Affiliation:
1. The University of Edinburgh, UK
Abstract
Understanding information technologies and systems in the context of nonprofits is under-developed field of study. Hence, this chapter reviews current literature on this field. It maps four conventional views on ICT's benefits for the sector. Then, using insights generated through an ethnographic study on a small voluntary organisation, the challenges and issues surrounding the process of adoption and use of both typical and new information technologies are explored. It is finally discussed that social technologies, based on the notion of Web 2.0, may have some partial advantageous for volunteer-based organisations but perhaps greater benefits will emerge at the individual level.