Open Source
The Modern Policy Institute
FOSS
Free Open Source Software
We believe that the tools to run for office should be available to anyone. Governments should also use open source solutions and open standards to maximize transparency and security. Open source means that the source code for a project is available for anyone to inspect. Free open source software is also free to use and does not rely on proprietary standards. We recommend using free open source software when possible to help foster a community that can support all potential candidates.
This page lists essential tools for an open-source campaign, government, or non-profit organization.
Wordpress
WordPress is a free and open source content management system that allows for the creation of responsive websites. Using its basic what-you-see-is-what-you-get tools and thousands of plugins, anyone can create a good looking and useful website with WordPress. If your organization grows it is easy to find developers familiar with WordPress and it can be customized to include highly complex features.
Wordpress
WordPress is a free and open source content management system that allows for the creation of responsive websites. Using its basic what-you-see-is-what-you-get tools and thousands of plugins, anyone can create a good looking and useful website with WordPress. If your organization grows it is easy to find developers familiar with WordPress and it can be customized to include highly complex features.
Easy to Use
WordPress is designed so that any novice and get a decent website up and running easily. If you can’t afford a dedicated web developer, WordPress provides the tools to make a professional looking website that looks good on desktops and mobile without knowing how to code.
Most Popular CMS
39% of the top 10 million websites use WordPress, so you will be able to easily find answers to any question you may have while using the platform. The popularity of WordPress will also make it easy to hire a professional web developer to take over your project or provide assistance.
Plugins Galore
If there’s anything that WordPress can’t do, there’s a plugin that can. WordPress plugins can be installed with a single click and there are thousands to choose from. Want an online store? There’s a plugin for that. Want a newsletter that automatically alerts members to website updates? There’s a plugin for that.
LibreOffice
LibreOffice provides a free and open source alternative to Microsoft Office. It uses open standards but can also read and edit MS Word, Excel, and Powerpoint documents. Every organization needs to draft documents and most need to use basic spreadsheet functions. LibreOffice provides a fully-featured office suit completely for free. Governments, nonprofits, and businesses around the world depend on LibreOffice for their document creation needs. LibreOffice works on every major operating system.
Intutive Interface
LibreOffice has a clean and easy to use interface. Its features are easily discoverable and users can choose to make it function like Microsoft Office if they choose. It’s also highly customizable so you can display the icons you use and leave out the ones you don’t.
Mature Product
LibreOffice traces its roots all the way back to a 1985 product called StarWriter, which was bought by Sun Microsystems and developed into StarOffice. After making this into an open source project, LibreOffice eventually became the most popular variant thanks to its extensive development. It works as well or better than commercial software.
Great Compatibility
Not only can LibreOffice work with common Microsoft formats, but it can also be used to create, edit, and save .pdf documents. Best of all, it uses the open standard XML-based Open Document Format. LibreOffice works with pretty much anything.
CiviCRM
CiviCRM is free open source software that we use here at The Modern Policy Institute. It is widely used by political campaigns and nonprofits to manage donations, member lists, mailings, and event coordination. CiviCRM is ideal for small campaigns run by DIYers who are comfortable learning new things. Although CiviCRM is free, we recommend you donate to help support free open source software to democratize campaign technology.
CiviCRM
CiviCRM is free open source software that we use here at The Modern Policy Institute. It is widely used by political campaigns and nonprofits to manage donations, member lists, mailings, and event coordination. CiviCRM is ideal for small campaigns run by DIYers who are comfortable learning new things. Although CiviCRM is free, we recommend you donate to help support free open source software to democratize campaign technology.
Free & Open Source
CiviCRM is free and open source, meaning that you can use it at no cost and you can modify it in any way you desire. The downside is that it requires greater technical expertise and does not come with the support services of proprietary competitors.
Works with Popular Software
CiviCRM runs on Backdrop, Drupal, Joomla, or WordPress. On the plus side, those are the most popular content management systems for websites and do not cost money. Unfortunately, you are limited to those four choices.
Choose Your Partners
Although you can implement CiviCRM by yourself, there are several partner organizations that will offer professional services related to CiviCRM including support, hosting, and setup. CiviCRM provides a list of partners.
GnuCash
GnuCash provides software for personal and small business accounting. It is suitable for small campaigns and organizations but it wasn’t really designed for large-scale operations. If you need a cloud-based solution that can be used by multiple individuals within a large organization, you might be better served by a proprietary option such as Intuit Quickbooks. If you’re small and you need a free solution to keep your books straight, GnuCash is a good choice.
GNU
The GNU Project is one of the largest free open source collaborations. Since GnuCash is associated with the GNU project, it enjoys a large user base and consistent development. It also means that GnuCash is released under the GPL license, so it will always be free and open source.
Double-Entry Bookeeping
Using double-entry bookkeeping will ensure that your campaign or organization is prepared for growth. It’s also just a good accounting practice in general. Double-entry accounting is a standard feature in GnuCash.
Steeper Learning Curve
GnuCash does not have the most intuitive interface so be warned that your savings may come at the cost of learning the software. Unlike propriety options, GnuCash is not particularly elegant, but it gets the job done.