This site grew out of discussions among grassroots organizers and grant makers on how information technology can be used to achieve social change. The project provides technical assistance and grants. The site was created by TeamTech San Francisco, an AmeriCorps program that helps local nonprofit organizations better use technology. A program of the Rockefeller Family Fund in New York, TechRocks seeks to help nonprofit organizations and foundations use technology to bring about social change. Visitors to the site can download Ebase, the project's free database program that allows charities to keep track of members' advocacy interests and how much money they have contributed to the group.
Users can download free programs from the site and complete technology-planning worksheets online.
CompuMentor also publishes a related monthly e-mail newsletter, By The Cup . Every two months, the United Way of New York City posts a newsletter on its Web site that helps charities learn more about technology and how they can use it to improve their work. Formerly known as the Telecommunications and Information Infrastructure Assistance Program, this program awards matching grants to nonprofit groups and state and local governments to integrate technology into education, health-care, and other projects. The program's site includes project descriptions and contact information for the grants that have been awarded since 1994. An online forum to discuss the use of technology in nonprofit organizations, maintained by CharityChannel, a company that sponsors e-mail discussion lists for nonprofit professionals.