Team of IT volunteers helps growing arts charity
Client
Creative Future, based in Brighton, is a charity that bridges the gap between the community arts and the professional arts sectors in the South East of England. They provide opportunities for talented marginalised artists and writers to earn income from their creative work.
The challenge
Creative Future came to iT4C at a time when they were growing and needed an IT infrastructure to reflect this. They needed help with all aspects of their IT but the quotes they had received were outside of their budget. They contacted iT4C to see whether we could help.
Our help
Over the last 12 months, 5 volunteers have helped or are still helping the organisation. The database development (software donated by the Salesforce Foundation) moved seamlessly from Barney Haywood to Colin Hewlett and Creative Future now have an online database of members that can manage email lists and reporting. Dr Chris Hall helped with the office move and has taken on the website project, ironing out the technical difficulties and improving functionality. Mohit Bajaj is involved with an Art Fair project and an online social media campaign as well as some day-to-day jobs, whilst Jeff Thaddeus is helping to devise a website and graphics for the Art Fair. The volunteers brought over 70 years of professional IT experience to assist Creative Future with their plans.
The results
- A professional website that helps their clients feel proud to be associated with them & demonstrates the quality of their work.
- An effective online database that drives their organization and remote workers & volunteers can use safely with different permissions
- Big plans for the future and the ongoing support of well qualified IT professionals
- By using iT4C effectively, Creative Future have made important infrastructure changes and considerable cost savings.
- These volunteers have given about £10,000 of support to the organisation.
What our client said
All the volunteers have been willing and very sensitive to our needs, very patient with us even though we repeatedly asked stupid questions...
It has been an harmonious collaboration with professionals who have taken time to understand our needs.
iT4C has been one of the best partnerships we've experienced. It is rare to be really felt given to which is essential when, as a charity, we can feel a bit depleted from time to time with all the giving out that our organisation does.
All in all, this is the best £85 we have spent!
Simon Powell/Dominique De-Light, Project Directors, Creative Future
25th August 2010
