Visitors can use the site to write to the people who are listed in the data base or to create an on-line petition and forward the results to the appropriate officials. Ebase can be downloaded free, but to make modifications to the data base, charities must own FileMaker Pro. Ebase was originally developed by Desktop Assistance, a non-profit group in Helena, Mont., which is now part of the Rockefeller Family Fund's Technology Project in New York. Handgun Control Inc. All of the information is available free, but members can electronically sign their names to an e-mail letter that outlines a position on an issue, which is then sent to the appropriate members of Congress or the White House. The site also tracks the final result of the proposed bill for subscribers and details how members of Congress voted.
Individual membership is on a sliding scale.
Although the site uses conservation issues as examples, the information provided applies to all electronic activism. Organizers' Collaborative The Organizers' Collaborative is a non-profit organization in Cambridge, Mass., that promotes the use of computers and the Internet as a tool for grassroots activism. The organization's site provides links to Web sites on computers, online advocacy, social justice, and the non-profit world. The group plans to offer free software and sample documents that activists can download from the site. The Progressive Technology Project is a non-profit organization in Washington that is dedicated to helping small, grassroots groups use technology in their advocacy work.