Skvare has been dedicated to delivering high-quality web solutions to its clients and making a positive impact in the world since inception in 2008. July 27, 2023 marks the 15th anniversary of Skvare, a digital agency that specializes in helping nonprofits and mission-driven organizations leverage open-source technologies to further their impact.  

The Early Days

Skvare was founded in 2008 by Peter Petrik, a CiviCRM and Drupal enthusiast who saw the potential for using open source software to help nonprofits achieve their goals. Passionate about education at all levels, Petrik was a founding board member of Dallas Afterschool. The nonprofit team struggled to keep track of donors, volunteers, and afterschool programs in a shared spreadsheet that had to be emailed amongst many users. Petrik volunteered to help the organization rebuild their website and migrate the spreadsheet into a database. With Drupal and CiviCRM, the solution became a full-fledged CRM system. 

Other nonprofit organizations expressed interest in a web-based solution, and Petrik began offering Drupal customizations, CiviCRM consulting, and related development services. The goal was to help others help others by doing the most good with open source technology.

Petrik was successful with technology implementations, and the client list grew by word of mouth. With the business niche identified, it was time to brand the enterprise beyond Petrik as an individual. The company name, Skvare, comes from the numerical term "to the square power" and the reference that "squares" are generally people who do not fit in. In many ways, that reflected Petrik's personality, but also that the open-source approach didn’t fit as the traditionally accepted solution for most nonprofits. A unique approach that makes extraordinary solutions. The play on words with Square as the foundational block became Skvare - the SK country code paying homage to Petrik’s country of birth, Slovakia.

As Skvare began serving more clients, the team grew. Petrik started building a team of talented developers, DevOps engineers, and project managers who shared his passion for using open source technology to create positive change. Together, they worked to build a culture of innovation, collaboration, and continuous learning.

The Rise of Open Source

Skvare's success over the past 15 years can be attributed in part to its commitment to open source software that is freely available for anyone to use, modify, and distribute. By using open source software, Skvare delivers high-quality and fully customizable solutions to its clients. Skvare has worked with organizations of all sizes and budgets, from small grassroots nonprofits to large international organizations. This experience makes Skvare a go-to agency for organizations requiring complex websites and web applications.

Growing the Team and Expanding the Services

As Skvare's reputation grew, so did its team and service offerings. Skvare now has a team of 17 professionals, including developers, designers, business analysts, DvOps engineers, project managers, and digital strategists. The agency also has expanded its services to include strategy consultation, website development, IT system development, system hosting, and site maintenance. While the company’s core offering is still Drupal and CiviCRM, Skvare has expanded its software capabilities to deliver solutions in WordPress, Limesurvey, Salesforce, and BackDrop for nonprofits, membership associations, and educational organizations. Learn more about Skvare’s impact.

Looking Ahead

Skvare will continue to champion the spirit of innovation and is committed to staying at the forefront of technological progress so our clients can leverage advancements in support of their missions. 

Key areas Skvare will focus on in the years ahead include leveraging the power of artificial intelligence and automated testing to better equip our clients with data-driven insights and intelligent automation. At the same time, Skvare will continue to recommend a pencil when a pencil is the best tool. This balance ensures that technology budgets and staff time are spent on implementing and maintaining solutions that will be most impactful.  

At a time when maintaining stability has a more poignant value, Skvare celebrates all the hard work, dedication, problem-solving, and creativity of all team members, past and present, that have built a 15-year track record of stable and reliable services. By remaining committed to learning, experimentation, collaboration, and adaptability, Skvare looks forward to helping others help others in the years ahead.