Frequently Asked Questions

🔍 What is the KS Toolkit?

The Knowledge Sharing Toolkit is a curated, collaborative collection of methods, tools, and external resources designed to support effective knowledge sharing, particularly within the international development sector.

📖 Who created and maintains it?

The Toolkit was first launched nearly 20 years ago and has gone through several iterations. Its current structure is the result of a community-led renovation in 2024–2025, based on an open-source, collaborative model.

For a detailed history of the Toolkit and an explanation of how it functions today, see the About this Toolkit page.

⚖️ Why was it redesigned?

The previous platform was hijacked and outdated. The relaunch preserves original content while modernizing access, usability, and sustainability. It also prevents future domain risks through a controlled redirection system.

For more background, visit the About this Toolkit page.

🏠 Where is it hosted now?

The KS Toolkit has two layers: a user-friendly web interface and a collaborative backend. It is publicly accessible via https://kstoolkit.km4dev.org, which redirects to a Google Site managed by KM4Dev.

If the redirect ever fails, the direct Google Sites link is: https://sites.google.com/km4dev.org/kstoolkit/.

The actual content lives in structured Google Docs hosted in a shared Google Drive. The Google Site acts as a front-end interface to navigate these documents in an accessible and curated way.

🧭 Why does the Toolkit switch between a website and Google Docs?

The Toolkit is intentionally designed with two layers:

• The website is simple, minimal, and easy to browse. It provides the main structure, guides, and overview pages.

• The Google Docs host the actual content — including all articles, and dynamic lists of methods, tools, and resources. These are easier to edit, update, and collaborate on in real time.

This setup keeps the site lean while letting the content evolve with community contributions. You'll occasionally switch tabs, but the journey remains coherent.

✍️ Can I contribute?

Yes! Anyone can contribute. For practical, step-by-step instructions, visit the Get Involved page.

Common ways to contribute include:

• Suggesting edits or clarifications to articles

• Adding real-world examples, tips, or lessons learned

• Proposing new methods or tools

• Submitting external knowledge sharing resources

All contributions are reviewed before being published.

📤 What happens when I submit something to the Toolkit?

Every contribution — whether it's a new method, tool, story, or external resource — is reviewed by the Editorial Board.

We check for:

• Clarity, relevance, and alignment with the Toolkit's structure

• Consistency with editorial guides

• Whether more context or refinement is needed

Contributors may be contacted if clarifications or additional input would strengthen the submission. Once approved, the content is formatted, published, and linked appropriately. You’ll always be informed of the outcome.

Our goal is to support contributors while ensuring that Toolkit content remains clear, useful, and trusted.

🧑‍💻 How is the Toolkit governed and how is quality ensured?

All contributions are reviewed by a volunteer-based Editorial Board, which provides quality assurance and editorial consistency. The board follows a set of evolving editorial guides and works collaboratively to maintain the Toolkit’s integrity and usefulness.

The Editorial Board operates in parallel with the KS Toolkit Champions group — a sounding board made up of dozens of KM4Dev community members, including experts in knowledge management, knowledge sharing, and community facilitation. This group helps ensure peer-review coverage and supports the editorial process.

The governance model is collective and open. It includes participation from multiple international organizations, aiming to ensure both adoption and integration of diverse tools and practices into the Toolkit. While the model is still evolving, the goal is to create a community-driven space where relevant methods and resources can flow in organically from different institutions and be shared with the wider international development community.

🏃 What is the KS Toolkit Contest?

It’s a community co-editing sprint running April–July 2025 to test the latest iteration of the Toolkit and crowdsource improvements and additions. Contributors are recognized weekly.

Learn more or join the contest: KS Toolkit Contest

🤖 Does the Toolkit use artificial intelligence?

Yes. The Toolkit integrates a growing set of AI helpers - custom GPT assistants that support both exploration and contribution. These tools are designed to:

• Help you find relevant methods, tools, or resources

• Summarize content into draft article formats

• Guide you through the process of documenting stories, tips, or lessons learned

The GPTs use your own ChatGPT account. Premium accounts offer higher limits, but free accounts also work well.

As the Toolkit grows, more AI-enabled tools will be introduced. Explore the current AI Helpers.

✨ Are translations available?

Yes — and we’re approaching this in a new way.

At the most basic level, each article is a Google Doc, so it can be instantly translated using Google Docs’ built-in translation tools based on Google Translate. This method is quick and ensures that users always access the most recent version of any article. However, quality can vary.

