Useful digital tools for working together
– an overview

A participation platform on which you can brainstorm, discuss, organise ideas competitions and digital events, among other things.

Good to know:
Adhocracy + is a project of the Berlin association Liquid Democracy eV.

Audacity is a powerful audio editor.

Good to know
The software is under active development since 1999, which makes it one of the most successful Open Source tools.

A video conference tool that not only enables collaboration with whiteboards, breakout rooms and chats, but can also be hosted on its own server in a privacy-friendly manner.

Good to know: The city of Berlin provides 200 accesses to BigBlueButton for non-profit organizations. More information under Services.

Blender is a graphics/image rendering software.

Good to know
Spiderman 2 was a famous movie produced using Blender.

A free software for contact, member and donation management with maximum data protection and excellent web integration. In addition to fundraising functionalities, the modular system comes with many other optional features, ranging from newsletter distribution to collaboration functions and multi-language support.

Good to know: CiviCRM can be hosted on your own server, is completely vendor-independent and license-free. However, as with any complex CRM software, it is usually advisable to work with a professional service provider (see: https://civicrm.org/partners-contributors).
German community organization: Software für Engagierte e.V. https://sfe-ev.org
Official website: https://civicrm.org/

Collaboration suite. End-to-end encrypted and Open Source.

Good to know
CryptPad can be used for free without the need to register.

A platform that enables voice and video conferences as well as communication via individually created channels.

Good to know: Discord was initially developed for computer gamers in order to give them the opportunity to communicate during the game.

A tool for joint scheduling. With the help of Doodle, appointments can be suggested, invitations sent and the availability of others entered.

Good to know: Doodle can be linked directly to other tools such as Slack or Zoom.

A file hosting service that enables larger files to be exchanged between multiple users.

Good to know: Dropbox has been criticized again and again for security problems. Experts therefore recommend the use of suitable encryption software when using Dropbox with sensitive files.

A secure, end-to-end encrypted messenger app that is also suitable for teamwork.

Good to know: Element Chat is not tied to an app. It is also possible to communicate with users who have an Element account on other platforms.

A web-based text editor that enables the joint editing of documents.

Good to know: A crypto link is assigned by default to create a pad. This means that each pad has its own URL and only users who know it can edit the document. The more complicated the URL, the more secure it is. Digital Vereint is hosting a dedicated Etherpad.

Gimp is a powerful image editor, comparable to Adobe Photoshop.

Good to know While the learning curve might be steep, it is justified by the amount of useful functionality provided.

The filehosting service from Google allows you to save files in a cloud as well as to collaboratively share and edit documents

Good to know
With GoogleDrive, not only documents, but tables and presentations can also be edited by several users at the same time. However, you should be careful with sensitive data.

The Open Source web application for managing members, events and more ...

Good to know
Hitobito can be used with a subscription model as well as self-hosted.

A free software for video conferencing that is installed on your own server and can be used both as an app and in a web browser.

Good to know: When schools had to close in 2020 due to the corona pandemic, Jitsi proved to be a popular tool for online teaching because it can be used without registration and installation.

Libre Office offers similar functionality to Open Office or the commercial Microsoft Office.

Good to know
The biggest difference between Libre and Open Office is the higher update frequency of Libe Office.

A survey tool that enables online surveys to be carried out and the results to be collected in a database without programming knowledge.

** By using a web template system, design adaptions can easily be made.

A self-hosted, open source newsletter and mailing list tool.

Good to know: Listmonk is a safe and open alternative to other commercial newsletter providers. However, the installation requires programming skills. More suitable for advanced users!

An email marketing and newsletter software that enables user-friendly creation and tracking of email campaigns.

Good to know: Mailchimp is an American company with servers in the USA. Therefore, you should take care with regards to data security.

A social network that is open source and can also be set up securely for team communication on your own server.

Good to know: Because you can set up your own server on Mastodon, you can customize the Code of Conduct and Terms of Use to suit your team's needs.

A chat space that works both in groups and with individual people.

Good to know: Depending on your IT skills, Mattermost can also be installed on your own server, which allows for data sovereignty, for example when it comes to member data or financial data.

A software solution for clubs that combines member administration, finance and project management.

Good to know: After 14 free trial days, the finance functions are only available in the paid version.

An online application that allows you to work together in real time on a virtual whiteboard.

Good to know: With Miro you can work digitally with post-its, so the tool is especially useful for creative processes and can be expanded using plug-ins such as Dropbox, GoogleDrive or the Adobe Creative Cloud.

An open source cloud on which files can be saved and shared, and on which you can also work collaboratively.

Good to know: NextCloud can be hosted on your own server, which requires some prior IT knowledge, but is definitely worth it in terms of data security.

An appointment planning and survey tool that does not collect any tracking data.

Good to know: For data protection reasons, you cannot include images, but you can also do a survey or appointment without an email address.

Open Office is a classic Open Source software, it provides similar functionality and tools as the commercial Microsoft Office.

Good to know
Open Office can handle documents created with Microsoft Office.

Manage your digital or physical event with OpenSlides, including agenda management and voting & electing and provide a live broadcast of the event.

Good to know
In addition to the Open Source solution, paid subscriptions offering easy to use hosted solutions are offered.

An independent, German e-mail provider that allows you to use it without entering personal data and to send encrypted e-mails.

Good to know: The Posteo servers are located in computer centers in Germany and are operated exclusively with green electricity.

Pretix is a ticketing software that supports your events.

Good to know
Apart from the paid plans, a free plan allows you to distribute up to 2500 tickets per year.

A secure, end-to-end encrypted e-mail service that has its servers in Switzerland.

Good to know: Protonmail works according to a freemium model: storage space, users, Domains and addresses can easily be booked.

An encrypted, data-secure instant-messaging service for one-on-one conversations and groups.

Good to know: Edward Snowden also recommends Signal as a secure instant messaging service. Since December 2020, it has been possible to hold encrypted video conferences with up to five people on Signal.

A video conference and chat tool that allows file exchange.

Good to know
Since 2011 Skype belongs to Microsoft.

A team chat that works both on desktop and as a mobile phone application.

Good to know: Other tools, such as Trello, can also be integrated on Slack.

A mobile phone application for the digital coordination and organization of sports teams.

Good to know:
SpielerPlus works for different sports, you can carry out team votes, assign tasks and keep track of finances.

A web-based project management tool that divides projects into smaller tasks on cards and assigns them to members.

Good to know:
The comment function and colored labels can help all team members to keep up to date with the tasks.

A web-based collaboration and networking platform that brings together various online tools.

Good to know: Using the various tools integrated into the platform, groups can create their own workspaces where they can chat with each other, work collaboratively on documents, create video calls, set meetings, manage tasks, and connect with other groups.

A video conference tool that works with up to 1000 participants, depending on the payment model.

Good to know:
In the free version, a group conference can last a maximum of 40 minutes. Zoom also offers the option of dialing into conferences by telephone.