Now that it's changed the way that books, airline tickets, cars and just about every other product is bought and sold, the Internet is pushing its electronic tentacles into the nonprofit world.
Nonprofits are at the risk of being left on the wrong side of the digital divide.
Charitable giving over the Net has barely scratched the surface. Historically, most private donations are given by people over the age of 50. Advocates of e-philanthropy hope that the demographics of Net users, which skew the other way, will help it broaden the audience of givers. For example, charities have to overcome a great deal of public mistrust before they can expect online giving to take off. Participants at the meeting agreed that philanthropic sites need clear and prominent privacy policies, as well as straightforward language that tells online donors exactly where their money is going.