Opportunities of the Month

 

Opportunities are listed on this page because we've recently talked with the charity and we know that they are ready to work with a volunteer. Are you that volunteer?

Click on the link on the opportunity name below to go directly to the opportunity you're interested in on our website. Alternatively search the full database of available opportunities by signing-in to your account and selecting "Search for Opportunities".

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Opportunity Name: Troubleshooting and planning (Sharepoint & Network) ESSEX
Skill Type: Technical Support
Region: South East
Locality:
Postcode: CM1
Virtual: No

Description: This Charity established in 1939 now has 100 affiliated clubs across the entire of Essex running outdoor pursuits & sporting activities and programmes for boys and young men. The Chelmsford based office runs a network and server that hosts SharePoint and exchange. Although this in essence helps them to share information with each other it is not ideal and has certain problems such as 1) login problems from remote offices due to IP address problems 2) Publisher files saved in SharePoint 3) Office Diary is not working well with Exchange/SharePoint. They are looking for a volunteer who is experienced in working with SharePoint and a mixed NT, 2000 & XP network environment and with remote workers to solve these frustrations and audit the way they currently have the network set up to ensure they are using it effectively. It is important to them that the volunteer is able to visit and to understand the Charities communication needs and be able to convert this into an effective network/information & file share system.

Opportunity Name: Database and Web Strategy South East, East Clandon, Surrey, GU3
Skill Type: Database
Region: South East
Locality: GUIDFORD
Postcode: GU3
Virtual: No

Description: An open gardens charity who help raise money for other gardening charities would like support in upgrading their database. Currently the charity has a system in place called 'Thank You' but they are now finding that this does not quite suit their needs and they require extra fields and more reporting tools from the system. The charity would like the old data transferred from their existing database into an Access system. Ideally, the database would be run on a server with various user level controls and also be able to be run on a website.

Opportunity Name: Support for youth club PCs, LB of Hammersmith & Fulham, W14
Skill Type: Technical Support
Region: London
Locality:
Postcode: W14
Virtual: No

Description: This charity is a youth club operating in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. They are open for a couple of hours every Thursday evening and usually have between 15 and 20 young people attending. They have a number of sporting facilities for the youngsters - table tennis, pool, basketball, 5-a-side football - and a small canteen. They also have a computer room with 3 PCs where young people can access the Internet, send and receive e-mails, do their homework, etc. Often these young people do not have computer access at home. The charity is looking for a volunteer who can do a general health check on their PCs and provide some advice on their set up. The young people are quite smart and occasionally manage to bypass the NetNanny software. The charity would appreciate help to tighten the security on the PCs. If possible they would like the volunteer to visit the centre on a regular basis, perhaps once a month, to check the PCs and help the young people with any problems they have. Previous experience of working with youngsters is not necessary but the volunteer should have an interest in working with young people aged 8 to 16 and from diverse backgrounds. The volunteer would need to undergo a CRB check.

Opportunity Name: Communications/IT Strategy for Residents Network [This is a short task]
Skill Type: Consultancy
Region: London
Locality: Southwark
Postcode: SE15
Virtual: No

Description: This Residents Network is very popular with over 1,000 members. It is run by one dedicated volunteer who manages various lists and databases to ensure that information is disseminated in an appropriate, timely and inclusive manner. To ensure both email and paper versions reach their intended audience, the Resident's Network would like to work with an IT volunteer who can help them look at their communication options and how IT can support that to ensure that they can provide an inclusive and cost effective information network. The result of this piece of work would be a concise description of the intended service and how IT can support it over the next few years. A volunteer who is in or near the London Borough of Southwark is sought as the charity would like to meet and work side by side with a volunteer to save any communication problems.

Opportunity Name: Email list frustration - please help [This is a short task]
Skill Type: Database
Region: London
Locality: Southwark
Postcode: SE15
Virtual: No

Description: A patient volunteer is required to help solve the frustration of moving an email list from an Access database to Turnpike (Demon's email and newsgroup handler). This would require about an hour or two of a volunteer's time but would save the volunteer of this resident's network hours and hours (weeks and weeks) of frustration. A volunteer who is in or near the London Borough of Southwark is sought as the charity would like to meet and work side by side with a volunteer to save any communication problems. Why your help is needed: this residents network is run by one dedicated volunteer. The key role is to disseminate information to the 1,000+ registered members to allow them to participate in community action and address the issues that are important to them/their community. Without a good working process for sending out emails and paper information this process becomes unmanageable.

Opportunity Name: Accessible website needs design refresh [This is a short task]
Skill Type: Website
Region: London
Locality: Kensington and Chelsea
Postcode: W10
Virtual: Yes

Description: This older peoples charity provides flexible and practical assistance to support the well-being of older people in West London helping them to maintain their independence. They work with 150 volunteers per year to provide befriending, practical help, escorted shopping trips and gardening. They also run intergenerational schemes which include IT mentoring and health promotion based on self-help and peer support. They are looking for a volunteer to help them make a few design changes to their existing website. They have a website that has excellent accessibility ratings and it is extremely important that this is maintained but they would also like to give it a design refresh and make some content changes. This would suit a London based volunteer who has (or would like) a good understanding of accessible websites. (If you are a good designer and would like iT4C to help improve your accessibility knowledge please Request the Contact for the charity and then email iT4C for further accessibility information.)

