters for being tricky to install and to run on the slow side. This is all relative: the code can reliably handle millions of records - and the CiviMail component can handle bulk mailings on that scale too. Of course this high end use requires a high end server, but for organizations with up to thousands of contacts records who want a constituent relationship management system that can also provide membership, contribution and mailing and a forthcoming events management module, performance is more than adequate on a reasonably well resourced shared hosting environment. As for installation, the wiki documentation has improved considerably, the support on the mailing list is great, and installation is straightforward if you follow the instructions. If your web host just doesn't support it, urge them to or find another host - it's worth it!

It's true, CiviCRM takes some commitment to understand its power and features. But for what it can do to empower non-profits with true Web 2.0 sites, in my opinion it has no rival. Moreover, the project is under very active development, so refinements and improvements and support for new versions of the underlying CMS come in a reliable stream.

In addition to the available demos at demo.civicrm.org, there are specialist web hosting services such as www.opensocialsites.com that are designed to support CiviCRM and will even install it for you if you are a serious non-profit organization.

Wow, I mean wow, what a disappointment. Based on the top billing and glowing reviews I truly expected a lot more; like a program that actually installed.

21 megs isn't a component, it's a stand alone program. And that's how this should have been packaged. Just like SMF and phpBB, this should have been packaged as a stand alone installation with a BRIDGE. I spent HOURS trying to get this thing to install following every thread I could read with no real results. And because the password on the demo site is not the one listed, I STILL have no idea what it even looks like.

To have a developer suggest that you "consult a professional to install" it (actually in one of the threads!) is counter intuitive - the largest demogrpahic of Joomla is people without extensive programming, PHOP and MySQL knowledge. Furthermore the target audience, non profits, are trying to do everything they can to AVOID such an extra expense. Many aspects, especially front end access, feel like 'hacks' instead of councious efforts to work in the Joomla framework.

I *am* a consultant and I've never had to give up on an install until CiviCRM. I hope they'll separate the app from the bridge and give each the attention they deserve because it seems like if you are lucky enough to get it to work, it's got an excellent feature set.

I'm moving onto trying others and keep hoping they'l work these things out. You shouldn't have to hack your config files and php.ini to get a real Joomla component to work.

This is more than a simple component. You could effectively view it as a CRM that leverages off the back of Joomla. Whilst not for the fainthearted it is extremely powerful and the development team are very active. Support is very good with forum, email and IRC channels. New features and enhancements are being developed all the time with a strong emphasis put on community feedback.

Integration with Joomla is in its early stages but it there are hooks available for Community Builder and LDAP.

If you need to maintain a membership database for a real world organisation where not all you contacts are registered users of your website the CiviMember module is excellent.

I'm beside myself with relief that a component like this has been written. I do volunteer web management for an incredibly cash-strapped, yet effective, international solidarity organization that runs domestic and international campaigns in the US. This software allows us to manage contacts between organizers across the country, track donors, and solve myriad problems that otherwise would continue because there's no way we could buy CRM software. Maintenance and installation have been incredible hassles, but they're worth it. Data import and customization are easy and well-designed. Thanks to all who have contributed to this project!

Its not easy, but installation is possbile with a little bit of work. I thought i could use it as a universal CRM and modify it into my community needs... but it seems to be rather specific in its target audience. All of the internal workflows and procedures are well thought out and work, but they do not seem to be all that adaptable to other groups.

If you are running a civic organization that needs to keep track of a lot of people with their demographics and you want to do fundraising... this may be for you

.. especially if your site isn't English. The "component" (which seems more like separate program) doesn't provide any usable setup (the installation routine fails by default, not the last because of the incredibly bloated size of the package), the translations are fractional and don't display foreign characters correctly, and an integration (Style sheets etc.) in Joomla is almost not existing (as is the documentation or a basic profile setup routine, a template or whatever -> nothing, nope, nada). To be honest, I wonder who this component received 3 of 5 stars from - and what for.