The document discusses the use of ICT for development workers, emphasizing the needs for awareness, information on funding, and overcoming barriers associated with ICT. It outlines various aspects such as the benefits of ICT, total cost of ownership, and planning strategies for organizations. Additionally, it provides practical exercises and resources for budgeting and obtaining support to enhance the use of ICT in voluntary organizations.

1. ICT for Development Workers Mark Walker, SCIP ICT Champion for South East England

2. About me Worked in voluntary sector 15 years Communications and information Founder of SCIP 1996 Not for profit org Helping VCOs make best use of ICT Brighton-based, work across region/UK

3. ICT for Development Workers SkilD found the same 4 needs arose when talking to development workers about ICT: Awareness of the increasing potential for ICT Information on issues groups should consider when using ICT (planning, policies, support contracts) Information on sources of funding and local support Ability to explore the barriers created by ICT for some members

4. Outline of what we’ll cover Your questions about ICT Benefits of ICT Total Cost of Ownership Funding for ICT ICT Planning ICT Health Check Who can help? Net:Gain Rounding Up

5. Your role Questions your clients ask about IT How you answer those questions Where you can get help Supporting the sector How to help groups make better use of IT Planning Tools Services

6. About you Who are you and where do you come from? What questions do you have about ICT? What questions do your clients have about ICT?

7. Benefits of ICT Individuals + Organisations + Communities Efficiency Do the same things better Effectiveness Do better things

8. Benefits of ICT Information Communications Administration Involvement Engagement Empowerment

9. Potential benefits of ICT Effective communications and trust Happy, productive staff & volunteers Increased likelihood of funding Happy, well-served clients More effective delivery Good quality, readily available information

10. Exercise: Benefits and Costs of ICT In pairs: An example of how ICT is used by the groups you work with Lessons that can learned by others

11. Funding and budgeting Be realistic Fit for purpose Full cost recovery Appropriate budget ICT Hub ‘How to Cost and Fund’ Available to download or from ICT Champion

12. Total Cost of Ownership It’s not just a box It’s like buying a car and not budgeting for petrol, an MOT and insurance Some technical knowledge may be needed Must be linked to overall organisational budget Must reflect overall goals of organisation, eg Growth or new services Key strengths or weakness

13. Exercise: Costing IT "Happy to Help”: advocacy and support organisation based in MiddleTown You are general manager preparing a budget for the coming year. You have 4 staff (2 of whom are part time) and they manage 60 volunteers who provide advocacy to about 80 people as well as run an annual awareness-raising event. You are reviewing your IT needs. You have been told it's a good idea to get a server, and want to get everyone using email properly. Staff are using a mixture of computers and some complain that theirs is too slow. They are using different versions of windows and office software. You're not sure if software is licensed. What should their budget be and what should it include? Estimate figures for each item on worksheet

14. Budgeting: What to include Hardware Software Installation Maintenance Backup Consumables Insurance Broadband Web hosting Training

15. Break

16. Funding for ICT Some funders are more positive about ICT than others Research published on NCVO website Be realistic about total costs Identify benefits of investing in ICT

17. Planning in VCOs What happens in the groups you work with? How much time is spent? What support do you offer? Any examples of ICT planning? Think about Methodologies What works What doesn’t

18. ICT Planning Good practice for all areas of work Different methods Where are we now? ICT Health Check Not just about IT Where are we going? How can ICT help us get there?

19. Exercise: DIY ICT Health Check For your organisation: Use headings on page 17 Spend 10 minutes reading and answering these questions Then… Switch your answers with someone else

20. Exercise: DIY ICT Health Check Reviewing: What does this tell you about development needs of the organisation? Are there specific short-term needs? Is there someone clearly responsible for ICT? Are budgets realistic? Have skills and training needs been considered? What else? Feedback to the group

21. Where to get help What type of help do you need? Who currently provides that help? Where can you get more help? What can you get for free? What do you need to pay for?

22. Roles and Responsibilities Planning Budgeting Project Proposals Fundraising Project Management Purchasing Installation Maintenance Training Review/evaluation Legal Requirements

23. Types of help for groups Volunteers - one off projects + ongoing Accidental Techies IT Support Companies Web Designers Database Consultants Circuit Riders Net:gain Centres UK Online Centres

24. Working with volunteers Job description and recruitment process Do they have the technical skills they claim? Do they have people skills you need? What support and training do you need to offer? How do they link to other staff? Passwords and security issues

25. Choosing suppliers Concentrate on what you require We want a website to support our fundraising campaign We want to be able to update the content ourselves Research suppliers Online and in local networks Ask your peer group for feedback Always take up references

26. Where to get help National ICT Hub, AbilityNet, NAVCA, helpline Regional RAISE, ICT Champion Local/sub-regional CVS, IT support orgs, volunteer bureau, university, private companies

27. Who can help you? ICT Hub: www.icthub.org.uk Knowledgebase Suppliers Directory Publications IT4Communities: www.it4communities.org.uk Volunteers AbilityNet: www.abilitynet.org.uk Accessibility

32. Review/discussion Using the web for support What are the most useful websites you use when you need help? What questions do they answer? What sites do you find unhelpful? How do you find out about useful sites? List them and share them

33. Who can help you? Email lists VCANet UK Riders - ICT specialists Local community networks What do you use? Your top tips

34. Net:Gain National programme Local centres Pay a fee + get subsidised consultancy support Linked to other discounts www.net-gain.org.uk

35. Any other questions? Mark Walker SCIP 01273 234049 [email_address] www.scip.org.uk