Do you need IT literate volunteers?

Do you and your organisation need a bit of help with your IT?
Would you like some advice or support from a volunteer who might know a bit more about the technology than yourself?

As part of our Big Lottery funded IT support, we’re trying to find digitally competent volunteers and match them up with technical needs that our local groups have. But that means finding groups that have issues and defining those issues in such a way that a volunteer could be helpful to you.

These technical issues are not likely to be major – and looking after your server or building a completely new website from scratch may not be the best sort of tasks to hand over to a volunteer anyway.

But what about helping you understand how to setup a tablet, or a router, or setting up your emails better on that new laptop? Installing new memory, upgrading software, adding content regularly to your website, sorting your anti-virus software, helping with your Facebook page or Twitter channel? Perhaps you’d like to setup a simple database, or just learn how to use Excel better to manage your data. A volunteer could help you to create a presentation, or work with you to create a simple promotional video. Or if you’re really adventurous you might want to learn more about creating an app but don’t know where to start.

So we’d like Members and Friends to have a real think about what technical issues they encounter (small or large) and let us know. It may be that it’s unavoidably a job for the professionals. But so many smaller tasks are ideal for a volunteer with a little bit of time (and plenty of skills) to help you with.

So drop me a line if you think you know what you’d like help with. Or get in touch for a discussion if you don’t really know but would like to talk it through. We’ll give you some advice and get looking for a volunteer or two who might be able to support you.

Karl Elliott, Development Manager, VANEL: karl@vanel.org.uk, 01472 235311