Toolbox
Our Trusted Toolkit
Make your learning worth the effort with expert recommendations
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LearnDash
We no longer recommend LearnDash for new projects. We still support it on a client site that runs dozens of courses, and it does that job. We keep this page with our retired tools so you can see what it does well and why we recommend something else. LearnDash is a WordPress plugin for building […] -
Kadence
We no longer use or recommend Kadence. We keep this page with our retired tools so you can see what it does well and why we moved on. Kadence Blocks added the layout tools the WordPress block editor was missing a few years ago: rows and columns, icons, tabs, accordions, and query loops you could […] -
ScoreApp
ScoreApp is a scorecard funnel platform for building interactive quizzes, assessments, and surveys that qualify leads and deliver personalized results. If you’re an educator, coach, or consultant who wants to grow your impact by building an online audience — and you want people to be able to self-evaluate against a framework you’ve developed — this […] -
WooCommerce
We use this e-commerce platform because it integrates with WordPress, and you can build upon it with modular features. For example, with American Herbalists Guild WooCommerce powers their journal, but can be extended to many other things such as displaying their courses (around a hundred of them) even though the product checkout actually happens through […] -
BreezeDoc
BreezeDoc handles the entire document workflow from contracts to payments, which is exactly what freelancers and small agencies need to streamline client relationships. I switched to BreezeDoc because I like testing tools, and it does the trick for sending documents, proposals, and contracts that need signatures. It’s a $30 one-time purchase with no recurring fees, […] -
Interactive Map
We use this interactive map plugin to help organizations present location-based information in a way that’s immediately accessible to their audience. For the National Immigrant Women’s Advocacy Project, we set up a clickable U.S. states map where visitors can click any state to see detailed public benefits information for that location. We connected this to […] -
- Audience Research
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- Automations / Workflows
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- Email Marketing
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- Media
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- Offers/Products
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- Outreach Channels
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- Publishing / Accessibility
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- Website Platform
Jetpack Complete
Jetpack Complete gives WordPress site owners everything they need to secure, optimize, and grow their websites without juggling multiple plugins from different vendors. I licensed the full suite for our team and clients because I wanted to empower them with all the tools they would need to grow their website impact on WordPress. We rely […] -
Pressable
Pressable delivers the reliable, no-nonsense WordPress hosting that independent creators and organizations need without the corporate upselling games. They’re built on Automattic’s infrastructure with genuine WordPress expertise, making them a trustworthy choice for those who value transparency and quality. We moved all 150 of our websites to Pressable in early 2025, which was a massive […] -
- Automations / Workflows
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- Layout
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- Media
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- Outline/UX
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- Publishing / Accessibility
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- Website Platform
Secure Custom Fields (SCF)
Secure Custom Fields helps us create structured content beyond WordPress’s basic posts and pages, giving our audience the flexibility to organize their websites exactly how they need. We use SCF to create custom post types like “courses” with dedicated fields for instructors, descriptions, and other course-specific details that go beyond what the standard author field […] -
Felt
Felt makes it possible to create advanced maps with complex data layers without needing specialized GIS expertise, which is exactly what progressive organizations need for campaign mapping and environmental justice work. I struggled for a long time to create an advanced map for the Alliance Map Wiki project with Halt the Harm Network. Once I […] -
Fastmail
For the past decade, I’ve been in a state of tension around where and how to manage email, resisting the pull toward Gmail and wanting to use a platform where I trust the company and know that I’m the customer and not the product. I found Fastmail to be really fun to use, flexible, and […] -
Zite
Why we moved on from Zite (October 2026). We loved this tool when it was Fillout, a simple form builder. As Zite it has moved toward building apps, which isn’t what we need from a forms tool. We now build our forms in Tally. The review below is kept for reference. This AI-powered app builder […] -
Morgen
Morgen bridges the gap between multiple calendars and task management tools, creating a unified platform that actually understands how we work. The AI-powered approach makes it feel less like wrestling with yet another app and more like having a thoughtful assistant. I started using it the moment I realized it could connect Google Calendar, Fastmail, […] -
Process Street
Process Street helps us manage recurring tasks and standardize our workflows, which is essential for maintaining consistency across our client care plans. We use Process Street to manage our recurring tasks here at Maple. We each have weekly checklists that we go through to make sure we’re on top of things, plus monthly checklists for […] -
Admin Columns
Admin Columns transforms WordPress admin screens into proper data tables that let you see and manage everything at a glance instead of clicking through individual posts. I use it extensively on sites with custom post types that have lots of different information. With Cornell’s Small Farms program, I can look through their courses and see […] -
WP Connect
WP Connect bridges the gap between WordPress and your favorite business tools, making it possible to automate workflows that would otherwise require constant manual updates. I’m using WP Connect to integrate a directory of environmental organizations and leaders that we manage through Airtable into multiple websites. It automatically syncs, so as people make changes to […] -
- Audience Research
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- Automations / Workflows
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- Branding
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- Feedback Loops
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- Outreach Channels
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- Publishing / Accessibility
Fillout
Fillout has become essential for our work because it connects forms directly to the databases we already use, eliminating the data entry bottleneck that slows down so many campaigns and projects. I started switching forms over to Fillout because it integrates with both Airtable and Notion, letting me connect specific form fields to database fields […]
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Some of these are affiliate links
I gain a lot of experience running scenarios by different software options and auditioning for different use cases. That’s all to say these are vetted recommendations.
Some of these companies offer affiliate programs, which means I can get a kickback if you sign-up for a platform that I partner with using my affiliate link.
I only recommend for things I actually use and love – so I prune this list often! If you have a question, or want to discuss the platforms you’re using please reach out. I’m here for it.
Thanks for exploring the toolbox!
Ryan
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