Communications can be a pivotal strategy for many organizations when promoting work to the masses. The Heising-Simons Foundation recognizes that capacity and resources can be challenging for nonprofits that are looking to bring awareness to important issues. To help provide support around this, the Foundation has developed a list of free communication tools and guides that nonprofits have access to. The Foundation does not endorse any of these tools. However, we will continue to update this page as we learn of new assets.

Additionally, the Foundation’s communication staff are happy to help our Grantee partners with obtaining media lists tailored to include journalists working in a specific region or issue-focused beat. If you are interested in utilizing this option, please contact our communications team at [email protected].

Audio Transcription

  • Otter.ai is a speech-to-text software for creating shareable audio files and transcripts of audio uploaded to the platform.

Crafting a Message

  • Free Press provides frameworks and guides to help organizations shape issue-based narratives for journalists.
  • The Opportunity Agenda provides guidance in building messages utilizing the the Value, Problem, Solution, Action (VPSA) structure.

Media Pitching

The Heising-Simons Foundation can review grantee partners’ story pitches to reporters. If you are a current Foundation grantee interested in our help, please check and fill out this form.

Graphic Design

  • Canva is a graphic design platform that can be used for creating social media graphics, presentations, posters, documents, and other visual content.
  • SlidesGo provides free downloadable presentation templates for Google Slides and PowerPoint

Social Media Scheduler

  • Later is the all-in-one social media marketing platform that allows for planning, analyzing, and publishing content seamlessly.

Twitter Account Verification

  • Twitter has provided information on their website that guides users on ways they can receive the verified blue checkmark on their accounts.

Stock Images

  • Flickr and Unsplash are image hosting websites that offers a variety of visuals that can be easily searched by a keyword.

Trainings

  • Adobe Education Exchange is a learning platform and community that provides workshops, classes, and resources designed by educators.
  • Google Ads allows for registered users the option to take free courses to better help with growing an organization’s business.
  • Media Training 101 provides a simple overview for preparing organizational spokespeople for an upcoming media interview.
  • Social Media 101 offers step-by-step instructions on building out a social media strategy for an organization.
  • WordPress is a free and open-source content management system written in PHP and paired with a MySQL or MariaDB database that many organizations host their website on.

Video Editing

  • Lightworks allows for organizations out in the field to quickly edit video clips using a mobile device.

Webinar

Writing and Editing

  • Grammarly is a cross-platform cloud-based writing assistant that reviews spelling, grammar, punctuation, clarity, engagement, and mistakes in delivery in real-time.