
Welcome to the Ultimate Resource Guide for democracy activists, practitioners, supporters, and enthusiasts. This section will guide you through the purpose of the document and how to best make use of it.
Note: The links marked with an asterisk “*” are affiliate links. We may earn a small commission at no expense to you. See Affiliate Disclaimer for more information.
Table of Contents
WHO IS THIS GUIDE FOR?
This guide is for anyone who seeks to learn how to improve and empower themselves and their community. In other words, these are tools and resources to make your life simpler (and many of them are actually free to use).
Even though this guide is titled Ultimate Resource Guide for Democracy Activists, Practitioners, Supporters, And Enthusiasts there recommendations for free and open-source tools to help you improve your financial literacy and personal finance skills.
HOW DO I FIND WHAT I AM LOOKING FOR? THERE ARE 6 SECTIONS
The guide is organized around six sections. Before you consult the sections, how did we conduct the selection criteria.
How we choose the tools, books and services to recommend?
- Declared vision, mission and values in line with the principles of democratization (empowering individuals and communities without harming the environment or others).
- Free and open source.
- Contribute to democratization although they are not by definition and practice democratic organizations (these include tools, products and services we can personally vouch for because we use them or have used them but stopped using them due to costs or other reasons we will describe below. Also, we include those that are recommended by trusted individuals and partners. We will also disclose this).
SECTION 1: TOOLS
Name of Tool (Link) | Application | Comment |
---|---|---|
NewPipe | Android App (YouTube Alternative) | Watch YouTube on Android devices without ads or interruptions. |
Fdroid | App Store (Android) | Alternative to Google Play Store. |
AltStore | App Store (iPhone) | Alternative to Apple’s App Store. |
Audacity | Audio Editing | Free and open-source audio editing software. |
Cryptomator | Cloud security | Free and open-source file encryption software. |
OwnCloud | Cloud storage | Open-source cloud service. |
NextCloud | Cloud storage | Open-source cloud service. |
CiviCRM | Customer Relations Management (CRM) | Open-source CRM software for civil society organizations. |
Loomio | Decision-making | Open-source software for decision-making. |
ProtonMail | Open-source email, storage, Virtual Private Network (VPN) provider. | |
Tutanota | Open-source email provider. | |
CTemplar | Open-source email provider. | |
FreeFileSync | File synchronization | Free and open-source file synchronization software. |
Pexels | Free stock images | Royalty free and gratis image repository. |
Pixabay | Free stock images | Royalty free and gratis image repository. |
GreenGeeks* | Hosting provider | Green and energy efficient provider. |
BigScoots* | Hosting provider | Hosting provider with excellent customer service. |
FireFox | Internet browser | Free and open-source browser. |
InteractiveBrokers* | Investing and/or Portfolio Management | One of the world’s most comprehensive brokers with some of the lowest transaction fees to purchase stocks, exchange traded funds (ETFs) and other securities to save and invest. |
Portfolio Performance | Investing and/or Portfolio Management | Free and open-source tool to track investment portfolio. |
InvoiceNinja | Invoicing | Free and open-source tool to invoice clients. |
Wikipedia | Knowledge & Research Database | Open-source and crowd-source encyclopedia. |
EBSCO | Knowledge & Research Database | A repository of free articles and research. |
Gutenberg Project | Knowledge & Research Database | A repository of free books. |
Telegram | Messaging and Chatting | Free and open-source messaging and chatting application. |
Signal | Messaging and Chatting | Free and open-source messaging and chatting application. |
LibreOffice | Office Tools | Free and open-source office tools. Alternative to Windows Office 365. |
Aegis Authenticator | Online authenticator (Android) | Free and open-source authenticator. An alternative to Microsoft Authenticator or Google Authenticator. |
Mercury | Online banking | U.S. banking solution for international startup founders. |
Wise* | Online banking | Best fintech for international founders and businesses. |
ZorinOS | Operating System | Free and open-source operating system. |
Ubuntu | Operating System | Free and open-source operating system. |
Keepass or KeepassXC | Password manager | Free and open-source password manager. Alternative to options such as LastPass. |
Liberapay | Payment gateway | Open-source payment gateway. |
Payoneer | Payment Services | Most international payment services provider. |
HomeBank | Personal and Financial Management | Free and open-source personal management software. |
GNUCash | Personal and Financial Management | Free and open-source personal management software. |
Gimp | Photo editing and illustrations | Free and open-source alternative to Adobe Photoshop. |
Inkscape | Photo editing and illustrations | Free and open-source alternative to Adobe Illustrator. |
OpenVPN | Privacy, VPN | Free and open-source VPN provider. |
Freedcamp | Project management tool | Open-source project management tool. |
OpenProject | Project management tool | Open-source project management tool. |
DuckDuckGo | Search Engine | Free, open-source, and ad-free search engine. |
MetaGer | Search Engine | Free, open-source, and ad-free search engine. |
SwissCows | Search Engine | Free, open-source, and ad-free search engine. |
Shiftphone | Smartphone | Resources used in the phone’s production are fairly sourced and the phones are modular and reparable. |
Fairphone | Smartphone | Resources used in the phone’s production are fairly sourced and the phones are modular and reparable. |
Jitsi | Video Conferencing | Free and open-source video conferencing software. Alternative to Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet. |
Blender | Video Editing | Free and open-source video editing software. |
OpenShot | Video Editing | Free and open-source video editing software. |
Shotcut | Video Editing | Free and open-source video editing software. |
OBS | Video Recording and Streaming | Free and open-source video recording and streaming software. |
Plausible Analytics | Web analytics | Free and open-source alternative to Google Analytics. |
Matomo | Web analytics | Free and open-source alternative to Google Analytics. |
Koko Analytics | Web analytics | Free and open-source alternative to Google Analytics. |
WordPress.Org | Website | Free and open-source Content Management Service (CMS). |
Ghost.Org | Website | Free and open-source Content Management Service (CMS). |
WooCommerce | Website, E-Commerce | Free and open-source payment provider for websites and E-commerce. Free alternative to Shopify. |
SECTION 2: INSPIRATION
Coming soon.
