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Using IT Volunteers - Getting IT Help for Free
Introduction
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About ICT Hub, iT4C and me
• ICT Hub www.icthub.org.uk
• iT4Communities www.it4c.org.uk
• Anne Stafford, iT4Communities
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About this workshop
• The right volunteer
• The right project
• In the right place at the right time
• Realising success
• Getting specific
• Over to you
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The Right Volunteer
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What do volunteers want?
• To make a difference• To use IT more creatively than the day job• To be involved (as much as they want to),
to know what you do and why• To get in, do the job and get out (usually)• To be appreciated and respected for what
they do• To be treated professionally
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Selection process
• Do they have the technical/management skills• Are they experienced (being over 21 helps)• Do they have qualifications• Do they have (informal) references• Have they done this sort of thing before• Do they fill you with confidence (or despair)• Are they too keen or too flash• Are they on the make• If in doubt, kick ‘em out
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Working with volunteer professionals
• They’re human • They used to being very professional not ad hoc• They might not understand voluntary sector
culture (break ‘em in gently)• Communicate effectively and timely• Time is money to them if not to you• Deliver what you agree when you’ve agreed it• Co-operate e.g. access to databases and
password-protected websites (DPA)
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Project Management
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When free support costs you more money
• All volunteers need to be managed (=staff time)• Project responsibility lies with charity NOT
volunteer• Sometimes it’s quicker to pay someone to come
in and do it than find a volunteer and brief them• Bad communication leads to volunteer walkouts
and boycotts• No brief = scope creep and project hiatus
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Skill sharing with volunteers
• Value of external advice• Helps internal staff to think differently• Helps internal staff to learn new skills• Learn from your volunteers (but don’t
necessarily expect developers to be trainers)
• Pick their brains (but leave them some for later)
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Strategy and planning
• A fresh pair of eyes always helps• Small business IT strategy and voluntary sector
IT strategy are similar• They’re aren’t many full-time IT strategists in the
voluntary sector• If they’ve seen the problem before, they know
how to try and fix it• Technology management consultants are worth
their weight in gold (as long as they understand small organisations as well as big ones)
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Management buy-in
• Management buy in is critical – are they bothered?
• Too many projects are wildcards run by one person
• Without it, if the contact leaves, the project dies
• Make sure there is a single point of contact for the volunteer
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Users benefit? (Staff buy-in)
• What’s the ‘business case’ – why are you doing this?
• Are users involved in the decision?• Who benefits? • Why do they benefit?• Do they know they’re going to benefit?• Change management is hard – don’t
create what you can’t use
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Long term & cost free solution?
• Volunteer support isn’t sustainable – they come, they go – availability/flexibility is an issue
• Volunteers need to be managed (and need a ‘single point of contact’)
• Volunteers can’t solve problems without internal support
• You need to work with them to define what needs to be done
• They won’t read your mind and create a solution by magic
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The Strategic View
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What makes a good consultant?
• Previous experience of the project (or similar) – no virgins
• Previous experience of the voluntary sector (in some form)
• Do you like them?• Are they easy to get on with?• Do they act and talk rationally?• If they’re technology obsessed – start worrying• Do they care? PASSION + TALENT = SUCCESS
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How do you know what you need?
• Needs analysis• Strategy and planning• Project definition (what, why, when and
how)• Don’t get overwhelmed by tech wizardry• If you don’t know what you want, ask!• Not always the same person to design and
develop
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Project management
• Define what needs to be done and why – ‘common goals’
• Agree the definition in writing –simple contract• Keep an eye on things all the time – weather-view
not micromanage• Be responsible for events• Keep scope/sustainability in check – be realistic• Tie up the loose ends and thank the volunteer• Work it out, get it done – volunteering lifespan is
max. 3-6 months
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Overview of volunteer capacity
• Varies with location and skills needed• More technical people than strategists• The higher the value of the job, the less
chance of getting a volunteer• More volunteers in urban areas or around
larger IT ‘conurbations’• Someone, somewhere can do your
volunteer job – do they want to?
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What volunteers can/can’t do
• Respect someone’s skill level and their needs and wants
• People only volunteer for things they enjoy, which reward them (emotionally or socially) and where they feel valued and respected
• Strategists write strategy, techies do tech work, less qualified volunteers may be able to help with the admin
• Volunteers aren’t responsible for 24/7 and have other commitments
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Successful Projects
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Delivering Great Projects (1)
• No unrealistic promises (from either side)• If in doubt, keep it simple• Make sure all key parties have agreed on the
project definition• Check that the management is committed to the
project• In complex projects, project management role is
best located within the charity
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Delivering Great Projects (2)
• Project MUST be sustainable without the volunteer
• Cover potential risks and liabilities
• Finishing projects well is an art in its own right
• Spread the good news
• Do it again
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Case Study
The Hornsey Trust
See Case Studies section at
www.it4communities.org.uk
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Workshop
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Workshop
• What are you hoping to take from today?
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Workshop
• What does your organisation do?
• How do you make sure IT meets its aims?
• How do use IT? Do you use volunteers?
• What might an IT volunteer do?
• Managing volunteer resource
• How will support make a difference
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How does ICT meet your aims?
• Strategy
• ‘Compliant with aims’
• BE SPECIFIC
• Business objectives run an organisation, not technical ones (woof!)
• IT is a fundamental, not a luxury
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Workshop
• What makes a good IT project for volunteers?• Not mission critical• Flexible• Valuable with strong charity buy-in• Stimulating but not stressful
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Project Examples
• Website
• Database
• Tech support advice/mentoring (not networks)
• Strategy and systems review
• Training (tricky one!)
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What difference does it make?
• New perspectives
• Experience helps
• Better planning, meets objectives
• Financial savings (through planning)
• It’s not just about time and money!
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Washington Millennium Centre
"The man you recommended to help, Olu, turned out to be a real gem. He worked closely with all members of the project staff to ensure we had exactly the system we wanted and were happy to operate. This included a number of rewrites and team meetings. Olu fast became a friend and trusted advisor, he was more than helpful on a number of IT matters effecting the project, saving the project a small fortune on purchasing inappropriate software and equipment." - Campbell Barrow
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GALE
"We have been delighted with IT4C. We live in a very remote area, hundreds of miles from any of the volunteers, yet have managed to benefit from the project via e-mail/telephone communication with the volunteers. We were pleased to be able to carry out the projects at our own pace doing as much of them ourselves as we could and having continuous support from the volunteers. Both projects will in due course help our organisation to become more efficient, saving valuable resources and enabling us to spend more time on practical work within our community."
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Finding the right volunteer:
• know what you want first • think about risks and risk minimisation - ensure that
the project is suitable/ ensure that a volunteer is a suitable solution
• iT4C Project Definition can help with the above
• be prepared – have questions to ask/ resources ready • be prepared to interview and select set aside plenty of
time to monitor project and support volunteer• iT4C has online resources to assist with checklists and can
mediate
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Where to find the right volunteer:
• advertise widely and succinctly• ask for what you want in the right places
• Professional brokers - iT4C, Pro Help, Media Trust, BiTC• Volunteer Centres, • Universities, • Local businesses – ask their staff• Local press
• but be prepared to only work with someone who you trust knows what they are doing – many IT projects are not suitable for students or the inexperienced
