The Base Edition of NGO-in-a-box is a collection of peer-reviewed and selected Free and Open Source Software (F/OSS) tools for running a small-to-medium-sized non-governmental organisation (NGO). This toolkit is designed to aid in setting up and coordinating an office, organising and managing projects, collaborating online and supporting campaigns. The box contains a set of peer-reviewed FOSS tools, with associated guides and tutorials, giving the technical foundations upon which to build.

Produced by the Tactical Technology Collective (Tactical Tech) in association with Women'sNet and funded by Hivos and the Open Society Institute, the BaseBox is made for activist and advocacy organisations with a particular emphasis on developing and transition countries. The contents of the toolkit were selected by an editorial team made up of international practitioners working in technology support for non-profits, social justice organising, and the development and deployment of FOSS.

The off-line edition of the BaseBox is for users who have limited internet access. It is a three-CD-box set comprising a printed booklet and CD with the contents of this website along with the profiled tools and related documentation and tutorials. It also includes a copy of the Ubuntu GNU/Linux operating system and a copy of the SME Server. The CD is available for download from the website in ISO format.

Included in the project are:

• Tools -
1. Office Suites and Word Processing
2. Finance
3. Fundraising
4. Project Management and Collaboration
5. Volunteer and Staff Management
6. Web Browsers
7. Email
8. Instant Messaging and Telephony
9. Website Creation and Management
10. File Transfer
11. Surveys
12. Anti-virus


• How To...includes:
1. ... choose a content management system
2. ... get hosting for your email and website
3. ... migrate to FOSS
4. ... set up a network and computers

Also included are the following:

• FOSS, progressive NGOs, and social movements
• Ubuntu and SME Server
• Download the CD and Booklet
• Glossary
• Links
• Editorial Team
• Feedback
• Search
• Disclaimer

The publisher and producer, Tactical Tech, indicates that the additional thematic editions of NGO-in-a-box (see related summaries below), such as the security edition, are shaped by a team of practitioners who seek to provide organisations not only with the software they need in relation to a given topic, but also with the relevant implementation scenarios and materials to support this. The NGO-in-a-box package was first created at the 2003 Summer Source workshop, where participants helped select which products would become part of the package. A second version was released in March 2004. In 2005, the project entered a new stage, implementing a new approach to the way NGO-in-a-box editions are designed, distributed, and revised. Whereas in the past every new edition of NGO-in-a-box was developed by an editorial team made up of trainers, practitioners, and experts working in a specific area, Tactical Tech worked to establish local hubs - distribution and development points run in cooperation with partner organisations, whose main responsibility has been to measure needs and respond to demands by assembling and maintaining versions of the boxes that are localised (both in terms of language and contents). An online communication process that presents the contents of the boxes and allows for the gathering of suggestions and feedback from users and contributors has also been in development.

Click here to access a web-based contact form for NGO-In-a-Box.

Tactical Technology Collective website; email from Michal Mach to The Communication Initiative on August 10 2005; email from Tanya Notley to The Communication Initiative on March 3 2009, and Base NGO In-A-Box website on October 1 2009.