IT Volunteers

Goal for 2011

• VCOs are getting the best value from the support offered by volunteers with ICT skills

Key tasks now:

• Help identify and share current best practise in working with volunteers offering ICT skills

• Help develop a sustainable sub-regional model for brokering support from volunteers with ICT skills

What is the problem?

Given limited resources many VCOs welcome volunteers who offer to help with their IT needs. This may be installing or updating software, producing a newsletter or setting up a new website.

When it works well an organisation will get professional support at minimal cost, while the volunteer will feel part of a team and may gain valuable work experience.

However when problems happen it can mean that the VCO is left worse off then before the volunteer started. A website may be half finished, or details such as passwords or supplier details may be lost or held back by the volunteer.

As with any successful volunteering relationship the key ingredient is successful brokering. This means clearly identifying the needs of the VCO, recruiting someone whose skills match those needs and then offering support to help the relationship develop.

Many of the problems with IT volunteering stem from the lack of technical knowledge of the client group or the volunteer broker, or both. To begin with they may find it difficult to identify what is needed, beyond the level of 'a website' or 'help with our computers'. More detail is needed but it is difficult to know where it can come from.

A similar problem exists when the volunteer is not familiar with the work of VCOs. They may be looking for a clear sense of direction to make the most of their skills, but will often have to spend a lot of time identifying what is needed and seeking agreement before actually doing anything.

Finally it can be difficult to know whether a volunteer has the skills you need - even if they say they do. Given the offer of help it can be difficult for a VCO to say no, which means you are relying on the volunteer to decide whether their skills meet the needs of the organisation.

Better brokering

Given the current pressure on Volunteer Centres and other brokering resources this is a problem which requires specialist support. IT 4 Communities provided a national model for working with IT volunteers as part of the ICT Hub, but the Hub is not longer funded and IT 4 Communities faces the same funding pressures as Volunteer Centres. See www.it4c.org.uk for more details.

Although this national focus has helped develop an excellent model for brokering there is no direct link into local infrastucture bodies such as Volunteer Centres or other specialist services. This means that awareness of IT4Communities is low within Volunteer Centres, and that there is little best practise being shared at a local level.

The aim of this strand of work is to find sustainable ways of working with bodies such as IT4Communities, whilst also embedding best practise at a local level. Better brokering services will mean that volunteers are offering exactly what is needed by VCOs, and that VCOs are getting the best possible use of their IT.