Research Bibliography
As part of the research for the TechImpact Project, below is a bibliography of relevant literature of articles and books about barriers of IT use and the effectiveness of IT investments.
Barriers to Effective IT Use in Nonprofit Organizations
Kirschenbaum, Josh and Radhika Kunamneni. Bridging the Organizational Divide: Toward a Comprehensive Approach to the Digital Divide. New York: PolicyLink, 2001.
A paper that introduces the concept of the organizational divide—the divide between community based organizations that have technology and those that do not—and makes a case that it is just as critical to close this divide as it is to close the individual digital divide. The paper also presents a framework for developing a comprehensive policy agenda for addressing the digital divide at both the organizational and individual levels.
Manzo, Pete and Bill Pitkin. The IT Revolution & Nonprofit Organizations in Los Angeles. Los Angeles: Center For Nonprofit Management and UCLA Advanced Policy Institute, 2002.
The results of a study of technology use by nonprofit organizations conducted in Los Angeles County in 2001. The study found that while access to quality IT infrastructure was becoming less of a problem for organizations at that time, many nonprofits still struggled to use technology effectively because they lacked the technology management skills and training they needed to maintain and use it more effectively.
Marsh, Jane. Colorado’s Nonprofit Technology Assistance Project (NTAP): Needs Assessment & Market Study. Denver: 2002.
The results of a study conducted to determine technology needs of nonprofit organizations in Colorado in 2001. The study found that nonprofits in Colorado needed more access to affordable technology services, access to Colorado-specific information about available technology resources, professional development programs, and research and development to prototype new technology applications of potential benefit to the sector. This paper recommended the establishment of NPower Colorado. Paper not available.
NPower. Technology Literacy Benchmarks for Nonprofit Organizations. Karen Menichelli and Jillaine Smith, eds. Washington DC, 2002.
Presents 43 “best-in-class” benchmarks that represent the current standard for appropriate, efficient, and sustainable technology use in a nonprofit organization. Collectively, they provide an example of how a technologically literate nonprofit integrates technology into its daily work.
Linking Technology to Nonprofit Effectiveness, Outcomes and Impact
Accenture. Identifying Enablers of Nonprofit High Performance. Executive Issues in Nonprofits 2005/ 2006. New York, 2006.
A paper that outlines six actions nonprofit organizations can take to improve their organizational performance. Step number three is "making better use of information technology".
Carlson, Neil. Social Impact Assessment: A Discussion among Grantmakers. New York: 2003.
A summary of findings from a meeting convened by the Rockefeller and Goldman Sachs Foundations to discuss approaches to social impact evaluation and to begin developing a common set of performance metrics for education/youth development organizations and community development/employment organizations.
Forster, Jeffrey J.; Outon, Peggy; Wormer, Sallie; Kuzma, Nick. Southwestern Pennsylvania Nonprofit Technology Survey 2006. Pittsburgh: Bayer Center for Nonprofit Management Robert Morris University, 2006.
Results of a survey taken to enhance the understanding of how nonprofits in the Southwest Pennsylvania region use technology to accomplish their missions. This study is the third in a series of studies measuring nonprofit technology usage in the region and provides a picture of how technology usage is evolving in the area.
Luckey, Amy. From Improving IT Infrastructures to Achieving Social Good: Outcomes of Nonprofit Technology Assistance Providers. San Francisco: Blueprint Research & Design, Inc., 2003.
A paper that explores the outcomes of Nonprofit Technology Assistance Providers’ work to improve the IT infrastructure of nonprofit organizations and makes recommendations for ways that NTAPs can improve their evaluation systems and ultimately serve their clients more effectively. This paper argues for a shared framework, vocabulary, and tool kit that NTAPs can use to evaluate the outcomes of their work.
Smith, Benjamin; Matheson, Karen; DiJulio, Sarah. eNonprofit Benchmarks Study: Measuring Email Messaging, Online Fundraising, and Internet Advocacy Metrics for Nonprofit Organizations. M+R Strategic Services and the Advocacy Institute, 2006.
The results of a study conducted in 2004 and 2005 that provides a snapshot of key metrics and benchmarks for email communications, online fundraising and online advocacy at 15 nonprofit organizations. The purpose of this study is to help other nonprofit organizations get a sense of the effectiveness of their own online advocacy programs by comparing their results from those gathered in this study.
