ICT Newsletter
Every two months the NCVO ICT Development Services newsletter bring you articles on technology in the voluntary and community sector plus information on the latest ICT events, publications and resources - register now to receive your copy of the newsletter.
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Latest newsletter
There has been much written about the effect of the credit crunch on the voluntary and community sector, with current estimates suggesting up to £200m of charity money was lost in the Icelandic banking collapse alone. As organisations are having to reconsider their future funding we have pulled together some existing ICT resources to help you do more with your money, as well as all the latest ICT news.
This month…
- News
- Funding for ICT
- Featured resources
- Technology in action
- Events and training
- Offers and services
Office of the Third Sector (OTS)
It’s all change in the OTS following the recent cabinet reshuffle. Phil Hope MP has moved to
the Department of Health with Kevin Brennan MP taking over as the new
Minister
for the Third Sector. The post of
Government
minister for Communications, Technology and Broadcasting has also been created in recognition
of the importance of these areas for the UK economy.
Delivering Digital Inclusion: An Action Plan for Consultation
The Communities and Local Government department has launched a consultation on the topic of
digital inclusion. The Action Plan outlines the key issues relating to the use of digital
technology and argues why digital exclusion is an increasingly urgent social problem. CLG are
seeking your feedback to help design the future of work around digital inclusion, the closing date
for responses is 19th January 2009.
www.communities.gov.uk/publications/communities/deliveringdigitalinclusion.
As always we’ve tried to pull together some of the recent funding announcements that have been made in relation to ICT. There are always more specific pots of money available regionally so for information on funding in your area, contact your local CVS or regional ICT champion.
European Social Fund – Innovation and Transnationality
The Innovation and Transnationality fund is looking to support projects which will develop
and deliver new ways of extending employment opportunity and raising workforce skills. Within the
fund there is a theme on “ICT and the digital divide”, specifically for South Yorkshire, Yorkshire
and the Humber and the East Midlands. More information at
www.esf.gov.uk/innovation_transnationality/.
Communities in Control – Digital Mentors
As part of the Communities and Local Government “Communities in Control” white paper, a
tender has been issued for a piece of work around digital mentors, individuals who will help
communities to embrace the use of new technologies. More information about the work can be found on
the
CLG website.
Building bridges for ICT excellence
Lasa have launched a project to support organisations in London with the ICT aspects of
funding bids. You can find out more information at
www.lasa.org.uk/circuitriders/.
Fundraising Conference, 19 November 2008
NCVO’s first ever fundraising conference will give you a broad picture of the key elements
involved in successful fundraising. The conference will take you through the fundraising journey,
ending with a success story for inspiration. With networking opportunities and interactive
workshops, you will get top tips to apply to your own organisations fundraising. For more and to
book visit
www.ncvo-vol.org.uk/fundraising08.
With organisations taking a fresh look at how they can make best use of their money, we have tried to pull together resources that will help you save money on your ICT.
Offer on ICT management guides
The successful suite of NCVO ICT management guides are now available to buy as a
package, ensuring you get even better value for money.
- “Guide to managing ICT in the voluntary and community sector”
- "How to cost and fund ICT”
- “From Nightmare to Nirvana: an ICT survival guide for trustees”
You can buy the guides online at www.ncvo-vol.org.uk/publications/publication.asp?id=10218 for the package price of £65 (£45.50 NCVO members). Bulk discounts are available on all publications.
Accessing discounted and free software
If you’re thinking about upgrading or adding to your software then you might want to look at
all of the options before placing your order. Open source software is free (with some associated
costs) and features many of the same applications as other leading software brands. There’s more
about open source options at
www.icthub.org.uk/managing_ICT/open_source_1.html.
To find out how to access other ICT products at discounted prices, go to
www.icthub.org.uk/discounteddeals/.
