Cyberspace Challenges to Mainstream Nonprofit Health Organizations

Abstract

Nonprofits are increasingly significant to public administration. The field also is confronting the Internet. In examining health-based nonprofits, the authors ask: How are traditional nonprofits and newer radical groups using the Internet? What is the relationship between these two types of groups? Traditional groups use the Internet for organizational maintenance whereas newer groups use it for the more “radical” pursuits of empowerment, advocacy, and the provision of solidary benefits. The authors identify three relationships between traditional groups and their newer, more radical counterparts: cooperation, competition, and specialization.