If it’s too good to be true, you can probably find it online. At least, that is how the new version of that wise old saying goes. Today, the web has made possible a soft tech market where supply is endless and demand does not really matter. The winner in this economy is you, the consumer. There are plenty of free tools and resources on the web and we are going to help you find some of them. Each of these listed below can be used by your church and staff to help do what you do but better, with more efficiency and cheaper.

But first, take a look at your budget. Can you afford free? Ok then, lets get started.

For Your Website

BowserLab by Adobe (https://browserlab.adobe.com)
If you are a web designer, you may already know about this web-based tool created by the good folks at Adobe. If you are not a designer, you should get familiar with it. One of the most difficult steps in building a website is making it cross-browser compatible. Unfortunately, over half of the world still uses Internet Explorer to view sites and the other half something else, you want to make sure your website looks good for all of them. This free tool allows you to view your site with any browser you choose.

Google Analytics (http://www.google.com/analytics)
You can put a big “duh!” next to this one, but I will mention it nonetheless. Google Analytics sets the standard for web traffic analytics and even rivals some of its not-so-free counterparts. All you need is a Google account and a few lines of code embedded in your site and you are ready to roll.

W3C Validator (http://validator.w3.org/)
In the ever-changing world of the web, it is important to have design and function standards. It is not smart to build a house without a contractor and it isn’t smart to have a website that isn’t standards compliant. The W3C features a free validator tool that scans your code and highlights errors worth fixing. Run your current website through this tool and see what happens.

For the Social Stuff

SocialOomph (http://www.socialoomph.com/)
Twitter can be a pain to manage and maintain but SocialOomph makes it easy for you. The free version of this web-based tool allows you send welcome message to new followers, auto-follow (and unfollow), and sends you reports of mentions, messages and trends with your username. For a church with little time to devote to social media, this tool can keep your Twitter profile fresh for you.

CoTweet (http://cotweet.com/)
Another great Twitter resource, CoTweet is also web-based and gives you the ability to let multiple Twitter users post to one account. We use this for Stc and so far it has been the best $0.00 we have ever spent. Besides, WordPress of course.

TweetDeck (http://www.tweetdeck.com/)
You may already be using a social media management app, but this is my choice. With TweetDeck, you can manage multiple Facebook and Twitter accounts in one window. Its a download and install thing but it is free.

For Planning and Organizing

Planning Center Online (http://planningcenteronline.com)
I can’t say enough about Planning Center Online, unless they pay me. This is one of those things that you say “How did we ever manage with out this?”. Planing Center gives you the ability to host all your service and event planning in one, web-based location and makes scheduling volunteers less of a headache. The free version is limited to service type and users, but still very useful.

Writeboard by 37Signals (http://writeboard.com/)
37Signals is best-known for Basecamp, the robust, web-based project management tool. If you can afford the monthly rate it is well worth it for your churches planning and internal communications. If not, check out Writeboard, a broken down version of Basecamp that allows you to still manage tasks and ideas in one location.

PDF Converter (http://convert.neevia.com/)
Not everyone has MS Word and not everyone has Publisher. As a matter of fact, we do not know what everyone does and does not have that is why this free PDF converter is useful. We do know that everyone has the ability to view PDFs so it is a good idea to convert your docs (especially the downloadable ones) to PDF.

Skype (http://www.skype.com)
I have raved about Skype before on Stc and I am going to do it again. This is also a download and install tool but it is 100% free. I have seen Skype single-handedly revolutionize the internal communication of a church staff. The features include: chat, file transfer, screen sharing, video conferencing, and phone calls. Download now.