A Theoretical Framework for Strategic Use of the Web among Nonprofit Organizations

The diffusion of advanced Internet-based technologies, in particular the World Wide Web (Web), provides new ways for nonprofits to innovatively and creatively confront the complex challenges faced by their current operating environment. The forces at play include decreased government funding, increased demand for programs and services, decline in civic participation, and increased public demand for greater oversight and accountability. Unfortunately, many nonprofits lack the organizational and technological capacity necessary to exploit the strategic potential of the Web. This phenomenon has been coined the organizational digital divide – the inequalities between organizations in society that can strategically use the Web to support their mission and those that cannot. In order to better understand the factors that contribute to the organizational digital divide, we develop a theoretical framework that explains why some nonprofits can strategically use the Web to advance their mission and goals, while others cannot. We conclude with strategies for bridging the organizational digital divide