Cheatsheet for the nuts & bolts part of starting an advocacy program
Tools & ResourcesEvery one of these programs and sites comes with a learning curve. Look for online tutorials and remind yourself (as you bang your head against the wall) that you’re gaining a skill.
Drawing Programs for Creating a Logo
FireAlpaca (Free)
Gimp (Free)
Paint tool SAI (Windows only, Free)
Inkscape (Free)
– or talk to a local printing company about
helping to generate a logo*
The name of your organization, artfully
laid out, can also work just fine for a logo.
Flyers and Handouts
MS Word (if you already have it)
Google Publisher
– or talk to a local printing company about
helping to create print material.
If you have suggestions of other sites or tools to recommend on this page, please let us know.
Social Media
Facebook (to reach an older crowd)
Twitter (to reach local business owners)
Instagram (to reach a younger crowd – phone app) The advantage of using Instagram is that you can connect it to Twitter and Facebook accounts and publish to both of them from Instagram. The disadvantage is that because this is a phone app, you can’t use a keyboard to type in content (unless you have a bluetooth keyboard that connects to your phone).
Website
Wix (Free, $60/yr, $132/yr)
Squarespace ($144/year)
Bluehost + WordPress Install ($96/yr) – The install is easy and WordPress is the tool you use to design the look of your website.
Siteground + WordPress Intall ($144/yr) – Ditto the above comment.
– If all else fails, just use Facebook as your website.
Email List/Newletter
MailChimp (Free)
Constant Contact ($20/month) – has good support if you want to call in and get help.