Getting up and running with PowerBase involves a number of steps and our product options are designed to give you a set of services that meet your needs. We’ll help you pick the correct hosting package. We can help you convert you data, or you can have PTP do it under your guidance, so you get started quickly on your new database. Depending on your support selections, we will provide up to three initial trainings for your staff.
We’ve designed a support package that allows your organization to join with us to make the best software possible for the social justice movement. PTP encourages community organizing groups to participate at the highest level they can afford, because your investment helps us help the movement as a whole. We actively seek out participation from the organizing community so that we may continuously improve our product services to help organizations achieve their goals. PTP is committed to providing knowledgeable and efficient services to all PowerBase users no matter what Hosting or Technical Support and Training subscriptions they may have. Look over our services product offerings. You should pick
- a Hosting Subscription (This service is where we provide your organization with a PowerBase online database, email sending services and credit card processing. On top of that, we back it up and upgrade the software as needed)
- a Technical Services and Training Subscription (This service is a mixture of training, support help and consulting that helps your organization succeed with PowerBase)
To simplify your evaluation, we’ve summarized the pricing in a table below. If you are interested in more information, complete the form on this page. Our prices cover about one-third of the actual cost of providing this service. We seek other funding to make up the difference between what we charge community organizations and our actual costs.
We may have to change these offerings from time to time. If we do, we’ll do it after your current service period has ended.
Hosting Subscriptions
Our Hosting Subscriptions make it easy to get started with a database and ease your mind as we handle the back ups and the software upgrades. PowerBase is CiviCRM and Drupal open source software that has been modified by Progressive Technology Project (PTP) to support organizing. When CiviCRM developers release a stable upgrade version of CiviCRM, we upgrade your software. When Progressive Technology Project adds features to PowerBase, we also upgrade your software with the new features.
PTP installs PowerBase on PTP-owned and managed computers in specialized facilities in multiple locations around North America. The hosting subscriptions are offered in a virtual machine environment. Our Hosting levels are designed to give large and small organizations responsive service at an appropriate price. The table below breaks out the differences in the hosting subscriptions. For example, if your organization has less than 10,000 contacts in its database, it qualifies for the Basic Level; organizations with larger databases should pick from one of the other levels. The Top Level is a virtual private server with only one PowerBase; on the other levels the virtual server is shared among up to 4 or 12 PowerBases. The Top Level provides the best level of service that we have for an organization on PowerBase.
Hosting Subscription Includes |
Top Level |
Medium Level |
Basic Level |
|
Option |
Option |
Option |
|
| Private MySQL database for each subscriber |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Private MySQL Server Instance |
Yes |
No |
No |
| CiviCRM version upgrades |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| PowerBase feature upgrades |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Daily Backup |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Fixes for CiviCRM bugs (report via PTP Support) |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Ability to make request new features from PTP |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
| Maximum Number of Contacts in the Database * |
200,000 |
30,000 |
10,000 |
| Maximum Sites on Virtual Server (4 GB of RAM) |
1 |
4 |
12 |
| Third-party modules or CiviCRM customizations ** |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
| One Drupal theme that mimics your website, so that petitions, events and contributions can be incorporated into your website’s look. |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Email sending services: including bounce handling, open and click thru rates, CAN-SPAM compliant unsubscribe services, and auto-filing of email correspondent by contact. |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| One online organization-specific staff training, up to 1.5 hours, to help your organization get started in using PowerBase |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Initial setup of users |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Mapping enabled and all your valid addresses geocoded |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Support configuring Authorize.net as a payment processor |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Setup Fee (waived for Partner Level Technical Support and Training Subscriptions. See page 2) |
$375 |
$375 |
$375 |
| Term – Renews annually |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Annual Price |
$2000 |
$1500 |
$1200 |
*Contact PTP for additional options for larger databases
**Generally PTP doesn’t do customizations that don’t go out to all sites, however, individual sites may arrange and pay for customizations of their site and those customizations will be supported via a git repository, which we can further explain if you are interested.
Technical Support and Training Subscription
This service is a mixture of training, support help and consulting designed to help your organization succeed with PowerBase. We have real live experts with organizing and technology experience standing by to answer your questions, plan your database use, and train your staff. The levels are set up to accommodate different budget and use cases.
