At CiviCon, Skvare’s Gena Dellett delivered a session with a playful title and a practical focus: building stronger relationships with your technology partner leads to better projects and better results. Drawing on real-world experience, she explained what nonprofits and associations should ask before choosing an agency, how to spot red flags, and why healthy partnerships are just as important as the software itself.

Key Takeaways from the Talk

• Look for partners who give back. Agencies that are CiviCRM partners actively contribute to the community, strengthening the ecosystem for everyone.
• Ask the right questions. Before working with an agency, ask how long they’ve been involved with CiviCRM, what projects they’ve delivered, and how their business model fits your needs. This helps you avoid being a “guinea pig” project.
• Understand communication and team structure. Agencies should clearly explain how their team works, how support is delivered, and who is accountable for your project. Stable companies create stable relationships.
• Know the “breakup clause.” Contracts should protect organizations if service quality drops. Agencies should also be open about pricing models and flexible in adapting to client needs.
• Treat business models as living systems. Just like software, business models can and should evolve in response to client feedback and changing needs.

Watch the Presentation

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At Skvare, we help organizations get the most out of CiviCRM by focusing not just on technology, but on the relationships that make projects successful. If you’d like to explore how our team can s