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The Regional Strategic Cross-Sector Partnership is an opportunity to explain what is going on in the third sector and look for links in other sectors. This set of slides provides an overview of the regional third sector ICT strategy and in particular look at how the regional ICT Champion's role is helping to develop the harness the skills offered by volunteers with IT skills
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Regional ICT Strategy
Mark Walker, SCIP
ICT Champion for the South East
About Me
• SCIP: IT services and training to charities and community groups
• Social enterprise founded in 1996, based in Brighton
• Regional ICT Champion for South East England
• www.movember.com
Regional Strategy for VCS
• ICT is one of the core tools for running an effective organisation
• Good use of ICT saves time and money
• Bad use of ICT wastes time and money
Possible Benefits of ICT
• Better Campaigning
• Better Services
• Better Fundraising/Sustainability
Fit for Purpose?
• Enough reliable computers
• Necessary printers, cameras, projectors
• Appropriate Software
• Relevant Skills
• Ongoing Investment
• Awareness of Changing Demands
Some problems with ICT and VCS
• Lack of investment in ICT
• Lack of expertise amongst infrastructure organisations
• Lack of specialist support from suppliers
• Big orgs and small orgs can have different needs
ICT Strategy: Key Goals
1. Funders are positive about VCS investment in ICT
2. VCS support networks can advise and signpost on ICT
3. Volunteers respond to needs of the sector
1. Positive funders
• Revenue and capital
• Total Cost of Ownership
• Pre-application support
• Information and signposting
• Training for staff
2. Better support networks
• Training for staff
• Local signposting to relevant resources
• Development workers and other advisors understand their role in relation to effective ICT
• Sharing information about suppliers
3. Effective use of volunteers
• Lifeblood of sector
• More and more available
• More than the demand from groups [?]
• Better brokerage
• Training esp project management
What is my role?
• Identifying needs
• Working with infrastructure
• Training + awareness-raising
• Help, sounding-board, signposting
• National networks
What is my role?
• Eg Better brokering of IT volunteers– Lots of them available– Lots of people looking for help– How can we help connect them better?– Who is involved in this issue?– What support do they need?
Exercise: Red/Amber/Green
• “We are developing a new project targeted at unemployed youth.
• We need a simple website explaining the services that we will be offering, which needs to be ready for our project launch next month.
• Can you find me a volunteer…”
Exercise: Red/Amber/Green
• “We have just raised some funding for a systems upgrade.
• We need someone to help us with the tendering process, and the selection of a supplier.”
Effective ICT Volunteers
What’s the problem?
• VCS = good volunteering policies and processes
• Experience of working with volunteers
• Innovative and resourceful
• So why are IT volunteers different?
• Are they different?
Effective ICT Volunteers
Who is involved?
• Volunteer Centres, Volunteer Managers, Other brokers
• Support networks– Local, Sub-regional, National
• Employers
• Job Centres?
Effective ICT Volunteers
What’s the solution?
• Training – Awareness of issues– Understand possible solutions– Improved processes– How to access the help available
• Ongoing support
Effective ICT Volunteers
Lessons for brokers?
• Think about projects not technology
• Think about needs, not solutions– Eg fundraising, communications,
administration, services
• Engage with volunteers– Project management expertise,
procurement
Effective ICT Volunteers
Is it the Right Project?
• Not mission critical
• Not in a hurry
• Supported by board and other staff
• Well planned – know your aims
• Well managed
• Well supported
How can you help?
• Do you agree with core themes?– Funders, Support Networks, Volunteers
• In what way does it link to your work?– Funder? Support network? Employers?– Training/awareness raising?
Where to get help
• www.ictchampions.org.uk
• www.ictknowledgebase.org.uk
• www.it4communities.org.uk
• Mark Walker
• mark@scip.org.uk
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