Building Connections

Increasingly sophisticated technology is making it cheaper and easier for many charities to connect with supporters and volunteers. Charities are relying more heavily on social networks like Facebook and harnessing new Internet communication technologies to advance their work. Among the new options:

CHARITIES ARE SETTING UP DONATION KIOSKS that work like automated teller machines to accept credit or debit cards. In the future, the machines might be used to connect people who want to help charities in ways other than giving money. But experts say charities have to be careful to use the kiosks in a tasteful manner. "You don't want to put these kiosks out there like a shameless electronic hand," says one consultant to charities and other organizations.

FACEBOOK, the popular social-networking site, is allowing nonprofit groups and companies to develop new technology tools to reach out to its 58 million members. More than 45,000 charity efforts are now under way on the site, experts estimate.

INTERNET-BASED TELEPHONE SYSTEMS are making it cheaper for nonprofit officials to make calls when they are working overseas, and greatly lowering the cost of videoconferences. In addition, the systems are aiding charities in grass-roots advocacy efforts and enabling them to send text messages and exchange files of information for far less money than before.

THE NONPROFIT TECHNOLOGY CONFERENCE, set for New Orleans in March, will feature such topics as using mobile phones and Web-based social networks for raising money and communicating with supporters.

A NEW WEB SITE aims to reduce the volume of direct-mail catalogs that go out to consumers by helping people "opt out" of companies' mailing lists.

VIDEO AND OTHER MEDIA PROJECTS supported by the Open Society Institute to document the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina have been brought together on a new Web site.