6 - Next Steps: Integrating The Internet Into Your Organization

The previous chapters focused on making you feel comfortable with the Internet and some of the many information resources and tools that can be accessed. Now, you need to take the next step by bringing this expertise into your organization. Your organization needs to integrate the Internet into all of your activities in order to make a real impact on your advocacy work.

You may think that getting your organization online means having a Web site. While you will eventually need a Web site, there are many other steps you can take to integrate the Internet into your work. Establishing a Web presence is an ongoing process that takes time, not an event that happens in one day. Most importantly, remember that you can’t do everything at once. Here are the recommended steps in this process, each of which will be described in more detail in this chapter:

1. Be an Internet Champion and make the most out of your connection.
2. Get everyone in your organization connected and aware of the power of the Internet.
3. Assess your organization’s strategies and capacity for using the Internet.
4. Identify the tools and resources you can use today.
5. Plan for the future and build your organization’s capacity.

• Explain to others why your organization needs to be online
• Assess your organization’s current capacity for using the Internet
• Identify the Internet tools and resources most appropriate for your organization
• Understand what is needed to integrate the Internet into your organization’s advocacy work