“Workhorses and Show Ponies”: The Role of 501(c)(3) Recordkeeping Requirements on the Queer Activist Work of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence™

The archival and record‐keeping practices of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence (SPI) reflect a unique intersection of queer activism, roles and structures borrowed from Catholic religious hierachies, and the organizational demands of 501(c)(3) nonprofit work. This study examines how these contexts shape the individual and community information work of members of SPI with an emphasis on their use and management of information and communication technologies (ICTs). Through findings from interviews with members from 10 different SPI houses within the United States, the paper discusses how ICTs inform the information activism of SPI members. Themes discussed in the paper include how SPI members prioritized ICT choice and use, the role of management of house information via ICTs, and how ICTs impacted member accountability across houses. Findings reveal that compliance with nonprofit regulations informed which ICTs members and houses prioritized and, by extension, shaped their advocacy work. Additionally, findings suggest that community accountability helps institutionalize collective management of house digital assets and their use and management. The paper concludes by contending the complex uses by SPI houses and their members reveal ways that ICT providers ought to consider the complexities of activist work to design more adaptable systems, while supporting nonprofit.