CivicActions Team Blog

Installing Drupal 8 on Ubuntu 13.04 with Nginx

David Numan — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 13:10:48 +0000

Does Drupal 8 love the latest Ubuntu, Raring Ringtail? Let's find out. You'll need an install of Ubuntu 13.04 and if you already have a previous version, try LXC for a quick set up. If you're not on Ubuntu, this should work just as well with other Virtualization methods such as VirtualBox. Or take the plunge and install Ubuntu 13.04 as your main OS. Raring Ringtail is set to be released this Thursday (April 25). Totally ready now to try out Nginx and Drupal.

Time Travel with Linux and Drupal

David Numan — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 01:26:24 +0000

Recently, I started working on a Drupal 6 project and needed it set up on my dev environment, which is currently Ubuntu 12.10. No problem: grab the code from our svn server, a copy of the database, set up a local vhost and... see all the errors on a very broken Drupal. Hrmm. Works fine on the server but not my computer. This D6 plus CiviCRM site needed an older version of PHP. I could downgrade my PHP but that would mess up the other projects I’m working on. So, I came to the obvious conclusion for these sorts of technical challenges: I need a time machine. Simply travel back in time to where the entire stack on my dev site is compatible with the project, make the changes, then return to today and sort out the resulting confusion in the billing department. (“You did this 9 months ago and are billing for it now?”)

Mindful Engagement at Work and in Life

Aaron Pava — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 23:29:45 +0000

Aaron Pava's presentation at the 2013 Nonprofit Technology Conference.

Is it possible for us to stay truly connected to ourselves and live in the moment when we are constantly plugged in?

This 90 minute interactive session explored how to make our technological experience healthier and more productive through various approaches, tools and techniques.

Dividing By Zero

Ian Rhett — Sat, 13 Apr 2013 14:56:50 +0000

Getting Ready for NTC: Lean Strategic Planning for Agile Organizations

Sadie Honey — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 22:40:08 +0000

Next week at the NTC 2013 in Minneapolis. I’ll be moderating a panel called Lean Strategic Planning for Agile Organizations. I'll be speaking with people who are using principles of The Lean Start-up to manage their organizations. Joining me on the panel will be

Chase Adam - Founder at Watsi

Leanne Pittsford - CEO at Start Somewhere

Agile for Everything - We're Not The Only Ones

Sadie Honey — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 21:47:01 +0000

At CivicActions we've seen the power of Scrum and other Agile practices in our client facing teams. We decided a while ago that we wanted some of that for the rest of our organization. We want to be focused on the right priorities at the right time and to be sprinting as a system.

Relevance + Networking + Speed = Impact

Ian Rhett — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 05:48:51 +0000

I'm incredibly inspired by the worlds of Vikki Sprull in her remarks to the Council on Foundations in San Jose this week. She points out that being agile in the face of rapid change is the future of philanthropy, and we couldn't agree more. I especially love her re-framing of the Council of Foundations as a hub in a network, rather than as a terminus. This is the right kind of thinking for the networked age in which we find ourselves living.

Using Javascript and “i18n” for Multi-language / Multi-country Drupal Websites

Alex Scott — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 16:02:29 +0000

Internationalization, or “i18n” for short (because there are 18 characters between the “i” and the “n” in that lengthy word), is the process of designing a web application so that it can be adapted to various languages and world regions. CivicActions has had an opportunity to work on some localization projects using Drupal and i18n in recent years. We've learned a lot and want to share some of our tips about using Javascript for string translation.

Welcome, Holly!

Ian Rhett — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 06:26:24 +0000

CivicActions is incredibly excited about the announcement that Holly Ross will be joining the Drupal Association as Executive Director and what it means for the Drupal community. Her background in growing the Nonprofit Technology Entrepreneurs Network and its annual NTC conference is probably the most perfectly suited for nurturing and growing the Drupal community since Jacob Redding (Three cheers for Jacob! Hiphip! HipHip! HipHip! w00t!).

Rethinking Strategies for Social Change

Ian Rhett — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 02:03:43 +0000