Internet 101: Research by Nonprofits

The Internet combines all the benefits of having a large library with all the drawbacks of not having a librarian to run it. Despite this, the Internet can be a terrific tool for research -- but it will take patience and practice to develop the needed skills.

Uses by Nonprofits

• Government Information: A small statement inserted into a bill years ago requires that all public records be made public by various means 'including the use of electronic systems.' The result is that much of what the government knows, you too can know. Get the facts on your community from HUD, find out about current legislation at the state and federal levels or find out national data on trends and demographics from the Census.
• Grant Information: Think foundations have grant requirements and application up on the Internet? Think again. Foundations are, according to one program officer, "in the business of saying 'no'" and few have any interest in lowering the barriers to applying. Information on Federal grants is plentiful, but most of the grants are for scientific research.
• Advocacy Information: Many advocacy groups publish information about their organizations, material about their causes and all of their reports online. This can be a useful source of information for talking about 'needs' in grant proposals.
• Nonprofit Information: While often anecdotal, there are published reports on "what works and what doesn't" in almost all fields. From Ph.d students who have put their thesis' on the Internet to newgroups discussing the nonprofit field, the intrepid researcher can collect current information and discuss the issues with other nonprofit professionals.

Basic Research Tools

• Mailing Lists offers timely information via email.
• Directories such as Yahoo, Lycos and InfoSeek offer terrific search programs for finding information on the web and in newgroups.

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