Abstract
Pundits of information technology stress that the Internet opens new arenas for nonprofits through the ability to
share information both locally and globally. New technology also changes funders' and other evaluators'
expectations regarding proposals.
Although new technology makes life easier for organizations with budgets, time, and familiarity with technology
to buy and use these new tools, nonprofits that lack these resources fall even further behind in their quest to
support and improve their programs. Based on ethnographic research in Kenosha, Wisconsin, this article explores the
role of changing technology in the ability of small nonprofits to succeed in implementing their organizational
mission. Using case studies, this article compares the experience of nonprofits and church mission projects based in
the African American and Latino communities in this small city to that of two mainstream organizations in gaining
funding and the general perception of those agencies in the local community. The article argues that expectations
about the use of technology increase the gaps between a community's haves and haveโnots. Kenosha
organizations based in communities of color are particularly at risk due to already low funding and lack of staff
familiar with new technologies. The article demonstrates that the key is often not access to technology or technical
assistance but the time to make the best use of available technology.