Support for IT
There are different approaches to getting help with IT equipment, software, training and support.
- Some of this is free
- Some of this is available through grants
- Some of this is available at reduced rates
Hardware
You may find that major suppliers of IT equipment are cheaper than those offering specialist services.
If you do not need the latest hardware there are cheap or free sources of equipment recycled by major companies.
Apple
The Apple Store will supply Apple Mac products at Educational discount rates for registered charities.
Website: http://store.apple.com/Apple/WebObjects/ukstore?cid=AOSA30000023937
Tel: 0800 039 1010 Mon-Fri 0800-2200 Sat 0900-2200
Software
Most larger software manufacturers have special rates for charities and/or voluntary organisations. Often 'Educational' price rates apply. Suppliers listed below who deal with the VCS will be able to help. If you supplier does not know about reduced rates for the VCS go elsewhere. It will save you a lot of money.
You can ask smaller software companies if there are discounts and negotiate these personally.
Check how many installations you are allowed to have on each license. Often it is legitimate to run software on both your laptop and desktop on a single license.
Support
There are often local support services for the VCS. Some of the information below is about local services for those in West Yorkshire.
Elsewhere contact your Local Infrastructure Organisation (LIO) (ie Community Action Voluntary Action, Council for Voluntary Service). To contact your local LIO go to the NAVCA website www.navca.org.uk to find what is available in your area.
The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO)
There are savings to be made through membership of NCVO. You can easily save your membership fee in using discounted services.
The National Council for Voluntary Organisations
Regent's Wharf
8 All Saints Street
London
N1 9RL
Helpdesk Tel: 0800 2 798 798
Email: helpdesk@askncvo.org.uk
Website: www.ncvo-vol.org.uk
Cultrix Ltd
fit4funding can recommend the services of Cultrix who provide us with IT support and web design services.
With Remote IT Support Cultrix can provide an immediate response to your problems as they occur using remote technology. The service aims to be more proactive than reactive with regular maintenance and by working with management in a long-term strategic matter. The service also provides a help desk for general IT questions, help and advice - more than just a number to call when things go wrong! Cultrix also provide numerous other services including the supply of hardware and software, website design, Internet, email, domain and hosting services.
Cultrix Ltd
Kendray Business Centre
Thornton Road
Barnsley
South Yorkshire
S70 3NA
Tel: 0845 475 1890
Fax: 0845 475 1895
Email: info@cultrix.co.uk
Web: http://www.cultrix.co.uk/
Free / subsidised computers and software
BT Community Connections
The BT Community Connections scheme will provide internet-ready computers to a variety of voluntary groups around the UK. Winners will also receive a contribution towards the cost of 12 months internet access. Awards will be given to groups or individuals who can demonstrate how they would use the internet in an innovative way. BT will be looking at how many people will benefit and whether the internet would make a positive contribution to your community.
BT COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS
PO Box 4500
London
W1A 7LF.
Tel: 020 7299 4163
Website: www.btcommunityconnections.com
Email: info@btcommunityconnections.com
Microsoft Giving Programme
The Microsoft Giving programme provides support in kind to hundreds of charity and community groups in the UK. Between 1998 and 2002 Microsoft donated over £3 million of software to the UK voluntary sector, for use in fundraising or helping to run voluntary organisations.
A limited number of donations are available each year to charities and community groups. They are particularly interested in assisting projects that enhance access to technology for disadvantaged communities. In some cases up to three software products can be donated to registered charities to help them in their work.
Applicants should provide a brief outline of their project or organisation and how they might be able to assist you, and where applicable the software titles required and their registered charity number. Unfortunately they are unable to provide multiple donations to any single charity or to local community groups affiliated to national organisations.
PO Box 7916
East Reading
RG6 1XB
Website: www.microsoft.comluklcommunitylcommunitylsupportlgrants.aspx
Email: ukqivinq@microsoft.com
Charity Technology Exchange
"Charity Technology Trust's CTX Programme brings donated Microsoft software, and other donated technology products, to qualifying UK Charities via the on-line CTX Shop.
Charities are required to pay a small Administrative Fee, but will still make savings of between 92-96% on typical retail prices.
In order to participate in the CTX Programme, organisations are required to meet overall eligibility criteria and those required by individual Donating Partners.
In England & Wales, the programme is available to Charities registered with the Charity Commission and Charitable Housing Associations registered with the Financial Services Authority (FSA) under the Industrial and Provident Societies Act and with HM Revenue & Customs confirmed charitable status.
For further information, please visit www.ctxchange.org/getting_started
The CTX Programme is brought to you by Charity Technology Trust (Registered Charity No. 1073954) in partnership with the not-for-profit, technology capacity building organisation, TechSoup."
Phoenix Software
Software company offering special deals on software and training for the voluntary and community sector.
Phoenix Software Ltd
Blenheim House
York Road
Pocklington
York
Y042 INS
Tel: 0870 836 8000
Website: www.phoenixs.co.uk/Market+Sectors/Voluntary/VoluntarySector.htm
Email: info@phoenixs.co.uk
Pugh Computers Ltd
Software company with expertise in dealing with education and voluntary sectors.
Pugh Computers Ltd
Denver House
Llanon
Aberystwyth
SY23 5LP
Sales Tel: 01974 200201
Fax: 01974 202628
Email: sales@pugh.co.uk
Website: www.pugh.co.uk
Computer donations
Airedale Computer Recycling
(a non-profit making social enterprise)
The Active Centre, Stansfield Road, Airedale, Castleford, WFIO 3UA.
E-Mail: info@airedalecomputers.com
Web site: www.airedalecomputers.com
Tel: 01977 736283
Fax: 01977 736287
ReCOM
ReCOM is a registered charity. They provide refurbished PCs to charities and voluntary organisations that serve people with disabilities and the disadvantaged.
