Member logins and back-end access
Allowing members or other constituents to log into your CRM site can be very useful. But don't give them back-end access to the CRM.
Now and then I come across a site, usually built by someone new to CiviCRM, that gives logged-in members access to the CiviCRM staff area.
If I think hard enough, I can see why this approach might be appealing.
After all, one of the best reason to have your constituents log in at all is so they can view their own history of participation, and update their own contact information.
But while you certainly can do that with back-end access, there are some significant drawbacks:
The back-end interface is not designed for the untrained user. For them it is usually both overwhelming and confusing.
CiviCRM’s permissions are not fine-grained enough to limit access appropriately for non-staff users. They’ll usually have far more access than you want them to have.
So what to do instead?
I usually handle it like this:
Create profiles for viewing and editing the user's contact info. (SearchKit and FormBuilder are also increasingly useful options here.)
Make use of CiviCRM's excellent contact dashboard (available on your site at https://yoursite.org/civicrm/user) to give users an overview of their history with you. (Bonus tip: the Contact Dashboard Tabs extension turns this into a tabbed interface and allows you to embed additional profiles, re-label and reorder the tabs, and more.)
Provide a navigation menu that makes it easy for users to find these streamlined features.
Most important: Remember to look at this from the viewpoint of your users. Login as a member, think about what they want to see and do, and ensure it all makes sense to the untrained eye.
Here's the thing:
Most organizations don't bother giving their constituents a login. You certainly don't have to.
But I have several clients whose members value what they get by logging in (including access to members-only features and content).
It might be a great idea for you. But limit your back-end access to train staff.
By taking just a few extra steps, you can give your logged-in constituents a wonderful user experience that’s much better for them than the back-end features.
All the best,
A.