Are You Out There? Internet Presence of Nonprofit Human Service Organizations

Abstract

Using a sample of nonprofit human service organizations in South Central New York, this article analyzes the nature and extent of their Internet presence by examining their adoption of various Internet-based tools as well as their activity and visibility on the Internet. Nearly all organizations had websites but few provided interactive features, beyond the opportunity to donate. Many organizations also used at least one form of social media, although level of adoption, activity, and visibility varied. High capacity organizations and those with members had higher levels of Internet presence while those reliant on program service fees and government funding had lower levels. In addition, our results suggest distinct aspects of Internet presence are related and organizations can increase their visibility on the Internet by being more active.