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. And financial software for bookkeeping and fund accounting helps with one of the biggest headaches in the non-profit world. Externally, telecomputing allows organizations to gather data on funding opportunities, on issues they address, and on the population they serve. It allows them to more easily communicate with their peers in other organizations to share experiences and build coalitions.