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The TB Advocacy Toolkit is an innovative content management system specifically designed to assist you in researching, developing and publishing your own advocacy materials or inform your individual advocacy agenda.

It’s the only resource of its kind for TB control that provides clear, easy access to publications, tools and templates produced by TBCTA partners through one centralized location. Because the Toolkit is organized by the needs of its end users and offers a dynamic search tool, it’s easy for you to browse, search and download content and create a customized advocacy toolkit to support your TB advocacy efforts.

What’s different about the TB Advocacy Toolkit?

The TB Advocacy Toolkit is unique because it:

simplifies information dissemination by compiling and organizing numerous resources for TB control in one centralized location
includes a “Favorites” function that allows you to save content that is most useful for your advocacy efforts
allows you to browse content by relevant topic areas, such as “ACSM” and “Budgeting,” and select sections of TBCTA partner publications and tools most relevant to your needs
illustrates the interconnected nature of TB control publications and tools, thus harmonizing the entire approach to TB treatment and control
includes concise executive summaries of publications and tools for quick and easy reference
enables users to rate material based on utility and effectiveness

How can I use the Toolkit to improve my advocacy efforts?

An essential first step in any advocacy effort is to develop a message with a compelling evidence base. The TB Advocacy Toolkit will help you achieve this by providing the widest range of resources available in one centralized location. It replaces the need to search various Web sites and sources, and instead provides the information you need to formulate compelling advocacy messages for local activities.

On the site, you will be able to search quickly, build a customized advocacy toolkit and save content to support your personalized advocacy efforts. It also provides user-friendly templates for press releases and other communications materials for quick and easy customization.

How to Use the TB Advocacy Toolkit

Why are you asking me to log on to the site?

By registering and logging on to the site, you will be able to build and save personalized advocacy toolkits, rate the effectiveness of publications and tools and receive updates with important information from the TB Advocacy Toolkit – including the addition of new resources. The added benefit is that your customized toolkits will remain on the site and can be viewed or downloaded the next time you login.

What is a tool?

A “tool” provides tactical instructions for how to create materials for TB advocacy. They are often in the form of tables or Excel documents that can be downloaded and, in some instances, manipulated by the user. The “Tool” section of the site also includes templates for communications materials, like press releases, that can be easily customized for your needs.

What is a chapter?

A “chapter” is a section of a larger publication and can consist of a single graph or figure, one page or even several pages of a publication. Publications have been segmented into chapters and organized by relevant categories so that your searches can be more efficient and effective – allowing you to spend more time on your advocacy efforts and less time searching for information.

What is a publication?

A “publication” is a report, guide or study that provides useful background and research to support advocacy efforts. The Toolkit’s “Publication Library” houses all the publications stored on the site – each of which can be viewed and downloaded.

How do I rate a publication or tool?

Once you are registered and logged into the site, select the detail view for any publication, chapter and or tool that you wish to rate. This can be done by selecting the hyperlinked title of the item, which brings you to its detail page. Above the item’s summary, you will be able to rate the item by selecting the appropriate number of stars.

Will my toolkit still be there the next time I log on?

Yes, one of the many benefits of registering on the site is that the Toolkit will save the items you have selected in your Favorites. They can be viewed only when you are logged in to the site.

How do I download my toolkit to my computer?

Once you have saved the items to your Favorites, select the items you want to include in your customized toolkit by selecting the box to the left of each one. Then, select the “Collate and Download” button located at the bottom of Favorites. You will then be able to view or save your customized toolkit to your computer.

How do I remove an item from my Favorites?

Go to the Favorites section and select the white box to the left of the item you would like to delete. Then, select “Remove” located at the top of the Favorites section.

How can I save the information I like?

To save items in your personalized Toolkit, you must first register as a user. Once you have registered, log in and select the “save” button that appears below the summaries of the publications, chapters and tools that meet your needs. By pressing “save,” the selected content will be added automatically to your Favorites section, which functions like an online shopping cart. You will be able view the content you have added to your Favorites on the right side of the screen as you browse the site and select additional items.

You can also save individual publications, chapters or tools directly to your computer by clicking the “save” icon that appears below the item.

How can I search within the Toolkit?

Select the “search” icon located toward the top right of the Toolkit’s homepage. Enter the term for which you would like to search – such as “STOP TB STRATEGY” – and select “Go.” The Toolkit provides the relevant publications, chapters and tools relating to your search and organizes them in a simple format.

Who can I contact if I have a resource to be added?

For more information, please contact tbtoolkit@thoracic.org

Who can I contact if I have additional questions about the Toolkit?

For more information, please contact tbtoolkit@thoracic.org