# Social Ecology to close as ASP to non-profits

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2003/05/21/social-ecology-close-asp-nonprofits/
- Published: 2003-05-21T23:00:00+01:00
- Author: Howard Lake

![](https://www.fundraising.co.uk/files/images/news/2279.jpg)

Social Ecology, the pioneering American application service provider (ASP) set up
four years ago by non-profit technology expert Michael Gilbert, will stop providing
its technology services this Summer.
Social Ecology offered a range of valuable 
technology tools for non-profits, all of them delivered via the Web as ASPs. DonorLink,
CMS and InWeb were all designed exclusively for non-profits.

DonorLink is a relationship management tool, that enabled many non-profits to send
their first e-mail newsletters, personalised e-mail correspondence, and to run surveys.
CMS is a content management system that could be integrated easily with DonorLink.
InWeb is an Intranet-style knowledge management system offering access controls,
cataloging, notification, news, and peer-to-peer communication between organisations.

Social Ecology was one of the few companies serving non-profits founded before the
Dot Com boom and it survived the ensuing crash. Founder Michael Gilbert had a passionate
vision of accountability to the sector: as such, he claims that it was the

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only company whose shareholders included many non-profit organizations.

“It’s a sad but familiar story,” said Gilbert. “We were unable to finance the

growth we experienced in the last two years. I’m just glad there are some good providers
still out there.”

Social Ecology successfully went head to head with competitors that had ten times
its

marketing capital. At the same time, it pushed the field forward with features that
have yet to be emulated by others and was often described as the company most committed
to interoperability and, as Gilbert would say, “playing well with others.”

UK Fundraising’s Howard Lake said: “The withdrawal of Social Ecology as an ASP is
indeed very sad. The company stood out from its larger competitors because it combined
an awareness of the potential of Internet technology for non-profits with an practical
and genuine understanding of the needs of the non-profit sector.” He added: “It 
put its money where its mouth was by giving shares to non-profits, and Michael Gilbert
should be congratulated for all he achieved with Social Ecology.”

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