Thank you for having me here today Louise Brown ICT Development Officer at NCVO Role is to support organisations to make more effective use of technology Via a range of funded projects , events , resources & one to one support Wanted to talk about some of the key challenges facing the voluntary sector around ICT You are all people with some involvement in ICT in your organisation Not planning on telling you what you already know So will signpost to some of the resources that are out there for you
So: What are some of the key challenges? And how can you get help to address them?
Funding for ICT has always been difficult Funders are often reluctant to fund capital projects Even more so with the current funding cuts Funders often don’t understand how technology can benefit voluntary organisations When funders do fund ICT projects, the budget submitted is often unrealistic It can be easy to cost the price of the computer or other hardware Without factoring in all of the other associated training, support, licenses, set up costs This creates a viscous cycle of poor funding The key is to talk about your project in terms of the benefits Don’t ask for money for a database but do talk about a project that will improve services for your users Allowing you to reach more people or offer a more holistic service
NCVO’s How to Cost and Fund ICT guide takes you through how to write an ICT funding proposal You can download a copy on the website There is also information about budgeting and buying your ICT on the website Funding Central has over 4,000 grants, contracts and loans to search through and is free to use
There are also articles on the Lasa Knowledge base to help you cost your ICT Use the technology calculator to help you get an idea of how much your technology should cost Lasa’s Building Bridges to ICT Excellence project gives organisations thinking of applying to Wates Foundation , Cripplegate Foundation or City Bridge Trust access to support in writing their funding application
Does your organisation have access to people with ICT skills? They obviously have you but do you think you have enough support in making decisions? Many small and medium sized organisations don’t have anyone they can talk to about their technology within their staff and trustees There are a number of places you can go for support: Consultants Suppliers IT Volunteers
Access to appropriate ICT solutions Buying the wrong product can leave a deep scar within an organisation, often leaving resentment with staff. It’s important to do a thorough analysis of your needs before you buy anything Talk to the people that are going to use it and the people who are going to benefit from it What do they want? How would they use it? You can talk to one of those people on the previous slide to help you through this process When you know what you want, look at the NCVO preferred suppliers of ICT services
Social media isn’t a challenge in the same way as funding or support is But many people are wondering how they can make use of social media Are you talking about how social media can help you to engage with people? Do your decision makers understand the benefits? Persuading managers that it is a valid use of time can be difficult As with all technology you need to be talking about the benefits it brings And not the app that you can get for your iphone Focus on what you will be able to do better or more of
Download the “ How to use new media guide ” The Lasa Knowledgebase has articles on how to go about using social media tools in your organisation NFP Tweetup is a free meet up of people primarily using Twitter in the voluntary sector but can be a good place to find out how others are doing it Social Media Surgeries are popping up all over the country People are volunteering their time to help organisations use social media Check the website to find out if there is one near you
NCVO has lots of resources online to help you make more effective use of ICT There are web pages and publications to download Bi-monthly email – email me to subscribe or leave me your card today We run events like these fairly regularly We have some coming up very soon for chief executives and trustees
We are running a series of free seminars for chief executives and trustees To help them think about how technology can help them make the most of the resources of their organisation If you think that your chief executive or trustee would benefit from attending Then please forward them this link
NCVO has a range of deals with IT suppliers , giving discounts to NCVO members You can find all of these listed on the website; including Microsoft, Symantec, Sage and Huddle If you are looking for someone to work with you to plan your ICT or support it then the Directory of Approved Consultants has people for you
There are more places to look for support: Suppliers Directory IT4Communities Regional ICT Champions Knowledgebase
Thank you Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions My details are all here
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