Creating Community Through Media
channelAustin
channelAustin’s innovative approach to digital media and the latest in cutting-edge technologies has transformed Austin’s community television facility into a nationally recognized studio that strives to create community through media. channelAustin provides the tools and training for people to become media makers – to express their passion through creative storytelling, in-depth interviews, documenting community events or recording cultural performances. channelAustin serves Austin area residents in Travis, Bastrop, Caldwell, Hays and Williamson counties whose television programs on cable channels 10, 11 and 16 reach an estimated 285,000 Austin households and a global audience through the Internet.
Background
channelAustin was attracted to CiviCRM because of its promise as a tool to:
- manage member contact information
- facilitate online payments via PayPal
- create and manage events (mainly training classes)
- accept donations and other payment types
- integrate with the Drupal-based Community Media modules
- manage certifications that enable members to reserve studios and equipment
Challenges
The challenges primarily arise when the expected or desired use is not solvable with out-of-the-box CiviCRM features and/or the CiviCRM documentation doesn’t address configuration sufficiently to making easy implementation possible. Some areas that have presented problems or required custom coding and configuration included:
- PayPay recurring payments configuration has been difficult to implement
- channelAustin’s tiered membership structure required custom coding
- CiviCRM events limited to one-day events made displaying multi-day events difficult
- Automatically adding users to certifications groups when members complete classes
Functionality
- Membership Management
- Event Registration
- Certification after Completing an Event
Project images (click to enlarge)
This solution was configured and maintained by channelAustin staff with support for A Little Help Hosting.
