The number of low-cost or free apps and online tools available to nonprofits today is astounding. Provided you set aside the time to explore and experiment, your nonprofit can use the apps and tools listed below to significantly improve your web and email communications and your social media campaigns.
Social Media
1. Buffer :: buffer.com
Buffer enables social media managers to schedule posts on social networks throughout the day and evening. The analytics tools will also evaluate your posts to deduce the best possible times to share your content.
2. Chatfuel :: chatfuel.com
Chatfuel is platform that enables users to create Facebook Messenger chatbots without any coding experience.
3. IFTTT :: ifttt.com
IFTTT is a free applet creation service based ont he the premise of if this happens, then do this. You can user applets created by others or create your own for sites such as Gmail, Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest.
4. NameCheckr :: namecheckr.com
NameCheckr easily allows social media manager to search nearly 50 of the most popular social media sites to see whether their first choice of usernames are still available.
5. Periscope :: periscope.tv
Periscope is a mobile app connected to Twitter that enables nonprofits to easily broadcast live from special events or while on location.
6. RiteTag :: ritetag.com
RiteTag allows you to track in real-time the performance of your campaign hashtags. Their dashboard shows you how many people are using your hashtag on Twitter and Instagram and enables you to track trending hashtags.
7. Snaptag Editor :: snaptageditor.com
Snaptag Editor is a super easy tool for creating a Snapchat Snapcode with a custom background color and logo.
8. Social Warfare :: warfareplugins.com
Social Warfare is a WordPress plugin that adds visually compelling social share buttons to your website or blog. The buttons are fully customizable and provides social share counts and analytics.
9. Squared :: squared.one
Squared is a service that enables Instagrammers to print their favorite Instagram photos or convert them into magnets and posters. Ideal for staff and volunteer appreciation.
Graphic Design & Photography
1. Canva :: canva.com
Canva’s drag-and-drop features and professional layouts enable users to easily design stunning graphics and documents.
2. Creative Market :: creativemarket.com
Create Market is an online marketplace of graphics design assets. Nonprofits can purchase customizable graphics from fonts to website themes to infographics.
3. Creatives Without Borders :: creativeswithoutborders.org
Creatives Without Borders connects nonprofits in need of graphic and web design skills with creatives that are willing to do the work pro bono for a good cause and increased exposure.
4. iStock :: istock.com
iStock by Getty Images has high quality, royalty-free visual content for a low cost. Dreamstime and Shutterstock are also recommended.
5. Giphy GIF Maker :: giphy.com/gifmaker
Giphy GIF Maker enables users to easily create animated video GIFs and GIF slideshows with captions.
6. Pablo :: buffer.com/pablo
Pablo by Buffer enables social media managers to easily create inspirational quote and powerful stat images perfectly sized for social media.
7. Piktochart :: piktochart.com
Piktochart is an easy-to-use, drag-and-drop infographic design tool that allows hi-res image and PDF exports.
8. Relay :: relaythat.com
Relay is a web-based graphic design tool for beginners that enables one-click redesign for multiple image sizes as well as scheduling to social media and analytics.
9. Snappa :: snappa.com
Snappa is a simple-to-use graphic design tool with a built-in stock photo, illustration, and icons library. You can also use the service to convert graphics into multiple sizes with one click.
10. Vecteezy :: vecteezy.com
Vecteezy offers an excellent selection of free and low-cost vector art that can be used for multiple kinds of online content (event invitations, social media posts, blog graphics, etc.
Photo Editing
1. Adobe Creative Cloud :: adobe.com/creativecloud
For advanced for photo editing, the Adobe Creative Cloud Photography plan provides users access to numerous Adobe photo editing tools, such as Lightroom CC and Photoshop CC.
2. Layout :: GooglePlay/iTunes
Layout from Instagram is a mobile app that lets you combine multiple photos into a single image that can be saved to your camera roll and shared on Instagram and other social networks.
3. PicMonkey :: picmonkey.com
PicMonkey is an easy-to-use photo editing platform that enables nonprofits to embed text upon photos, apply watermarks, and create photo collages through a simple drag-and-drop process.
Video Editing
1. Lumen5 :: lumen5.com
Lumen5 converts articles and blog posts into video content – ideal for social media.
2. PowToon :: powtoon.com
PowToon enables user to create video animations for video storytelling and presentations.
3. Splice :: iTunes
Splice makes it easy to create fully customized videos on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. Users can tap to trim clips, adjust transitions, add slow motion effects, and embed text
4. VivaVideo Pro :: Google Play
VivaVideo Pro is a powerful video editor that enables easy trimming and merging of video clips and photos into video stories that can be accentuated with music, stickers, filters, and subtitles.
