Tanya Zumach, Metropolitan Group

"I think [online fundraising is] definitely coming into its maturity. Organizations aren't asking "should we have a website and accept donations online" but how best to do it. And those who started a long time ago are really maximizing it. There are now many low-cost tools available for even the smallest organizations to equip their sites to take online donations.

Of course, fundraising is about trust and relationships. So even the most amazing whiz-bang site and tools will not by themselves "revolutionize" fundraising. You still need a strong program, effectiveness, media coverage, etc. The Red Cross will always make a ton of money during emergencies, even if all they have is a "donate now" button. But a smaller organization could make 50 percent or more of their income online if they really push the strategy."

Betsy Harman, Harman Interactive
"Donors are becoming increasingly comfortable with giving online and expect organizations to have websites that offer well functioning online giving options. At its core, though, fundraising is the same whether done online or offline. It is about building relationships with donors and prospective donors. Organizations need to focus on their overall strategies for communication, cultivation, and stewardship and utilize the new technology in concert with traditional marketing and development strategies. They need to focus on data integration and personalized communication to appeal to donors as individuals."

Michael Hoffman, See3
"Overall technology will enable more nonprofits to have better internal tools for managing their business and their donor relationships, and this will translate into more dollars raised with the same effort or investment. (I am thinking about the rise of low-cost web-based software, free use of SalesForce.com with its open API, and companies such as Mission Research, which offer high-quality, low cost shrink-wrapped software.) We also have wide availability of email tools and many ways for organizations to inexpensively add online donation capabilities. These will continue to have an impact, lower and lower down in organization size.

All that said, I believe the real power of technology in nonprofit fundraising will be found in the Internet's ability to match people with their interests - regardless of where they live - and to match people to each other based on their interests."

Dottie Schindlinger, Verve Internet Solutions
"Fundraising is about building relationships. People give to people - no matter whether they make a donation online or over a phone or by handing a check to a person. I see the latest uses of online technologies - such as personalized web pages, viral marketing, and targeted email campaigns - as just the latest ways to achieve this same goal. I don't believe that the technology can really be credited with revolutionizing fundraising - but it can make the process run faster, and make "the ask" more convenient for busy nonprofit board members and volunteers. Whether or not this will equal larger/more gifts in the end is still up for debate."

Mark Rovner, Sea Change Strategies
"The technology revolution is over for now - thank goodness! There's not that much new about web 2.0 that wasn't around in one form or another in 1999. A welcome shift will start taking place toward the quality of content and toward a new emphasis on authentic communications."