In association with Simon Fraser University & Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute
Simon Fraser University
Great Northern Way Campus
555 Great Northern Way
Vancouver, BC, Canada V5T 1E2
tel: 1.604.268.7306
fax: 1.604.268.7309
email: act4hlth@sfu.ca
website: www.sfu.ca/act4hlth
Use of the Internet by Small Community Based Health Organizations: Towards Increased
Capacity (Theme I)
Investigator: Leslie Bella
Research Partner: Planned Parenthood, (now sexual health center), Aids Committee of Newfoundland
and Labrador, The Bereavement Association, The Sexual Assault Crisis Centre, WISE (Women in Search
of Employment), The Senior's Resource Centre, and the Stella Burry Corporation.
Background
This collaborative project involves work with participating organizations to evaluate the effectiveness
of their internet presence, and to use this evaluation and the resources of Act4Health to design and
evaluate a strategy for enhancing the capacity of organizations in the effective use of the internet to
pursue health related aspects of their organizational mission.
Project Description
This project works with a sample of small nonprofit health organizations serving the predominantly rural
province of Newfoundland to evaluate their web-based health initiatives. One of the primary aims is to
identify the issues these small nonprofit organizations face as they attempt to use the web to increase
rural access to their information and services. Their feedback on our evaluations is meant to assist
ACTION for Health develop a strategy that similar organizations can use to make better use of the web
and to develop appropriate in house capacity to manage and develop this aspect of their services.
The first phase in this research process is to approach a cross-section of the health-oriented nonprofit
organizations based in Newfoundland and Labrador, and invite them to collaborate in an evaluation of
their web presence. In this stage, each of the organizations identify the specific objectives of their internet
presence. These objectives then inform revision of ACTION's original Website Evaluation Tool so it can
become more useful for these collaborating organizations.
The second phase of the project involves researchers also using this tool to evaluate the participating
organizations' websites. The Website Evaluation Tool and associated Guidebook are also further refined.
Phase three consists of sharing the website evaluation reports produced in the first two phases
with the participating organizations. We ask for feedback on the utility of these reports and on assistance
they might find useful in maintaining and strengthening the effectiveness of their web presence.
Partner Benefits
The ultimate aim is to build on this research process to design and evaluate an intervention intended
to strengthen the capacity of nonprofit organizations to make effective use of the internet.
.