PTP maintains an active documentation and training regimen and provides a wide variety of other training opportunities. All PowerBase hosting clients have access to PTP training screencasts, our community-organizing-focused community of practice web site which we call the Power On Network, and one initial online training session for the organization’s staff.
| Technical Support and Training Subscription (TS&TS) |
Partner Level |
Basic Level (includes 25 credits for six months) |
Pay-as-you-go |
|
Option |
Option |
Option |
|
| Extra hands: PTP Consulting staff is available for up to 4 hours per month of consulting and configuration services: including workflow analysis, system optimization, planning for strategic use of technology and additional data conversion. |
No Charge |
4 Credits an hour |
$125 per hour |
| PowerBase Leadership Circle: Participate in planning PowerBase’s future direction and new features |
Member |
By Application |
Not Available |
| Initial Set up Fee |
No Charge |
$375 |
$375 |
| Data Conversion Services. PTP will make a fixed bid to convert your data. |
$100 per hour |
$100 per hour |
$125 per hour |
| No Charge Online organization-specific training sessions during first year of hosting. |
3 |
2 |
1 |
| Support questions and training questions answered via email or phone |
No Charge |
2 Credits per half hour |
$60 per half hour or portion thereof |
| Online PB webinars: new topic each month |
No Charge |
1 Credit |
$35 per person |
| New Staff Orientation Online Group Training in Spanish or English |
No Charge |
1 Credit |
$35 per person |
| Open Office Hours Q&A in Spanish or English |
No Charge |
1 Credit |
N/A |
| Online Tech Camp webinars |
No Charge |
1 Credit |
$35 per person |
| Face to Face Training Tuition $300 for 1 person, $450 for two, $600 for 3 or more |
50% discount |
10% discount |
Full Price |
| Training Tutorial screencasts |
No Charge |
No Charge |
No Charge |
| Power On Network access: A private web site with a knowledge base and training materials for community organizers |
No Charge |
No Charge |
No Charge |
| Term |
Annual; Renews annually |
Expires after 6 months; may be renewed. |
N/A |
| Cost |
$2950 |
$500 |
Charges are per incident |
Partner Level
We think the “Technical Support and Training Partner Level “(Option A) is the best value. With this subscription you can be confident that your staff will have the support and training it needs to use PowerBase to build your organization and achieve your goals.
Partner Level gives you full access to folks you can count on, PTP’s PowerBase team, at a predictable budget level that you can plan for. We’re not a “geek squad”; we’re your organizing partners.
Extra Hands
We’ve added some services to our old subscriptions. We’d like to point out the consulting offering, “Extra Hands”. We recognize that there are times that community organizations don’t have needed technical expertise at hand and that this obstructs the work. PTP’s experts are ready to jump in to help you sort out your technical challenges, be they simple campaign or fundraising data issues or complex strategic planning.
PowerBase Leadership Circle
We like to think of the PowerBase Leadership Circle as a mutual commitment to improve the art and practice of getting things done with technology. Our movement will benefit from continually investing in our mutual infrastructure needs and PTP needs you to join us to define your needs, in return, we can help you see what else can be done with the PowerBase platform.
Basic Level Support
For organizations that just can’t commit the funds at the Partner Level, we offer a package of 25 support and training credits that you allow you to purchase our training and support at a 40% -50% discount . These credits expire after six months because we want you to use them. Buying the credit pack means that we won’t have to invoice you each time one of your staff contacts us with a question or wants to attend training session.
Per Incident Charges
You have the option of not selecting a technical support and training subscription and we promise to provide you with the same level of service that we provide subscribers. We’ll have to bill you on a per incident basis, of course. There are some services that we only provide to subscribers, and you can see them in the table.
Pricing Examples
|
Hosting and Technical Support and Training Pricing Examples |
First Year* |
Second Year |
|
| Option 1 – Basic Level Hosting Subscription | |||
| with a TS&TS Partner Level Subscription (Option A) |
$4,150 |
$4,150 |
|
| with 2 six-month TS&TS Basic Level subscriptions (Option B) (for one year of coverage) |
$2,950 |
$2,575 |
|
| with 1 TS&TS Basic Level subscription (Option B) |
$2,450 |
$2,075 |
|
| with pay-as-you-go support (Option C) |
$1,575 |
$1,200 |
|
| Option 2 – Medium Level Hosting Subscription | |||
| with a TS&TS Partner Level Subscription (Option A) |
$4,450 |
$4,450 |
|
| with 2 six-month subscriptions of TS&TS Basic Level subscriptions (Option B) (for one year of coverage) |
$3,250 |
$2,875 |
|
| with a TS&TS Basic Level subscription (Option B) |
$2,750 |
$2,375 |
|
| with pay-as-you-go support (Option C) |
$1,875 |
$1,500 |
|
| Option 3 – Top Level Hosting Subscription | |||
| with a TS&TS Partner Level Subscription (Option A) |
$4,950 |
$4,950 |
|
| with 2 six-month subscriptions of TS&TS Basic Level subscriptions (Option B) (for one year of coverage) |
$3,750 |
$3,375 |
|
| with a TS&TS Basic Level subscription (Option B) |
$3,250 |
$2,875 |
|
| with pay-as-you-go support (Option C) |
$2,375 |
$2,000 |
|
* Setup Fee included on all except TS&TS Partner Level.