5. WeVideo :: wevideo.com
WeVideo is an easy-to-use, cloud-based video editing platform with an advanced suite of creative tools such as animation, color keying, voice over, and clip transformation.
Web & Email Content
1. BrainyQuote :: brainyquote.com
BrainyQuote is a directory of inspirational quotes which can be useful for web, email, and social media content.
2. Bureau for Good :: bureauforgood.com
Bureau for Good is a design agency that offers inexpensive templates for nonprofit websites and annual reports.
3. Copify :: copify.com
Copify is portal to copywriters for hire. For $.06 a word, your nonprofit can hire professional writers for your website, blog content, and reports.
4. Emojipedia :: emojipedia.org
Using emoji on social media can increase engagement and when used in email subject lines, it can increase open rates. Get Emoji enables you to easy copy and paste emoji.
5. Eventbrite :: eventbrite.com
Eventbrite enables users to create professional event ticketing and registration pages. Ideal for fundraising events.
6. Google Analytics :: analytics.google.com
Google Analytics is a freemium web analytics service offered by Google that tracks and reports website traffic.
7. Grammarly :: grammarly.com
Grammarly allows users to upload documents to scan for common and complex grammatical mistakes, spanning everything from subject-verb agreement to article use to modifier placement.
8. HTML Editor :: html.am
Once you know the basics of HTML, you can either write the code from scratch or use a HTML editor to easily generate HTML for tables, images, and formatted text.
9. HTML Tutorial :: w3schools.com
Knowing basic HTML is a must-have skill for online marketers. Tools like WordPress (website and blog content) and MailChimp (email marketing) are much easier to work with if users understand the premise of HTML and can make simple edits to WordPress or MailChimp generated HTML code.
10. Iconfinder :: iconfinder.com
Iconfinder is an online database of almost one million icons and many of the social media icons sets are available to download for free.
11. Internet Archive Wayback Machine :: archive.org/web
The Internet Archive Wayback Machine is an online library of almost 500 billion screenshots of websites since 1996. Nonprofits can use it to study past versions of their website and to monitor their progress in web design over time.
12. Issuu :: issuu.com
Issuu is an online platform for publishing online magazine and reports.
13. Mapme :: mapme.com
Mapme is a web-based platform for creating, sharing, and embedding online maps. Nonprofits can use the service to visualize organizational and campaign data geographically.
14. OptInMonster :: optinmonster.com
OptInMonster is a service that allows users to create floating bar and pop-up email opt-in forms for their website. The service provides analytics, A/B testing, and mobile compatibility.
15. SlideShare :: slideshare.net
SlideShare is the largest PowerPoint sharing site in the world. It’s a great online home for decks from speaking engagements, about your organization, or even call-to-action PowerPoint presentations.
16. SnapWidget :: snapwidget.com
SnapWidget allows you to display your Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram photos in collage format on your website or blog.
17. Squarespace :: squarespace.com
Wix is a do-it-yourself, low-cost website builder. Ideal for small nonprofits with limited funds for digital marketing.
18. SurveyGizmo :: surveygizmo.com
SurveyGizmo is an online survey service. For multi-lingual surveys, it is a better service than SurveyMonkey.
19. ViralSweep :: viralsweep.com
ViralSweep is an sweepstakes and contest platforms that easily allows you to launch and management online contests in order to build your email list and collect user generated content.
20. WiseStamp :: wisestamp.com
WiseStamp allows you to create HTML-based email signatures for your nonprofit. However, if you decide to use this service, pay for it because the free service requires WiseStamp branding. Also, don’t go overboard! Keep your email signatures modern and simple.
21. Wix :: wix.com
Wix is a do-it-yourself, low-cost website builder. Ideal for small nonprofits with limited funds for digital marketing.
22. wpbeginner :: wpbeginner.com
wpbeginner is an online beginners guide for using WordPress for websites and blogs.
Productivity
1. All Good Work :: allgoodwork.space
All Good Work is online hub where businesses and corporations offer free, unused work space to nonprofits and remote nonprofit staff.
2. Board Director :: boarddirector.co
Board Director is a service that enables nonprofits to easily manage and communicate with their board members while organizing board documents in one place.
3. Calendly :: calendly.com
Calendly enables users select time slots via email to easily schedule meetings through Google, Outlook, Office 365, or iCloud calendar.
4. Dropbox :: dropbox.com
Dropbox is a cloud storage service (sometimes referred to as an online backup service) that is frequently used for file sharing and collaboration.
5. Dulingo :: duolingo.com
Dulingo provides access to free online language learning tools. For nonprofit social media managers that work internationally, Dulingo’s design and gamification make it fun to learn the basics of a new language.
6. LastPass :: lastpass.com
LastPass is a service that allows you to create and save passwords for multiple websites thus enabling secure easy login and password management.