“Father of the Internet” supports ICT volunteering
Accessing ICT volunteers is just one way of ensuring you are making the most of your
technology.
iT4Communities runs an ICT volunteer
matching service and Anne Stafford, Deputy Programme Director, recently had the privilege of
meeting Vint Cerf, Vice President of Google and Internet Evangelist, to talk to him about ICT
volunteering. Watch the film at
www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7S2CCnakE0.
… PARTICIPATE
Share your experiences in the Virtual Promise survey
Since 2000 research consultancy nfpSynergy has been tracking charities’ use of the internet.
The 2008 survey is still open and you can complete the survey online at
http://research.nfpsynergy.net/s/N.6UZGcoU6NNV-9.
Silver Surfers Awards 2008
The winners of this year’s silver surfer awards – for computer users over 50 – were announced
recently at a reception in London. Bernard Featherstone of Eccles won the overall prize with runner
up prizes going to six other silver surfers from around the country. Read more at
www.digitalunite.net/docs/pressrelease_oct29blog.pdf.
… SOFTWARE
Mobile 2.0 for the voluntary sector
The latest edition of Computanews is available to download from the Lasa website and focuses
on how organisations can make use of and benefit from mobile technologies. Download your copy at
www.lasa.org.uk/computanews/index.shtml.
… AND FINALLY
Free ICT jobs board
Don’t forget that you can advertise your ICT jobs for free on the jobs board, reaching
thousands of people every month. To see the current vacancies and find out how to submit your own,
go to
www.icthub.org.uk/Jobs_Board.
Below is a selection of events happening in November and December, all other events are listed at www.icthub.org.uk/events.
info 2.0, 24th November 2008
**last chance to book**
NCVO’s Information Conference takes place later this month and is going to look at the latest
developments in social media and web 2.0 functionality.
What are the best ways your organisation can connect, both internally and externally? How can your organisation ensure you are making best use of new media to better serve your beneficiaries?
Find out more and book online at www.ncvo-vol.org.uk/infoconf08.
IT Innovation in the Community, 24th November 2008
A showcase event featuring innovative projects that have used ICT to tackle social exclusion.
Find out more at
www.icthub.org.uk/events/it_innovation_in_the_community.html.
getwithit 2008 IT Conference, 25th November 2008
Herefordshire and Worcestershire ICT conference, addressing the needs of small and medium
sized organisations in the region. Speakers on the day will cover areas such as data protection,
writing for the web and accessibility. Find out more at
www.icthub.org.uk/events/getwithit_ict_conference.html.
Corporate Community Involvement Seminar, 25th November 2008
Both businesses and charities use ICT to improve their performance – be it increasing
shareholder value or delivering benefits to people and communities. If you want to find out how by
working together business and charities can harness technology to achieve more, this is the event
for you. Find out more and book your place at
www.ncvo-vol.org.uk/ccis.
Accessing support from the ICT Development team
If you need someone to talk at your event, to your colleagues or your trustee board about how
you can make more effective use of ICT, then email
ictresources@ncvo-vol.org.uk to find out how we
can help you.
Products and services for the voluntary and community sector
If you need to find a reliable supplier for software, hardware, a web designer or
an ICT consultant then visit the ICT Suppliers Directory at
www.suppliersdirectory.org.uk. The directory,
produced by
Lasa, offers a comprehensive, easy to search
national listing of suppliers with a proven track record of working with the voluntary sector.
Discounted ICT software and hardware
Whatever your ICT requirements, NCVO member organisations can save money on a range of
market-leading products and licensing options through our recommended suppliers.
Find out more about the discounted products
and services available.
Past newsletters
2008
- September
- August There was no newsletter in August
- July The hands on issue
- June The social Media issue
- May The telephony issue
- April General round-up and news from the ICT Hub
- March The governance issue
- February The training issue
- January There was no newsletter in January
2007
December November October September August July June May April March February January
2005 / 2006
To access archive copies of the newsletter from 2005 and 2006 email ictresources@ncvo-vol.org.uk.