The Nonprofit Guide to the Internet: How to Survive and Thrive

by Michael Johnston, Mike Johnston, Robbin Lee Zeff

Everything nonprofits need to boot up, log on, and benefit from theNet

Now revised and expanded, this easy-to-use guide is packed with thevital information and advice you need to attain--and maintain--acyberadvantage. Covering everything from computer basics todesigning your own Web site, it shows you how to get connected, conduct research, raise funds, expand your outreach--with bothadults and kids--electronically, and much more. With completedetails...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 047132857X
• ISBN13: 9780471328575
• Release Date: April 1999
• Publisher: Wiley
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 0.89 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 7.5" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

A terrific book for nonprofits wishing to go online

In law school, we learned law by studying cases - one case at a time. It was slow, excruciating, and at times confusing. But when we wanted to put it all together, if truth be known, we'd pick up a hornbook. (U.S. Lawyers in the audience will be nodding with me, as they recall Corbin on Contracts or Prosser on Torts.) The Nonprofit Guide to the Internet - How to Survive and Thrive is a kind of "hornbook" for nonprofits wishing to embrace the Internet.This second-edition book is not for cybergeeks. Like its first edition released in 1996, it thankfully assumes little or no prior Internet expertise. Indeed, in Chapter 1 it walks the reader through a description of the Internet and its basic structure. Those with a good grounding in things Internet can skip Chapter 1 and move into the meatier portions of the book - and there are plenty of them."Why a Nonprofit Should Go On-Line," Chapter 2, covers such benefits as improving internal and external communications, providing better access to information, professional development, and "cyber-fund-raising" and "cybercampaigning." In other words, it provides a conceptual framework for an organization to identify the reasons why it should go on-line. (I have to wonder, frankly, why any organization could even question the wisdom of doing so - but then, that's just me.)It is not enough to decide to go on-line. There is the question of how best to do that. With a bewildering array of options these days, Chapter 3's discussion of "Getting Connected" will help. I liked how the author presents a step-by-step linear process that starts with an assessment of current equipment and office communication needs and moves forward to such topics as selecting an Internet service provider.Sound dry? The author moistens the discussion considerably by weaving into the discussions with short case studies. It's as though we're looking over the shoulder of someone just like us as various decisions are being made. It's almost a little voyeuristic - the author lets us peek at "journal entries" of the person making these decisions. It's highly instructive and helps us understand how we might go through the same process for our own organization. I like that.Where the book hits stride - and where the book's main value resides - begins with Chapter 4's treatment of "Turning Knowledge to Action: Finding the Full Potential of the Internet to Improve Your Communication, Outreach, and Public Awareness." For many in this audience who have a strong grasp of the Internet - and maybe even an expertise - this is where you'll likely begin reading.Author Michael Johnston correctly counsels the reader: "Simply getting a computer, an Internet account, and a phone connection is not enough. A nonprofit decision maker needs to know how to use this new medium in ways that save money, serve more clients, and ensure the long-term stability of the organization." To illustrate, Johnston provides