The following was contributed by Ryan Turner, OMB Watch Nonprofit Policy and Technology Analyst, to a February 2002 Athena Alliance white paper, "Extending the Information Revolution." Turner argues that nonprofits-- particularly those most underserved or with underserved populations-- must provide aggressive, yet coordinated, perspectives in the technology development and policy arenas, in order to realize any benefit from innovation. They must also serve as early adopters of technology innovation, as a means to counter sector-wide inability or unwillingness to utilize technology in nonprofit operations and activities. Extending the information revolution is predicated not merely on providing affordable, equitable and utilizable access to technology and knowledge. It also involves the support, development and sustainability of mechanisms that are both appreciated and relevant in the lives of people who use them. Yet too often information, knowledge, expertise and technology are concentrated among developers or early adopters who have the financial means and people resources to access and use them. Non-profits are responsible for addressing, coordinating and delivering services in response to an increasingly wide range of individual human needs. As such, they provide the means for collective social, civic and advocacy activity. The demands and responsibilities placed upon these organizations are increasing in an ever more uncertain economic and political landscape. Their value as fundamental institutions for advocacy must be acknowledged, with a focus on increasing the capacity of organizations to effectively acquire and apply information, knowledge management, communications and technology resources. Non-profits are more than just conduits through which information resources are distributed to individuals. They are also more than simply access points for connecting individuals to useful knowledge and information. These organizations' proximity to and experience with those they serve contributes to their valuable, yet often overlooked, roles as community facilitators. In that role, they serve in an important position of early adopters and arbiters of tools, resources, and practices most likely to succeed in addressing individual and community needs. More resources (technological and otherwise) should be deployed to places where the need is greatest for innovation to address growing numbers of underserved populations in an effective and efficient manner, yet where demand is suppressed due to lack of awareness and understanding as to their availability or relevance. This means investing in non-profit capacity building specific to the internal operations of individual organizations. It also means broader nonprofit-driven development of knowledge management and coordination approaches to meet human needs. Directing resources in this area also helps to ensure that resources are deployed in a manner that is relevant to both organizations and the broader communities they serve. This necessitates learning from similar efforts within the public and private sectors, whose track records as traditional early adopters and developers can help minimize the obstacles facing non-profits. Increased nonprofit involvement will also lead to more direct involvement by stakeholders in the issues around the support, growth, and sustainability of information mechanisms. This is an important part of moving end-users from consumers to owners of the knowledge that impacts their lives and opportunities. Such investments help to ensure that society's innovation edge is kept perpetually sharp, while reducing the barriers to access and participation by all. Achieving these ends requires the following actions:

1. Focus on helping community groups and non-profit organizations use technology in their day-to-day operations - not just on the role of these organizations in providing access to the technology.
2. Identify, assess and coordinate existing initiatives, at all levels and within and across all sectors, that direct funding, people and community-based and/or -focused knowledge assets towards key social and institutional deficiencies, in order to eliminate duplication and encourage replication.
3. Support innovation in technology and related means through non-traditional and/or non-commercial players, while fostering an environment of innovation which can target challenges specific to the sector.
4. Actively engage organizations and those served by their activities through both traditional and nontraditional means, including technologically, to address issues of reluctance and unfamiliarity, and to encourage interest and adoption of tools to facilitate public and social participation, especially where need is greatest.