Software as a Service (SaaS) relieves the technical overhead to experts so you can focus squarely on your mission and just sign-in and use the system.
Here’s how the CiviCRM SaaS approach stacks up against those 8 key factors I mentioned rated on a basis of very low to very high (1-5).
Control – 2
They key word here is restricted. It’s up to you to decide if this is a bug or a feature dependent on your goals. Many SaaS options vary in what they allow you to do, directly or indirectly. Some will allow you to install a certain set of extensions, others will lock it down completely. Most admin settings will be restricted since the technical side is being managed. You may run into times where you know how to do something but need to pay for it to be done.
The SaaS works off the assumption of commonality and less variance, so the provider can easily manage and scale the SaaS offering. Some SaaS are built to certain assumptions trying to cover common use cases while others are a starting point to be customized by your SaaS partner for a fee. In sum, customization is usually lower here.
Curiosity & Patience – 1
SaaS is similar to CiviCRM Spark in removing the technical overhead on your behalf; the former being more robust based on what you want. You’ll still need to get familiar with CiviCRM and it’s feature set but you just need to put in a little time.
Technical Skills – 2
There are no technical skills needed other than being a bit tech savvy with how a CRM generally works in the browser.
One-Time Budget – 3
This really is hard to put a number on since it varies on the type of SaaS. It’s typical to have some sort of setup fee to be onboarded including training and data migration. If there is not a fee, it’s included in an elevated monthly subscription. This could range from $500 to $5,000 depending on the extent of work desired.
Some providers may restrict what you can customize, install extensions so this may fall back on them to do for a fee. So doing a work sharing approach to reduce costs is rarely relevant here.
Annually Recurring Budget – 5
You’ll pay a premium fee for hosting and maintenance in addition with the benefit of having expert team and support at your disposal. The cost will be noticeably higher than just having CiviCRM managed hosting.
Taken from https://www.civi.plus/pricing, a popular CiviCRM SaaS platform your subscription fee could be:
- 5,000 contacts: $195
- 10,000 contacts: $330
- 50,000 contacts: $710
- 100,000 contacts: $875
Or pay $90 per user.
So, I’ll put a 5 on the CiviCRM SaaS mode.
There is a caveat to affordability. If you’re using a vertical SaaS you could actually go the other direction and achieve greater affordability. How? You’re able to spread out the costs to many similar organizations also using it and develop a solution for all, one time. I’d rank budget needs at a 3 for this route.
Risk Level – 4
The main risk level with a SaaS is that you will inherently have some form of “vendor lock in”. Vendor lock is where it becomes difficult to move to a different vendor or platform because of unique tools specific to your implementation. You should ask what the exit fee and process looks like is if the service is ended.
Speed of Project – 3
The speed of getting going and service will be faster since 1) the solution is pre-built and 2) service is core to the business model.
Ongoing Support – 5
One benefit to SaaS is giving your organization stability in the technical department. No in-house person can go in and break stuff. Or, delete various data. See the control section above. As nonprofits are prone to high turnover, this can turn out to be attractive.
However, this will come with a premium for any support since it is always expert level for many tasks. You also can’t shop around and get a competitive price, since it’s locked down.
By not cultivating in-house knowledge, you have higher costs as a trade-off for this long-term stability.
Current SaaS providers
I took a scan of what look around and here’s some of the main SaaS options you could consider. Some of these offer a rigid fully featured solution and others are bulk hosting that can be customized as you go.
Bulk hosting v SaaS Vertical
Opting for bulk hosting with set restrictions versus developing a SaaS designed for a particular vertical is a key distinction. In it’s truest form, if you are needing to replicate a solution for the same niche, then finding a vertical SaaS for an association is a more compelling argument. Bonus: it can end up driving your costs down due to economies of scale and allows the product to refine the customization of certain features that vertical desires.
Some example of a vertical SaaS would be a for religious institutions, environmental advocacy groups and charities. These all end up being “recipes” leveraging more certain CiviCRM components and extending thru custom development.
Here’s the deal:
CiviCRM in it’s “pure form” allows you a lot of control and full ownership of your system. With a SaaS, these hallmarks aren’t the focus, which is a bit against the grain of why people come look at it in the first place.
Instead, it is about stability, no technical overhead and potentially industry specific features. In this mode, you are renting, not owning and increase your risk on “vendor lock.”
Utilizing a vertical, industry specific, highly tailored SaaS is the most compelling argument and highest form for CiviCRM in SaaS mode.
CiviCRM SaaS is more than CiviCRM managed hosting, and that’s a distinction worth thinking about. For some, it demystifies CiviCRM platform mode which is a complex tool to get going with into a ready to use solution. And if you have the budget to outsource support and avoid developing in-house know-how, you’ll have a stable and well-supported system.