Our members provide strategic advice to a range of not for profit partner organisations to develop innovative IT based projects with a charitable or educational focus. Information about some current projects can be found on this site.

What can the ITC provide?

Expertise

Our charitable programme is based on using the time and the expertise of the Company's membership. Our input is most effective when we are involved from the initial development of a project, and where the input from the company is on a strategic / consultative level. Our members undertake work on projects in their own time (i.e. they are not seconded).

Funding

All of our projects initially focus on the provision of pro bono advice to a not for profit organisation. In a minority of projects, once our members have established a working relationship with the charity or educational organisation concerned, the Information Technologists' Company's WCIT Charity will consider requests for funding to support the implementation of the project. This policy ensures that any financial support from the WCIT Charity is given added leverage by being linked to the expertise and advice of our members. Please note that the Trustees will only consider applications for funding where our members are already developing a project with the organisation concerned.

Who can apply?

The Company will consider proposals from registered charities, educational establishments, and other organisations with a formal not for profit consititution. Most of our members are located in London or the home counties, and it is easier to find volunteers from our membership to work with charities around the London area.

Project criteria

In broad terms we are more likely to consider projects which:

• demonstrate an innovative use of IT
• can be developed into a model for wider replication
• can be sustained beyond the timeframe of the Company's involvement
• focus on outcomes which can be formally evaluated

In order to develop effective working relationships with not for profit organisations it is important that any approach to work with the ITC is made with the knowledge and support of the senior management group of the organisation concerned, and the relationship is not dependent on the availability of one member of staff within the organisation.

Application Process

Organisations interested in developing projects with the Information Technologists' Company should email a short summary of the proposed project to trust@wcit.org.uk

If the project is potentially suitable we will ask for more detailed information from you, and will see if it is possible to find one or more of our members who has the appropriate skillsets and is able to offer their time to the project. Please note that the process of determining whether a volunteer is available can take up to two months.

Alternative source of help - iT 4 Communities

Many of the Company's charitable activities are developed proactively from within the Company, and at any given time most of the Company's resources are already allocated to current projects. We receive far more worthwhile proposals than we are able to respond to.

However we also host iT 4 Communities (www.it4communities.org.uk) the national IT volunteering programme, which introduces IT professionals wanting to volunteer their skills to charities needing IT help. If you register your request on the iT 4 Communities website, you will then be contacted to discuss the proposal in more detail and, if approporiate for volunteer support, the request will then be made available to the 3,000 plus volunteers registered with iT 4 Communities. You will then be put in contact with any volunteers interested in working on your project.

Please note that the decision as to whether or not a charity and volunteer work together is solely for the individual and the organisation concerned. iT 4 Communities does not vet either party.

____________________________________________

Our aim is to provide clear and helpful guidance to potential applicants. If you have any comments as to how this guidance could be improved, please contact trust@wcit.org.uk