In February, while devastating tornadoes were racking Southern Georgia, folks from around the world were getting on the Internet, connecting to the American Red Cross Atlanta Chapter's home page, and making monetary contributions using an online donation form supplied by CollegeNET, Inc. to aid the relief effort. This is just one example of a quiet phenomenon that's revolutionizing non-profit fund raising - online giving via the Internet.

According to Tim Wahlers, the Red Cross Metropolitan Atlanta Chapter's financial development manager, "Two months before the tornadoes hit, we had decided to install web-based contributions processing for our chapter homepage. The decision turned out to be a key part of our preparedness for responding to this disaster. When people realized the impact of the tornado, we immediately started receiving contributions from around the world via the Internet, including two for over $500."

Having a web-based donor page doesn't just bring in much needed money fast. Many non-profits are finding it a more cost effective way to solicit money than traditional mass mailings. Organizations can use the Internet to broadcast their message and fund raising appeal literally to the world. Their donors, in turn, appreciate the ease, convenience, and "soft sell."

It does take sophisticated technical know-how to get an online donations page up and running, however, and many non-profits simply don't have those resources. That's why they're turning in increasing numbers to Application Service Providers (ASPs) like Contribute.com (www.contribute.com), the company that built the Atlanta Chapter's online donation form.

Paul Casey, corporate communications manager for CollegeNET, Inc, Contribute.com's parent company, says "We take pride in securely processing web contributions for our rapidly growing client base of non-profit organizations. It is particularly gratifying to know that by handling the technology side, we help free them to keep their full attention on achieving their organization's vital mission."