A recently released collection of free and open source software (FOSS) tools for non-profit organisations, the BaseBox aims to help activist and advocacy organisations in developing countries to make good choices about what technology to employ in development work. Find out how to access this new toolkit.

The latest edition of NGO-in-a-box, the BaseBox, is now available online.

BaseBox, targeted primarily at activist and advocacy organisations in developing countries, is a collection of tools for the day-to-day running of small to medium sized NGOs. This toolkit is intended to aid non-profit organisations in setting up and coordinating office, organising and managing projects, collaborating online, and supporting campaigns.

With accompanying guides and tutorials, BaseBox contains the following sets of peer-reviewed free and open source software (FOSS) tools:
- office suites and word processing;
- finance and fundraising;
- project management and collaboration;
- volunteer and staff management;
- web browsers and email;
- instant messaging and telephony;
- surveys; and
- anti-virus

Produced by Tactical Tech in collaboration with Women'sNet, this toolkit can be accessed online at <http://base.ngoinabox.org/?q=node/47>. A box set of CDs that provide immediate access to all the software tools is also available for those with slow Internet connections.

For any questions, comments or feedback about the BaseBox, contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Visit <http://base.ngoinabox.org/> for further details.

Tactical Tech <http://tacticaltech.org/> is an international NGO which utilises its technology expertise to increase the impact of campaigns in the broad area of social justice and human rights. Women’sNet <http://www.womensnet.org.za/> works to advance gender equality and justice in South Africa through the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs).

Related article:
“Open publishing toolkit for NGOs” in we! January 2007, No. 1