CiviCRM Community Forums (archive)

Hi,

being a newbie I am exploring using Civicrm and Drupal organic groups to be the driver of our site. I have managed to install them both with a couple of errors that I will sort out later but for now I have some questions?

Overview

1. Our site needs to be layered... i.e. the front end needs to have general access and list the services available so basic set up.
2. Specific staff then need to access the full functionality of CiviCRM for mailing distribution, searching and tracking and then other specific staff need to access CiviCRM for a particular group(s) (community) functionality/management
3. Paid users are assigned on membership approval to a particular group (physical community) with the calender, list of local groups (and other things in CiviCRM/OG) that is managed by one of our staff (per community) which is then overseen by one of our staff looking at many groups (communities).
4. Paid users can then request a discussion groups establishment (organic groups) from the 'per community' staff member which can then be monitored and linked if necessary to others
5. Paid users are isolated to their specific group/community

Observations

1. When I set up CiviCRM on the site that already had OG set up it changed all my page submissions into groups which prevented me from having the site entry as a standard page for listing services. This seems to have reduced the whole site now to a CiviCRM style site
2. The benefits of CiviCRM mainly service our staff and the OG service our paid users.... even though functions of both could benefit both

Questions

1. Should I have a main site for the basic service listing, another linked site (same database) for the paid user access, and another linked site (same database) for our staff (like an intranet)?
2. If this is correct then has anyone got some tip.. if not the way forward... has anyone got some tips to guide the way?

thanks heaps

cam

A few comments:

1. Highly unlikely that CiviCRM had anything to do with changing page submissions into groups.

2. You might want to read and understand CiviCRM ACL's

3. You might also be interested in: http://wiki.civicrm.org/confluence/display/CRM/ACL%27s%2C+Organic+Groups+and+Multi-Org

There is module packaged with CiviCRM v1.9 (civicrm_og_sync.module) which does syncing between organic groups, ciivicrm groups and civicrm acls

lobo

So... it seems i have got this set up the way you suggested. I am not, in my infancy, able to see how people from the outside come into the site and register and then get set to a Civigroup which is administered by a civiadministrator of the same name. The instructions given have setting for CiviCRM and not organic groups or Drupal

What I would like to know is how someone comes to the site, registers to be in the local group via an online form, (two options of payment), is approved by regional administrator, then has access to the groups home page?

any tips...
thanks
cam

I've posted rough draft documentation for the OG CiviCRM Synch module here - which might help as you're trying stuff out:
http://wiki.civicrm.org/confluence/display/CRMDOC/Organic+Groups+CiviCRM+Synchronization