These are the groups that are already fighting to empower their members, i will be no small accomplishment if we can help them finds ways to use telecommunications to increase their chances of success. If we want to impact NII policy, we have to build a grassroots base as well as advocate at the federal level. But it is only one part of the picture. Local understanding of the issues based on concrete efforts to use telecommunications for community improvement is just as important, perhaps in some ways even more important. This is another way that organizations multiply individual impact.
Technology can help organizations attract and keep loyal members, a vital ingredient for success.
The value of membership increases if organizations are the vehicle for computer skills training and for access to the world of on-line resources. At the same time, local organizations will be better than some central group at recruiting network users from a broad range of the population. Technology also makes groups more effective. Internally, groups can use word processing to create funding proposals, write reports and petitions about important issues, create membership letters and other materials, prepare newsletters and flyers, and more. Databases are vital for keeping membership lists and addresses, tracking contributions, client tracking, etc.