In late 2005, the dotOrganize team embarked on an unprecedented effort to map the current state of online technology in the social change sector. Over nine months, dotOrganize gathered survey and interview input from more than 400 social change groups, technology providers, and nonprofit technology capacity builders. Surveys and interviews were designed to identify what organizers need to support their goals, what tools are currently available, what does and does not work, and what's needed to strengthen the long-term capacity of the sector.
Great effort was made to obtain input from organizations with smaller budgets: 75% of organizations surveyed operate on annual budgets of $1 million or less; 29% on budgets under $100,000.
The full report provides a detailed view of the sector's present situation, gives voice to the organizers who are struggling with these issues, and offers recommendations for filling current gaps in strategy, software development, and tool adoption paths.