New research by third sector think tank, nfpSynergy, shows that the number of people using charity websites had increased by a third in the past nine months.

The research found that the proportion of people who said they had visited a charity website in the past six months rose from 23 per cent in February 2007 to 30 per cent in October 2007. The figure has almost doubled in the past five years, since the beginning of iT4C, from 16 per cent.

Why This Happens

Charities realise they need to have a web presence and are always improving the way they engage with their audiences. Be it a single page information site or a complex CMS database driven site, many charities have invested time in creating an online presence.

People are also using the Internet more and more, and this includes your service-users and potential volunteers. In fact, volunteers are twice as likely to search the net for voluntary sector website as non-volunteers.

What this Means for Charities

Firstly, charities that don't have a web presence should get one quickly as they are unlikely to be found by service users or volunteers. iT4C can easily help them get a simple web presence by finding the right volunteer.

Secondly, it means that charities can appear more professional and attract more funding as well increase their visibility to their client group. The web opens up many opportunities for VCOs such as Sevenoaks Area Mind who won a 2007 iT4C IT Volunteering Award. They used iT4C volunteer, Paul Campbell, to create a new website that connected isolated and rural mental health service users meaning they could support each other and keep in contact. More examples are available in our case studies section.

How iT4C Has Helped

This research coupled with the Workforce Hub's UK Voluntary Sector Skills Survey showing VCS skills gaps in IT are likely to remain for the next three years demonstrates the need for service iT4C provides.

By introducing volunteer IT professionals to charities needing IT help those gaps are closed and often charities can seek match funding for the value of the work done by a volunteer. In 5 years of operation, iT4C has delivered IT support to charities to over the value of £2.5 million and now has over 5,000 volunteers on its books.

Josh Hoole, iT4Communities Development Consultant