First, Get a Worthwhile Cause; Then Get Wired

In truth, Mr. Obama's online blockbuster didn't so much reinvent the nature of online fund raising as it did take advantage of long-standing trends in demographics and technology — trends that will ultimately change how nonprofit groups present their causes to a younger, wired public.

The Obama campaign's success should be viewed as both proof of the vast organizational possibilities of a mature wired network, and an impetus for further investment by nonprofit groups and social entrepreneurs in connecting people via the Internet. Even now, as the economy continues to falter, low-cost online campaigns can spur real results for organizations during hard times — and create a new pipeline to the donors of the future.