It’s a tough environment for nonprofits and activists trying to promote their cause. Capturing the public attention and engaging their participation is no easy task. On top of that, online fundraising and event planning can be messy and unorganized. So we’ve prepared a list of 7 tools and platforms to give the socially conscious all the tools they can get!

1. BroadCause

BroadCause - BroadCause is a free community service that allows people to create a page for their cause, advertise it, and manage their Facebook and Twitter profiles. As explained in their video, Broadcause exposes causes to an audience of millions who are already passionate about serving and inclined to give. The site offers tools for donations and auctions and also partners with Eventbrite to coordinate event ticketing and reservations.

2. Causevox

Causevox - Causevox is an optimized, fully customizable donation system that manages, simplifies, and processes donations either through the Causevox system or Paypal. According to their website, Causevox specifically “serves the needs of a greatly underserved group -- small to medium sized non-profits.” In order to use the Causevox system, you must be a 501(c)3 organization, but if you’re not, you can still use the Paypal option. They offer a free/no credit card trial (until you raise $3000).

3. CrowdVoice

CrowdVoice - More on the grassroots activism side, this tool allows anyone to post stories online for public attention. According to their site, they are a “user-powered service that tracks voices of protest from around the world by crowdsourcing information.” Activists, protesters, and community organizers can use the site to stay informed about local events and support events from a long distance. Anyone is allowed to respond to an event and offer their own perspective.

4. CatchaFire

CatchaFire - This NYC based startup connects nonprofit organizations with professionals who wish to offer their services pro-bono. Rather than spend time searching for and recruiting professionals who you don’t know, you can access a database of professionals who have already registered with CatchaFire with the intention of offering some help to nonprofits. Although the site is geared more towards these charitable professionals, having a presence on the site could help you find your next graphic designer, PR expert, or marketer.

5. Buy4

Buy4 - Give your volunteers an incentive to donate with this program, which allows users to shop generously by donating a portion of sales to a nonprofit of their choice. Register your nonprofit with Buy4 and tell your members to shop through one of their 1,700 stores to donate!

6. Jumo

Jumo - Started by Chris Hughes, Facebook co-fouder and director of online organizing for Obama’s ‘08 campaign, this NYC based organization uses social media to connect volunteers and organizations that are working on the same cause. Find like-minded organizations that are working on similar projects or have similar goals.

7. MediaCause

MediaCause - Need to reach a larger audience? This app "separates SEM, SEO, and social media projects into 'challenges' that take no more than a few hours to complete." Volunteers of all skill levels can then access these challenges and complete projects for the nonprofit organization. This is the ultimate online promotion and publicity tool for nonprofits, and it's 100% crowdsourced. Learn more by watching their video.

For nonprofits, getting your voice heard can be hard, but any good cause can be advocated with the proper marketing and channels of communication. Hopefully, some of these tools will be helpful to advancing the cause you are passionate for. For volunteers, there are so many ways to get involved, and online is a great place to start!