Pax Christi Vlaanderen
Pax Christi Flanders works for a just and safe world for every human being. We live in a world that is changing so fast that it is difficult for people to get a grip on it.
It is also a world in which, unfortunately, there are still many forms of injustice. The thought that there is little you can do about it makes you feel powerless.
From its spiritual roots, humane values and very broad experience, Pax Christi takes on this role. We call on individuals, groups and society as a whole to make a positive difference.
We offer inspiration and take action to work hard in small and large ways to create a world where every human being feels safe. On an environment where real connection makes a difference. Towards a society where justice becomes the norm.
What was the aim of your implementation?
The aim of the implementation was to replace an existing database that was no longer supported by its creator with CiviCRM as well as replace a number of applications, such as Mailchimp, with similar functionality in CiviCRM.
A number of processes needed to start being supported:
- fundraising
- newsletters
- contact management
In addition, data needed cleaning up, partly because there were multiple sources of contact data.
The approach and progress of the project
We started the implementation with a representative group of users/stakeholders. Each month, we spent 1 day together on setting up CiviCRM and, at the same time, getting to know the software.
The biggest challenge was the data migration. The existing system had been in use for quite a long time and the data was contaminated. In addition, there were a number of other sources that contained some of the same data. Cleaning these up took some work before the migration, but after that it mainly involved a lot of cleaning up.
Learning and applying the multitude of functionality with a small team and modest budget, while keeping the business running, was challenging and exciting. We succeeded, sometimes by trial and error. The various systems we used have been replaced by CiviCRM and we are still learning regularly.
What has been CiviCooP's role: before, during and after implementation?
The people at CiviCooP have been our guide through the implementation process. They don't feel like IT people to us, but as committed people who also know a bit about IT. They helped us set priorities, learn how to test data and functionality, help us think about what is feasible within budget and take end-users with us as we took ownership of the system. And although the implementation is complete, we are adding new functionality step by step, with CiviCooP still playing the same role as during implementation.
What role does CiviCRM play now?
CiviCRM is the central system for our fundraising and mass communication. We are now in the process of running registration for our activities through the website and CiviCRM so that we need to do less manual operations for this.