It’s been eleven years since I took a leap of faith and joined Donald Lobo on a journey to build a powerful set of integrated, free and open source tools for non-profits. I’ve had a career path full of pretty unusual twists and turns - ranging from turret lathe operator, and chef in a vegetarian cafe collective, to co-founder of a banking software company and social worker in a community mental health clinic (and I’ve left out a few other gigs). But without a doubt the past eleven years has been the most challenging and rewarding of all.
Growing up I had a with a passion for “erector sets” and math puzzles. Yet coming of age in the turbulent sixties in a socially conscious family engendered a commitment to make the world a better place. Working on CiviCRM has been a wonderful opportunity to combine those drives.
We started at the proverbial kitchen counter with a few simple ideas for improving the technology used by the sector …
- Eliminate data silos
- Promote shared innovation and investment through open source licensing
- Ensure organizations can have full control of their data
And from the beginning we were never alone. Initially the idea of working completely “In the open” seemed a bit crazy and scary. Specifications, processes and bugs were all “exposed” for public view. But we were blown away by the generosity with which people shared their expertise, filling in the gaping holes in our knowledge about geo-coding, internationalization strategies, CMS integration, and most importantly the real world use cases across the wide spectrum of the “civic sector”.
Moving into the next decade of the project, I feel very proud of what we as a community have accomplished. Glancing at my Tweetdeck feed of posts which carry the signature “CiviCRM signature URL”, I am continually astonished at the range of organizations and truly meaningful initiatives “empowered by CiviCRM.” Seeing new professional developers AND accidental techies step up and contribute bug fixes, improvements and new features on Github is super exciting, knowing it would have been easier to just fix it or build it for their own organization or client. The recent explosion of innovation on the extensions directory shines a light once again on the power of the open source model.
We’ve come a long way from that kitchen counter - and there are new challenges facing us. The sustainability gap needs to be solved. We need to make it easier for organizations to get started with the software. We have a legacy debt in the codebase. And ultimately the goal of becoming the default CRM worldwide for non-profits and NGOs. Fortunately we have a smart and passionate community of partners, members, developers and our core team ready to face these challenges.
For myself, it’s time to step back and allow folks with fresh perspectives to provide leadership. We are fortunate to have a talented and passionate posse of active contributors, and our core has an impressive depth and diversity of skills and strengths. Although they will continue to work in a relatively non-hierarchical style, we’ve defined core team roles explicitly to facilitate interactions with the rest of the community. Tim Otten and Coleman Watts will lead our product and technical development initiatives, and Kurund Jalmi will continue to direct Team India. Michael McAndrew will continue managing our efforts to deepen and strengthen community engagement, and Josh Gowans will move into a Project Manager position (“the buck stops there”). During the transition (and beyond) I will act as an advisor and sounding board (along with Lobo) - but I’ve asked the team to push back on anything that smacks of “we’ve always done it this way.”
Change and renewal is vital to the health of any living organism - and I’m excited about the future of CiviCRM. Together we have created a community that I believe is uniquely warm, welcoming and inclusive. If we can continue to create pathways for individuals and organizations to participate, innovate together and give back - as members, partners, developers, documentors, testers and evangelizers - we can accomplish anything!
Comments
When Dave sent this to the CiviCRM Partner's List for feedback and questions before publishing it publicly, the response was thick and uniformly appreciative and positive. About a dozen responses came in, and by the end people were struggling to come up with new ways of putting our appreciation for Dave's vision, leadership, tireless work, warmth and humanity, and personal kindness. Although the message wasn't from Lobo, many posters took the opportunity to express similar appreciation and thanks to him. The pleasure and inspiration of working with the 'first generation' of the core team was undoubtably why there is such strong, welcoming, inclusive and lovely CiviCRM community today.
I feel like I'm speaking for the new generation of the core team as well CiviCRM partners and members when I indicate that we're all committed to keeping that ethos front and center in our work over the next 11 years and beyond.
Thanks so much! And best wishes for your future plans.
Dave,
Thanks for all you've done and all the work over the years.
But, most of all- thanks for this "I’ve asked the team to push back on anything that smacks of “we’ve always done it this way.”"
My karma on the boards is negative- for suggesting that we learn from the WordPress model for installs, updates, extensions-
and- for a constant push for clarity in taxonomy- the word "campaign" is used too many different ways- causing way too much confusion.
CiviCRM's biggest challenges are adapting to the responsive/mobile push- and making the update process idiot proof and simple IMHO.
May the next 11 years bring quick solutions...
Dave, what a tribute this community is to your years of commitment to helping "for purpose" organisations.
The great team you have built is also a tribute to your collaborative management style.
I hope you can now enjoy your role as an advisor and Statesman without the day to day project management responsibilities!
Best wishes
Andrew
Dave,
CiviCRM has become a large and inspiring part of my life, and I have Lobo and you to thank for this. It has been a pleasure meeting you a number of times. Have one on me!
Erik
Incredible work Dave.
Keep fighting the good fight!
Paul Mosey
As a relative newcomer to the CiviCRM Community I can say that Dave and Lobo made me feel welcome and appreciated. That alone was immensely important. The work that the CiviCRM team has done is amazing and we have you two to thank.
Enjoy the renewal.
Kevin
Dave, Thank you for the years of contributing to CiviCRM but most of all, thank you for that initial leap of faith to even consider that a project like CiviCRM is possible! And now, 11 years later, we are looking at over 10,000 active sites using CiviCRM and CiviCRM being THE CRM for non-profits. All this would not have happened without that first step you and Lobo took. This is how the world is changed, folks! By people who are willing to take the risk to follow the vision... Thank you from me and on behalf of the thousands of the non-profit organizations, who have affordable, scallable, and flexible CRM system to better serve their communities.
It may go without saying, but I'll say it anyway... CiviCRM wouldn't even begin to exist without Dave and Lobo's years of active dedication to this project. Dave's warm smile and wisdom will be missed. I hope that your new "advisory and soundboard" capacity still means that we will meet again over the buffet at the next CiviCon. It's been a pleasure.
Thank you for all you've given of yourself into this project. You've done a world of good -- and that is not the end of it. For your (and all of our) sakes, I hope the project continues to deepen and flourish.
Massive thanks for all you've done for our community.