In earlier versions of the Toolkit, some articles were manually translated into French and Spanish. But in this new iteration, we’ve chosen a more dynamic and scalable approach, guided by two principles:

1. The Toolkit should be open to constant updates from the community.

2. Free and effective translation tools are widely available.

Instead of encouraging manual translations, we recommend using high-quality services like:

• DeepL (https://www.deepl.com)

• Modern AI-powered browser extensions, such as Mate Translate (https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/mate-translate-%E2%80%93-translat/ihmgiclibbndffejedjimfjmfoabpcke)

• ChatGPT (https://chatgpt.com/)

These can produce strong results for most needs. Just copy the article content and paste it into your preferred tool.

📍 What happens when someone submits an external resource?

The External Knowledge Sharing Resources section is a curated directory of helpful materials developed outside the Toolkit. These include toolkits, strategies, courses, or research documents — all created and maintained by other organizations or practitioners.

When someone suggests an external resource (usually via email to the Editorial Board at kstoolkit@googlegroups.com), it is reviewed for relevance and accessibility. If accepted:

• A link to the original source is included for visibility and attribution.

• When possible, a local backup copy is stored in the KM4Dev-managed shared Google Drive.

This ensures long-term access even if the original site disappears — a lesson learned from earlier versions of the Toolkit. If a resource is paywalled or has limited access, this is clearly noted in the listing.

We prioritize open-access materials but also include high-value resources that complement the Toolkit's core content.

🚪 Can I download the whole Toolkit or make a personal copy?

Yes — absolutely. This was a core principle behind the redesign.

You can:

• Add the Toolkit folder to your own Google Drive (note: this acts like a bookmark and depends on the original folder staying online).

• Download the entire Toolkit to your device, preserving internal links and folder structure.

A user guide is available to walk you through both options: How to Make Your Own Copy of the Toolkit.

🔒 What license does the Toolkit use?

All Toolkit articles — Methods and Tools — are published under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0) license. This means you are free to:

• Share — copy and redistribute the articles in any medium or format for any purpose, even commercially.

• Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the articles for any purpose, even commercially.

As long as you give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made.

The External Knowledge Sharing Resources section functions as a curated directory of helpful materials developed outside the Toolkit. These resources are created and maintained by other organizations and practitioners, and as such, they may have their own terms of use. We do not host or edit them — we simply point to them.

We include this section because there is a rich landscape of guides, toolkits, research, and learning materials that complement what’s in the Toolkit. By linking to these resources, we aim to promote access to practical materials that support the adoption of knowledge sharing behaviors and practices.

We prioritize resources that are freely accessible, but we also accept valuable paywalled materials when appropriate. If a resource is paywalled or has a more restrictive license, this is clearly indicated in the list of External Knowledge Sharing Resources.

🔎 Will there be a visual map of the Toolkit content?

Possibly. The idea of a visual navigation layer was suggested during early feedback sessions and is something we’d like to explore.

The current structure — where each article is a Google Doc — makes it especially well suited to be represented in visual form. An interactive map could simply be an index overlayed with contextual links.

If this interests you, and you have experience with tools like Kumu or Miro, we’d love to hear from you. This is a collective resource, and contributors are welcome to propose a prototype. Get in touch at: kstoolkit@googlegroups.com.

⚖️ What happens if someone disagrees with an editorial decision?

The Toolkit is governed by a transparent editorial process. Discussions on proposed changes or submissions follow a collaborative review mechanism within the Editorial Board. A traffic light system (green/yellow/red) is used to assess and decide on content updates, ensuring clear consensus and fair consideration.

Contributors are encouraged to participate in these discussions and will always be informed of decisions that affect their submissions. The aim is to foster collective ownership, clarity, and trust in how content evolves.

📡 Is it safe to share the Toolkit widely?

Yes — the Toolkit is stable, open, and designed for broad dissemination. In fact, we’re currently running a community-wide contest to improve and expand the Toolkit.

Sharing the Toolkit during this testing phase is particularly valuable, as it allows more people to explore it, spot areas for improvement, and contribute.

You can share the Toolkit using this link: kstoolkit.km4dev.org

❓ Didn’t find your question here?

If your question isn’t covered in this FAQ, feel free to reach out. We welcome all suggestions, doubts, and feedback.

Contact the Editorial Board at: kstoolkit@googlegroups.com.