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Nonprofits still struggle to find low-cost tech equipment and upgrades, but that isn't keeping them from pursuing the same technological trends adopted by for-profit operations.

Local nonprofits are incorporating tools such as donor-management software and blogs — Web-based diaries with articles written by the blog owner that include images, media and links to other Web pages.

"My intuition is people are coming up to speed on blogs, and they get how some of these tools are easy to use on the Web," said Marnie Webb, vice president of knowledge services at CompuMentor, creator of the nonprofit technology Web site TechSoup.org in San Francisco.

At the offices of Literacy Volunteers of Tucson, 1948 E. Allen Road, technology is gradually finding its place with the staff of six.

Each week they work collectively to coordinate the schedules of about 250 volunteer tutors and their adult students around the city.

To accomplish this, they use a software program called Donor Perfect that, although intended as a donor-management program, is customizable for their use, said Executive Director Betty Stauffer. "Four years ago, it was a bunch of Excel sheets, if that."

Larger nonprofits have already embraced blogs, such as the March of Dimes on its Share Your Story site, www.share yourstory.org, which gives parents of premature babies the chance to chart their personal trials and successes.

Recently the blog site was nominated for the 10th Annual Webby Awards, the international competition for Web sites, in the community category.

But blogs are just a small part of the technological innovations being embraced by nonprofits.

Online fund-raising has been around for nearly a decade, but Webb, of CompuMentor, has also noticed the emergence of nontraditional forms of communication and advocacy.

Web sites like Flickr.com give anyone with a camera and some initiative the chance to post photos and tag them with descriptions such as "homeless" or "pollution." That allows people with an interest in these subjects to find the photos — and connect with each other.

"They're tagging photos that describe urban blight," Webb said. "These are people who are already interested, going the extra mile. As a nonprofit, 'How do I find the people who are already energized about my issue area?' "

For most nonprofits, however, the Web site still remains their primary Internet tool.

"Over the last three years, their Web presence has become their marketing," said Marsha Lamb, CEO of NPower Arizona based in Phoenix.

Beginning this month, NPow-er Arizona is also providing low-cost technological consulting and upgrades to member organizations in the Tucson area.

Lamb cited the growing trend of blogs and e-commerce among nonprofits as examples of how nonprofits are increasingly using the Internet to draw publicity and create an alternate revenue stream.

"It isn't just about networking and sharing files to save costs anymore," she said.

The improved use of technology also creates a need for improved training, as Literacy Volunteers of Tucson has found. Beginning later this month, the group will begin offering computer-literacy courses for tutors.

"We can't move forward and include technology in what we do if our tutors, many who are predominantly 60 years or older, aren't comfortable using it," Stauffer said.

After seeking help from two volunteers, both of whom happen to work as information-technology specialists, Literacy Volunteers recently signed on as the first local nonprofit member of NPower.

"I'm looking to them at this point mostly to help us with our office computers, the infrastructure and databases," Stauffer said.

At this stage, the Web site functions as little more than an introduction to Literacy Volunteers' work. But Stauffer would eventually like to see it become more interactive and hopes to add instructional videos for use by students and tutors.

"I know that's the wave of the future. We will probably get there," she said.