SECTION 3: BOOKS & ARTICLES
Please note, that the links contained in section are affiliate links. We may earn a small commission at no expense to you. It is your way to support the work we do. You can purchase the book from our bookstore via Bookshop.org or via Amazon.
Name of Book or Article (Link) | Comment |
---|---|
Open Democracy: Reinventing Popular Rule for the Twenty-First by Hélène Landemore (Our Bookstore* or Amazon*) | Provides insights how to improve the state of our political democracy. |
Power, for All: How It Really Works and Why It’s Everyone’s Business by Julie Battilana and Tiziana Casciaro (Our Bookstore* or Amazon*) | Power is something that even those perceived as marginalized can have. Those in authority do not necessarily have power. |
Democracy at Work: A Cure for Capitalism by Richard Wolff (Our Bookstore* or Amazon*) | An excellent overview of how to democratize the economy and workplaces. |
Summerhill School: A New View of Childhood by A.S. Neill (Our Bookstore* or Amazon*) | One of the oldest and longest-running democratic schools founded in the United Kingdom. In 2021, it celebrated its 100-year anniversary since its founding. |
Democratic Education – A Beginning of a Story by Yaachov Hecht (Our Bookstore* or Amazon*) | One of the oldest continuously running democratic schools in Israel, founded by a leading education Yaachov Hecht in 1987. |
Humanizing the Economy: Co-Operatives in the Age of Capital by John Restakis (Our Bookstore* or Amazon*) | The book chronicles how to make the economy more equitable and humane, i.e., democratic by forming worker cooperatives. |
The Making of a Democratic Economy: How to Build Prosperity for the Many, Not the Few by Marjorie Kelly and Ted Howard (Our Bookstore* or Amazon*) | How cooperatives, democratically owned and managed enterprises can expand economic and social well-being. |
SECTION 4: EDUCATION
Name of Organization (Link) | Comment |
---|---|
Summerhill | A democratic school founded by A.S. Neill in 1921. It has inspired other schools around the world such as the U.S. based Sudbury Valley School. |
Sudbury Valley School | Sudbury Valley School was inspired by Summerhill School in the United Kingdom. It is one of the most advanced democratic schools as it allows the students not only to set their own rules, but also to manage the school’s budget and manage the hiring and firing of adult staff. |
Democratic School of Hadera | One of the first modern democratic schools in Israel. It was founded by Yaacov Hecht in 1987 as a response to the lack of learner-centered educational opportunities for children in Israel. The following video features the school’s philosophy, approach and outcomes. |
SECTION 5: WORK
Name of Tool (Link) | Application |
---|---|
Mondragon Cooperative Corporation (MCC) | Mondragon Cooperative Corporation (MCC) is the largest worker-owned conglomerate based in Basque Country, northern Spain. It was founded in 1956 by Catholic Priest, José María Arizmendiarrieta. MCC has grown to employ over 80,000 workers in over 100 countries. It has been subject to many academic studies, but also criticism. |
Tesa Collective | Worker-owned co-op that creates board games focusing on raising awareness and promoting social justice. |
Sí Se Puede (We Can Do It!) Women’s Cooperative | In Brooklyn, a group of immigrant women created a cooperative housecleaning business in 2006. Before joining the collective, many of these women worked independently, which meant they had little power when dealing with clients; their clients often decided when they worked, how much they got paid, and what products they used, typically minimum wage. |
SECTION 6: PRODUCTS AND SERVICES
Coming soon.