“Crowdsourcing” offers the potential to diversify information sources and access to information in order to advance democratic participation, and to further develop the Internet as a site for diverse discourses concerning Canadian society’s vital issues. This research study will utilize the case-study method to examine the practices of two non-profits on the leading edge of crowdsourcing. This study identifies best practices for Internet-based crowdsourcing that can be adapted by non-profits. Through a case study of multiple successful crowdsourcing campaigns by two organizations, the project analyzes how strategic adoption of crowdsourcing can improve freedom of, and access to, information; advance democratic participation; and further develop the Internet as a site of civil society communication, engagement, and decision-making.