7. MeetUp :: meetup.com
MeetUp is service that focuses on helping people meet up offline and in-person. For small regional nonprofits, the service could be used for local events and regular meetups.
8. Noisli :: noisli.com
Noisli is a background noise and color generator that can help you focus while working and brings to you the healthy benefits of the chromotherapy.
9. Paper :: iTunes
Paper is a mobile app for organizing notes, photos, and sketches. You can easily create checklists, spotlight details in photos, and draw diagrams.
10. Postable :: postable.com
Postable allows users to easily send Thank You cards through snail mail. Ideal for thanking mid-level and major donors.
11. Sejda :: sejda.com
Sejda allows users to easily edits PDF documents. Functionality includes merging PDFs, deleting pages from PDFs, converting PDFs to Word documents, etc.
12. SignUp :: signup.com
Sign Up is an online volunteer program management program for nonprofits and businesses. The service focuses on signup pages, management, analytics, and on sending volunteer reminders.
13. Slack :: slack.com
Slack is a cloud-based tool for teams of staff and volunteers to collaborate on projects and track work flow and responsibilities.
14. Thesaurus.com :: thesaurus.com
When writing web and email content, Thesaurus.com allows you to quickly search for synonyms for words that you use too often. It’s an essential tool for web and email content writers.
15. TurboScan :: Google Play/iTunes
TurboScan is a mobile app that enables users to scan/photograph documents and images and convert them into PDFs. Ideal for converting travel receipts into PDFs.
16. 7 Minute Workout :: 7minuteworkout.com
7 Minute Workout is a mobile app that encourages daily 7-minute workouts. For social media managers that are too often seated at desk all, it an easy tool to get motivated and on your feet.
Stats & Research
1. Global NGO Technology Report :: techreport.ngo
An annual report that examines how NGOs worldwide use technology to engage their donors and supporters.
2. Global Trends in Giving Report :: givingreport.ngo
An annual report that examines the impact of technology, gender, generation, and ideology upon giving worldwide.
3. GlobalWebIndex :: globalwebindex.com
GlobalWebIndex offers infographics about digital consumer trends happening worldwide. It’s an excellent resource for digital media managers eager to be the first to know about emerging trends.
4. Internet Live Stats :: internetlivestats.com
Internet Live Stats tracks in real-time stats about how the internet is used, such as the number of websites, emails sent, blog posts published, social media active users, smartphones and tablets sold, etc.
5. Internet World Stats :: internetworldstats.com
Internet World Stats is extensive collection of stats about internet access and usage worldwide.
6. Statista :: statista.com
Statista is a searchable portal to multiple statistics databases worldwide. Like inspirational quotes, stats can be useful for web, email, and social media content.
7. Worldometers :: worldometers.info
Worldometers tracks stats in real-time about world population, government and politics, natural resources, health, and media.
News & Stories
1. Flipboard :: flipboard.com
Flipboard is both a desktop and mobile app that enables users to curate and save online content and breaking news. Users can create their own magazines to follow news most relevant to their interests.
2. Pocket :: getpocket.com
Like Flipboard, Pocket is both a desktop and mobile app that enables users to curate and save online content and breaking news.
For Nonprofits Only
1. Double the Donation :: doublethedonation.com
Double the Donation is a service that enables donors to search as to whether their employer participates in a corporate matching program.
2. GrantAdvisor :: grantadvisor.org
GrantAdvisor allows anyone in the nonprofit community to anonymously write reviews about their grant experiences with foundations.
3. Idealist.org :: idealist.org
Idealist.org is the world’s leading platform for nonprofit jobs and volunteer opportunities.
4. LinkedIn Group: Social Media for Nonprofits Organizations :: linkedin.com/groups/1172477
A LinkedIn Group for nonprofit professionals where they can share and access resources about social media.
5. LinkedIn Group: Online Fundraising for Nonprofit Organizations :: linkedin.com/groups/3694133
A LinkedIn Group for nonprofit professionals where they can share and access resources about online fundraising.
6. LinkedIn Group: The Internet of Things for Nonprofit Organizations :: linkedin.com/groups/12078228
A LinkedIn Group for nonprofit professionals where they can share and access resources about the Internet of Things.
7. Shopify Nonprofit Program :: shopify.com/nonprofit
Shopify allows nonprofits to develop an online storefront at a discounted rate so your charity or nonprofit can sell products online.
8. YouGive Goods :: yougivegoods.com
YouGiveGoods is an online platform that enables individuals, businesses, and nonprofits to create online food and supply drives.
Newly Released! The 2018 Global NGO Technology Report
Published in العَرَبِيَّة, English, français, português y español, the 2018 Global NGO Technology Report is based on the survey results of 5,352 NGOs from 164 countries.
