CiviCRM Community Forums (archive)

We are starting a new school, and are considering CiviCRM for communicating and coordinating our people.

Function 1:  Contact database.  This looks like it's possible, but ideally I want the new contact to fill this out -- before he is a user.

Function 2:  Users can pledge things other than dollars: 
  * Donations in kind.
  * Volunteer Labour, with typical tasks.
  * Specific event participation. 

E.g. As a boarding school, the kids are tough on common room furniture.  We are always looking for used stuffed chairs.  Or a company is upgrading computers, and has a raft of old ones to give us.

A volunteer page where you can put yourself down for things like:
Painting
Grounds maintenance
Outdoor equipment repair
Spring cleanup.
Data entry work.
Trades tasks -- electrician, plumbing, carpentry, roofing, etc.
Cross Country Orienteering -- Field Support
Cross Country Orienteering -- Referee
Outdoor Ed -- Brings up a panel with all the types of oudoor ed we do.
  Outdoor Ed -- Campcraft instructor
  Outdoor Ed -- Canoeing Instructor
  Outdoor Ed -- Hiking Leader
  lots more.
Tutoring brings up a panel to find out what subjects they can work in.
Tutoring -- Language Arts --  Grades _ 7   _8  _9  _10  _11  _12
Tutoring -- Math Grades _ 7   _8  _9  _10  _11  _12
Tutoring -- English as Second Language 
Tutoring -- Remedial Reading.

These would be checkboxes and an 'other' and blank  When a specific need came up, or weekend work event, we can contact appropriate people to come.

For each user we want to track whether he honored his volunteer work.  Did he come when called.

For each user we want to be able to make hidden notes:  "Caution: Dangerous with paintbrush"
or "Risk assessment skills in outdoor setting questionable."

Hidden notes have multiple levels:  There is a level for project/event managers, there is a second layer for school administration.  Think of information as being White, grey and black, with the existence of the darker colours being invisible from roles with only lighter access.

Any note has to have a time stamp, the user who entered it, and a field for the source of the info.
E.g.  Entered in John's black data:

Date: 31 October 2008 
Entered by: SGB
Risk Assessment skills wanting:  On the Mukoman canoe trip on three different occasions, John ignored the brigade leader and shot a rapid without scouting.  On the third occasion this resulted in John's canoe going over a 4 foot falls.  Three packs were held in the hole for over an hour.  No longer acceptable as leadership cadre for canoe trips.

Source:  Dave's Mukoman final trip report & personal conversation with Dave.


My brushes with the demos so far has been that Civi would require extensive customization to do what I want, but it may be that I just haven't played with it long enough.