ReCOM
Elite House
95 Stockfield Road
Acocks Green
Birmingham
B27 6AT
Tel: 0121 765 5282
Email: info@recom.org.uk
Web: www.recom.org.uk
IT for Charities
IT for Charities is a web-based resource that includes information about companies that supply recycled PCs and/or offer PCs at special charity pricing.
Web: www.itforcharities.co.uk
Regional Electronics Initiative
List of regional organisations who recycle hardware at www.rei.org.uk
YCS Computers
124 Roundhay Road
Leeds
LS8 5NA
Tel: 0113 235 0174
Email: info@ycscomputers.com
Web: www.ycscomputers.com
Donate a PC
There is a free 'matchmaking' service for individuals and organisations to donate un-needed hardware (computers, printers etc) to UK charities, not-for-profit organisations and educational establishments (hardware only - not software). It is primarily for those with only one or two items to donate and/or who cannot use a suitable recycling organisation. However, they also have a comprehensive list of organisations that have larger quantities of computer equipment to donate to charities.
Website: www.donateapc.org.uk
ICT websites
AbilityNet
www.abilitynet.org.uk
AbilityNet is a charity which provides free information and advice, individual assessment of technology needs, the supply of assistive technology with free support, a programme of awareness education, and consultancy for employers on system and workstation adaptations and web accessibility.
Free of charge overview-level web accessibility testing to voluntary and community sector organisations
Free of charge ad hoc telephone and email support on web accessibility issues
BBC Webwise
www.bbc.co.uk/webwise/
BBC guide to using the internet
Community Website Builder
www.communitykit.co.uk
Allows registered UK charities, non-profit making organisations and volunteer led groups or organisations to build and maintain their own web site FREE of charge.
Computanews
www.lasa.org.uk/computanews/index.shtml
Jargon-free magazine providing straightforward, clear information on the use of IT for staff in small to medium-sized voluntary organisations.
Contributions
www.contributions.org.uk
Offer UK Charities and Nonprofit Making Organisations with discounted web hosting, web design and content management. If you don't mind paying for web space you can get 500mb for £60.00 per year. This is a 50% discount for charities.
FreeCharity
www.freecharity.org.uk
FreeCharity.org.uk offers free Internet and IT services to charity and non-profit organizations based in the UK.
FreetoCharities - Web Development
www.freetocharities.org.uk
Free simple website development, hosting and maintenance if your organisation does not have a web site, is unable to develop a web site and uses the English language.
Freeware Guide
www.freeware-guide.com
Your guide to the Best Free Software and Freeware Sites
ICT Hub
www.icthub.org.uk
The ICT Hub is a partnership of national voluntary and community organisations, which provides a range of services to help voluntary and community sector organisations benefit from ICT. This includes a helpdesk number 0800 652 4737; regional events; an IT suppliers directory; online knowledgebase; jargon-busting glossary; help writing an effective funding proposal; and information about circuit riders: mobile technology development and support workers, each of whom supports a caseload of organisations.
IT for Charities
www.itforcharities.co.uk
Resource guide for UK charities and non-profit organisations
IT4Communities
www.it4communities.org.uk
Register for a volunteer to assist with your IT project.
LASA Knowledgebase
http://www.icthubknowledgebase.org.uk/
On-line Guide to IT for the Voluntary Sector, published by the London Advice Services Alliance.
My Web My Way
www.bbc.co.uk/accessibility/
Do you need help in making the web easier to use? This site explains the many ways you can change your browser, computer, keyboard and mouse settings to make the web more accessible for you.
net:gain
www.net-gain.org.uk
net:gain aims to help Voluntary and Community Organisations (VCOs) to take a practical, appropriate and informed approach to ICT planning and support. net:gain is not designed for 'techies', but is for anyone who guides the strategic direction of their organisation: Chief Executives, Trustees and Managers.
W3C Markup Validation Service
http://validator.w3.org/
This free online service will check individual pages of your website to find html code errors. Good code reduces possible accessibility problems.
WebXact
http://webxact.watchfire.com
Previously known as Bobby, WebXact is a is a free online service that lets you test single pages of web content for quality, accessibility, and privacy issues.
Whatis
www.whatis.com
Database of technical IT terms
Most information here is provided by Bradford CVS, as part of the ChangeUp ICT 'Have IT Your Way' Project.
The Have IT Your Way! Project is supported through ChangeUp, funded by the Active Communities Unit
A website of your own
It is not necessary to pay a lot of money to get a website. With a little IT knowledge you can get one working for free using onsite templates to upload pictures and text. They now have templates for clubs and societies that may suit you. You may have to adapt the pages to suit your needs and change page headers and layout so it reflects how you want to present your organisation.
50megs.com
Take a look at www.50megs.com You will have to accept adverts on your site to get a completely free website or pay a small fee and avoid this. Instead of getting your own domain and having to pay annual registration fees you can set up a subdomain of 50megs so your website would be in the format of say www. yourname.i8.com
They will also host a domain for you but you will need to pay the annual fee for registration.
Misternet.com
If you want free site with more features such as your own domain Pop email and mail forwarding there are other services such as www.misternet.com you just need to register your own domain with them and pay them the annual fee (currently less than £20). You will need to be able to create web pages of your own and upload them but you may be able to get help with this as there are many people around who may do this for you for little or no cost if you ask or one of the agencies mentioned above may help.
Both these hosting services are based in the US and will offer US style domain endings (.org .com .net .info rather than UK ones .org.uk or .co.uk) so you should make it clear that you are UK based on your home page or Google searchers may assume you are in the US.
These services are reliable and supportive but there may well be similar ones based in the UK. Just use Google to find them.
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