One of the Association for Learning Technology's core values is openness and this value is evident in areas such as our Open Access journal Research in Learning Technology, support of the Open Education SIG and events like the Open Educational Resources Conference. Supporting these areas, we are reminded that open doesn't equal free, and while the consumer may encounter no costs, the producer have invested time and effort. The Association is therefore delighted to announce that it has become a Supporting Member of CiviCRM.

CiviCRM is an open source tool at the heart of how ALT manages contacts, membership and events. ALT started using CiviCRM in 2010, and over the years the Association has made small contributions to this invaluable open source project. These contributions include supporting the development of the occasional patch but also include more substantial effort with our staff team, developing and sharing solutions for integrating CiviCRM with other systems, including Google Apps. Given the value of CiviCRM to our operations, we feel it's only fitting to support the CiviCRM Core Team in the development of this invaluable tool and also to thank the wider community who help develop the leading open source CRM for nonprofits in the world.