Holly Ross, NTEN [Ed. note: This is Holly's introduction to our August Newsletter. If you aren't subscribed yet, you really should be.]

I recently learned that online fundraising made up only about 5% of total annual giving in 2008. I was floored. I thought it would be 30 to 50 percent. Why? Because I spend all day, every day in front of a laptop tweeting about my Facebook links.

Brett Meyer, NTEN

The digital divide doesn't exist.

It's the definite article that causes problems, implying there's an easy way to think about the issues surrounding the inequitable access to technology -- and perhaps an easy solution. We can just bridge the gap, right?

But anybody who's seen Cloverfield or I Am Legend knows what happens when a mass of people tries to cross a bridge to escape a bad situation: a bottleneck forms, infighting destroys group solidarity, and then something unforeseen destroys the bridge. (Or, less monster-centric, we may simply lack the requisite know-how to build a bridge that works.)

Sheldon Mains

You work in a nonprofit. By definition, your to-do list includes a lot of important things you need to get done, right now. It probably includes more important things than you have time to do. So, why would you be interested in the debate about getting broadband Internet access to under-served communities? Why should you be interested in esoteric issues like "net-neutrality?

Simply put, in the last 15 years, the Internet has become a necessity for participating in our society -- and in most cases, high speed Internet has become a necessity. If you care about your clients, if you care about your community, you need to care about the Internet.

Nathaniel James, OneWebDay

OneWebDay is a global event celebrated every September 22 since 2006. It provides an opportunity for communities to celebrate the power of the Web for positive change, to take action to protect what they value most about it, and to educate the public and policy-makers on the social, economic, and political impact of the Web.

This year's theme -- One Web. For All. -- is all about digital inclusion, digital literacy, and working to close the many digital divides we face in our global society. Access to a fast, affordable, and open Internet is essential for every child in school, every entrepreneur with a new idea, and anyone who wants full access to government and the democratic process.

To find out how you can take part, keep reading.

Allyson Kapin, Rad Campaign

I live in a world full of progressives.

My business partner at Rad Campaign, who also happens to be my husband, is a progressive. The consultants I work with are progressive. I even organize conferences and events like the Women Who Tech TeleSummit that have a progressive slant.

So, when I survey the mainstream tech and social media conference circuit and see on average that only a dismal 10% to 20% of panel presenters are women, it shocks me. Why? Because I come from the nonprofit world, where women and men are both valued and seen as rock stars in their roles spearheading online communications programs in online advocacy, online fundraising and social media.

Sami Hassanyeh, AARP

The gap between older and younger digital users is rapidly diminishing, especially as boomers explore the vast array of uses for the Internet.

A recent study by the Center for the Digital Future, in conjunction with AARP, revealed that 41 to 46 percent of Internet users, spanning all age ranges, cited the Internet as "important or very important" in maintaining social relationships.

The same study showed that among older Internet users who are members of online communities, 58 percent log in to their communities one or more times daily, compared to 47 percent of community members under 20. Additionally, 70 percent of the older users rated their communities as very important or extremely important, compared to 58 percent of younger users.

Flickr: ThomasBrandtFrom  the number of "out of office" replies I get anytime I send an email to the NTEN community, it looks like we're well into vacation season. If you're one of the lucky ones taking some vacation time to get out and about this summer, the folks at iwith.org have an assignment for you:

Take your camera and shoot some pics that demonstrate the digital divide.

It's the third season for this Barcelona and Switzerland-based organization's digital divide photo contest, and you're invited to participate. They'll be accepting submissions all summer -- through September 20th -- and they'll publish the selected photos on their site starting September 27th. 

Read full contest details here, and you can see the 2008 photos here.

Flickr Photo: reway2007How long has it been since you heard the term "digital divide"?

We don't talk about it like we used to. Back in 2000, dozens of foundations and many more nonprofits were focused on making sure that everyone had access to a computer and the Internet. Mainstream media coverage came fast and furious.

Somewhere along the way, the digital divide fell out of vogue. Still, in every community across this country, there are children and adults who do not have a computer or cannot access the Internet.

Why is it so hard for nonprofits to effectively use technology and what can we do about it? The California-based research outfit PolicyLink sets out to answers these questions in their report “Bridging the Innovation Divide: An Agenda for Disseminating Technology Innovations within the Nonprofit Sector”.

The report looks at twelve case studies in order to answer the following questions:

1. What are the causes of the innovation divide?

2. How and why do nonprofit organizations adopt new technology innovations and assimilate them into their work?

3. What can be done to speed up the diffusion of innovations within the nonprofit sector?

The case studies explore the development, adoption and diffusion of technological innovations in the nonprofit sector. After exploring the successes and challenges faced by these nonprofits, PolicyLink sets out a five point agenda to help nonprofits make better use of information and communications technologies:

1. Establish new federal, state, philanthropic, and corporate funding programs to develop and disseminate technology innovations within the nonprofit sector.

2. Create forums and intermediaries—at the local and national levels—to facilitate the adoption and dissemination of technology innovations.

3. Support universal service reforms that enable nonprofits to gain broadband access to best take advantage of ICT innovations.

4. Create forums for learning from the private sector about the adoption and use of new ICTs.

5. Establish standards and mechanisms for data sharing and interoperability.

Clearly funding and information sharing play a large role in addressing our sector’s technology needs. We here at NTEN are fully bought into this agenda in our strategic goals for our work and for the sector. Learn more about PolcyLink’s agenda, and how you can be a part of the solution, by reading the report.