The digital toolkit for communities

Many useful tools are free or have a free plan. These include Google Drive for shared documents, Zoom for online meetings, WhatsApp for messaging, Doodle for scheduling, Trello for managing tasks and Canva for design. For surveys, newsletters and websites, tools such as SurveyMonkey, Mailchimp, Wix and WordPress offer free versions with paid upgrades. 

Many digital tools also offer discounted or free plans for non-profit organisations. Search the company’s website for a non-profit or community offer, or contact them directly to ask.

You’ll need an email address to sign up for most tools, and a computer, phone or tablet with internet access. If you’d like to build your confidence online, Good Things Foundation offers free training and can point you to local centres for support.

This toolkit from Local Trust introduces digital tools that help community groups work together and stay in touch with local people. It covers tools for shared documents, online meetings, messaging, file sharing, scheduling, project management and group decision-making. It also covers surveys, social media scheduling, email newsletters, design and website building. Each tool is set out with its skill level, cost, pros and cons, and links to tutorials.

This guide will be useful to community groups, community organisations and residents who want to work more confidently online, whether you’re new to digital tools or looking for better ways to run your projects and reach your community.

• What you need to get started, and where to build your confidence online
• Working on documents together with Google Drive
• Online meetings, messaging and sharing large files
• Scheduling meetings and making group decisions online
• Managing projects and tasks with tools such as Trello and Asana
• Running surveys, forms and polls
• Scheduling social media posts
• Sending email newsletters
• Designing posters and social media graphics
• Building a website for your group
• The skill level, cost, pros and cons of each tool