I help mission-driven organizations build thriving online communities,
escape Big Tech dependence, and adopt open source tools
that protect their data and the people they serve.
I've spent thirty years at the intersection of technology and civil society. I founded Kabissa in 1999, growing a network of 700+ organizations across 33 African countries. I built the Grassroots Justice Network at Namati into a global community of 5,000+ justice defenders. Most recently, I spent five years as a Product Manager at Discourse, the leading open source community platform used by 22,000+ communities worldwide — including gaining hands-on experience with AI-powered community features.
Today I work independently with nonprofits, human rights organizations, and mission-driven teams who want to build their own online communities, reduce their dependence on Big Tech, and adopt open source tools that keep their data — and their members' data — safe. I bring the technical know-how to make it work and the community experience to make it stick.
I'm based on Bainbridge Island, just across puget sound from Seattle in the top left corner of the United States. I get up early to work remotely and asynchronously with clients across time zones — a skill I've been practicing since the days of dial-up. My name is pronounced Toe-bee-us, the German way.
Design, launch, and grow a self-owned community platform using Discourse — with onboarding, moderation, and engagement built in from day one.
Audit your tech stack and migrate from Google Workspace and other Big Tech to privacy-respecting, self-hosted open source alternatives like Nextcloud.
Navigate AI tools with confidence — vetting options that protect your data, writing AI use policies, and helping your team use AI responsibly.
Help organizations serving vulnerable populations understand and reduce their data risks — from tech audits to practical policies for safer, more sovereign operations.
Thirty years of building communities and deploying technology in service of civil society.
Five years contributing to product discovery, prioritization, and delivery for the world's leading open source discussion platform — 22,000+ communities, millions of end users. Led a complete overhaul of the permissions system and invite flow, and gained hands-on experience with AI-powered community features including automated moderation and translation.
Built and managed the online community for Namati's global network of justice defenders — growing to 5,000+ members across nearly every country in the world. Designed community architecture, onboarding, moderation, and knowledge-sharing programs connecting paralegals, activists, and community health workers across vastly different legal and cultural contexts.
Working with the World Organisation Against Torture in 1998, connected 10 human rights groups across five Nigerian cities to email and the internet — then went further, building websites with them and training staff to maintain them. On the last night in Lagos, this project sparked a conversation that led directly to the founding of Kabissa.
Founded in 1999 to provide African civil society with internet infrastructure, tools, and training. Grew to 700+ member organizations across 33 countries — providing domain hosting, email, mailing lists, and hands-on "Time to Get Online" training workshops. Co-launched Pambazuka News, a social justice newsletter reaching 7,500+ subscribers. Won the IICD ICT Stories Competition 2002. Made the deliberate, values-consistent decision to wind down when local capacity became widely available across Africa.
Planned, launched, and managed the UNEVOC eForum mailing list for UNESCO's international network of technical and vocational education centers — one of the earliest purpose-built online communities for a UN network. Developed strategies for publishing full-text documents on the web and CD-ROM to reach centers in countries with limited connectivity. The eForum community continues to thrive today.
Developed and maintained a private email network connecting field offices across a dozen countries in the African Sahel for USAID's Famine Early Warning System — one of the earliest applications of digital networking for humanitarian early warning. Secured the role through expertise in Fidonet bulletin board networks, launching a thirty-year career at the intersection of technology and civil society.
Ready to build a community, reduce your Big Tech dependence, or think more carefully about data and AI? The easiest first step is a free 30-minute conversation.
Pick a time that works for you. We'll spend 30 minutes getting to know each other and exploring how I might be able to help.
📅 Book a Free CallHosted on my own Nextcloud — no Big Tech calendars here. 😄
Prefer to write first? Tell me about your organization and what you're working on. I typically respond within one to two business days.
tobias@tobiaseigen.orgSelf-hosted email on my own domain — naturally.
Follow what I'm learning, share what you know, and connect on my own Discourse — the same open source platform I help organizations set up.
discourse.tobiaseigen.orgSelf-hosted, open source, and ad-free — naturally. 😄