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Strategic Communications...
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© Benton Foundation 2001
E-commerce
Take advantage of e-commerce practices and stayed informed about e-commerce policy

The word "e-commerce" tends to bring to mind Amazon.com and other big dot-com companies selling products over the Internet, and credit card numbers floating through cyberspace. E-commerce technology has come a long way in a short period of time and is now much safer and more accessible to smaller businesses and nonprofit organizations. Nonprofits are responding to these changes, increasingly using their Web sites to accept credit card donations and to sell memberships, event tickets and other items.

Monica Williams (project associate in Benton's Communications Capacity Building program), offers up E-Commerce and Nonprofits: Three Case Studies, providing practical guidance and advice to organizations seeking to incorporate e-commerce practices into their ongoing operations, and including three short case studies of organizations that have adopted e-commerce. Or go directly to the case studies:

Katharina Kopp's (senior policy associate in Benton's Communications Policy Program) Nonprofits and Electronic Commerce outlines the ways nonprofits can be affected by and can influence e-commerce policy.

Related Resources

Evolution or Extinction: A Strategy for Nonprofits in the Marketplace
In this keynote address, Surdna Foundation Executive Director Ed Skloot discusses how the private sector is taking over the work of government and nonprofits. Skloot argues that nonprofits must understand what others are doing in the marketplace, pool knowledge, and work among sectors to reach a new balance that properly supports the nonprofit sector.

Business Models
From Michael Rappa of North Carolina State University. If your nonprofit is interested in integrating e-commerce into your Web strategy, this comprehensive collection of resources can help you think about possible models of e-commerce. See also Security to learn more about the online security issues related to e-commerce.

Charitable Groups Find Revenue in Web Retailing
Bob Tedeschi from the New York Times writes about how nonprofits are using e-commerce.

Checklist for Going into E-Commerce
Some organizations have incorporated e-commerce into their communications activites. This simple questionnaire, created by the Women's Business Center serves as an initial survey of your organization's readiness to utilize e-commerce. Although created with small businesses in mind, the questions also pertain to those nonprofits interested in e-commerce.

How to choose a Web Store
About.com lists some things to keep in mind as you search for an e-commerce solution. See also their Web-Store Software Selector for a side-by-side (but not very detailed) comparison.

Webmonkey E-commerce Tutorial
This tutorial walks you through the process of planning then building, buying or renting an e-commerce solution.

 

Last updated: 15 October 2001 mff