What this book covers

Chapter 1, Setting Up CiviCRM, covers the important post-installation tasks that will get you going quickly. We look at some of the hard-to-do and hard-to-find settings and explore some of the ways of implementing workflows using Scheduled Reminders and CiviCase.

Chapter 2, Organizing Data Efficiently, covers the role of tags and groups. We also explore importing and exporting data, and some techniques to make these processes trouble-free.

Chapter 3, Using the Power of Profiles, covers how you can exploit the power of CiviCRM profiles to improve usability, speed up data entry, and control listings and directories.

Chapter 4, Controlling Permissions, demystifies permissions and shows you how you can use them in a variety of contexts to control access to viewing and editing data.

Chapter 5, Managing Communications, covers how to get the best out of CiviMail. We explore the mail templating system and a Drupal-based alternative to authoring your mailings. We also cover techniques for managing mailing subscriptions and allowing users to update information easily.

Chapter 6, Searching and Reporting, focuses on the search capabilities of CiviCRM. We look at how you can use searching to find and group data easily. We also explore how you can customize the search result display, and finally we will look at a search technique in Drupal that is not possible within CiviCRM itself.

Chapter 7, Integrating CiviCRM with Drupal, covers integrating CiviCRM with Drupal Views and using the power of the Drupal Webform CiviCRM module to do things CiviCRM can't. Finally, we explore some experimental modules that enable you to create user accounts on the fly and to organize contacts using Drupal taxonomy terms.

Chapter 8, Managing Events Effectively, uses CiviEvents to explore how you can use jQuery to alter the display and behavior of CiviCRM forms. We also look at how you can use Webform CiviCRM to control registration workflow for paid-for events.

Chapter 9, Using Campaigns, Surveys, and Petitions Effectively, covers in detail how to set up campaigns, surveys, and petitions. We also look at how you can use Drupal Views to create a Campaign Dashboard so you can get at-a-glance information about the progress of your campaigns.

Chapter 10, Working with CiviMember, explores CiviMember, a CiviCRM component used for membership management. We look at a popular requirement—displaying a membership directory—and then explore how to link common membership tasks with other CiviCRM components.

Chapter 11, Developing with CiviCRM, looks at the software, skills, and resources you need to start developing CiviCRM in earnest. We also cover developing a simple Drupal module and exploring the CiviCRM API.