Opportunity Name: Website with CMS and joining form linked to PayPal
Skill Type: Website
Region: London
Locality: London
Postcode: SW15
Virtual: Yes

Description: This small local charity supports schools, libraries, and parents with dyslexic children, and adults with dyslexia in southwest London, near Barnes station. Their activities include lectures, workshops, and helping parents get support for their children. They're looking for someone to build them a mainly brochure-type website to show people what they do and what they are about. They'll need links, a contact form, and a joining form linked to PayPal to help them increase their membership. They would like to be able to gather site statistics as well. As much of their audience is dyslexic, the website will need to be very accessible, particularly with regard to accessibility for dyslexia. They need to be able to update the website and add new pages after you've gone, so they'll need an appropriate CMS. They would also like to solicit donations via PayPal. They have a rough idea of what they want, however they'll need guidance with the layout and structure. You'll need to: define the website content and structure in detail, guide them in signing up for suitable hosting, build the website, implement a CMS, and train them in its use.

Opportunity Name: Simple website with CMS
Skill Type: Website
Region: London
Locality: London
Postcode: se6
Virtual: No

Description: This charity based near Ladywell station aims to relieve the poverty of refugees, improve their education, and help them integrate by providing support and advice, and providing classes in English, Maths, drama, music and citizenship to children, and English and computer skills to their parents. They're looking for someone to build them a brochure-type website to show people what they do and what they are about, links, a contact form. They need to be able to update the website and add new pages after you've gone, so they'll need an appropriate CMS. They have a rough idea of what they want, however they'll need guidance on the layout and structure. You'll need to: define the website content and structure in detail, assist them in choosing and registering a domain name, investigate whether their ISP can offer them free web space or guide them in signing up for suitable hosting, build the website, implement a CMS, and train them in its use, possibly implement domain email. Although meeting them will be vital for the initial groundwork and building up their confidence, much of the work can be done remotely.

Opportunity Name: Training in Basic IT Skills for Drop-In Sessions [This is a short task]
Skill Type: Training
Region: London
Locality: Tower Hamlets
Postcode: E1
Virtual: No

Description: This charity based near Stepney Green tube station is a youth and community centre providing leisure and educational activities for local people. One particular aims to increase the participation and integration of young newly-married immigrant women. The project will equip them with the knowledge and skills, especially language skills, to tackle barriers to education and employment, increase their access to local services and improve their quality of life. They have a 2 hour drop-in session on Fridays, where these women may come in for some guidance on some aspect of basic IT skills (Word, Excel, email and the internet). This might involve guidance on a 1 to 1 basis or perhaps training a group of up to 3. Sessions are currently 10-3. Although these women have some English, if you can speak Bengali, this would be an advantage. The charity will do a CRB check.

Opportunity Name: Define requirements for database system
Skill Type: Consultancy
Region: London
Locality: Barnet
Postcode: NW4
Virtual: No

Description: This Christian charity is run by, and for, young people. Working with young people from 13 to 30 they operate on a local basis helping them develop personally, socially and spiritually. The charity currently uses a Lotus database to manage their contact information. However, it doesn't meet their needs and they'd like to have a new database developed for them. First of all, they'd like a volunteer to help them define their requirements. They would like a volunteer who can discuss their needs with a few members of staff and turn their wish list into a requirements document. They know the sort of information they want to record - membership details, volunteer details, donations, requests for publications, etc. - and that they need some flexibility in querying the data. They would like to be able to import information gathered via a form on their website. The requirements document should also consider the size of the database - the organisation is expanding - and the appropriate technology to use. Once the requirements are complete the volunteer may choose to help with development or the charity can request a different volunteer for that part of the project.

Opportunity Name: Create new brochure-type website with CMS and online donations
Skill Type: Website
Region: London
Locality: Islington
Postcode: N7
Virtual: No

Description: This young charity based near Holloway Road tube station is a theatre company. It runs weekly Performing Arts activities for children during term-time, with opportunities to meet others from varied schools and backgrounds in north London, to work together and learn from each other. Members with 'disabilities' are able to integrate with those who attend 'mainstream' schools, as we actively encourage inclusivity, breaking down the barriers that often exist and prevent some members of the community from participating in this type of workshop. In addition, Angel Shed provides training for performing arts volunteer practitioners in Inclusive Theatre practice and delivery. They're looking for someone to build them a mainly brochure-type website to show people what they do and what they are about, links, a contact form, 2 different (but fairly similar) online application forms, and to include (DVD-type) film footage, and the facility to download posters and information packs. They need to be able to update the website and add new pages after you've gone, so they'll need an appropriate CMS. They would also like to solicit donations via PayPal. They have documented an overview of the pages' content and they have a good idea of the style and design. You'll need to: define the website content and structure in detail, assist them in choosing and registering a domain name, guide them in signing up for suitable hosting, build the website, implement a CMS, and train them in its use. Although most of the tasks can be done remotely, they would like to meet you initially, at least, though training will need to be face-to-face.

Opportunity Name: New brochure-type website including online donations
Skill Type: Website
Region: East of England
Locality: Lowestoft
Postcode: NR33
Virtual: Yes

Description: This very new voluntary organisation based in Lowestoft provides youth mentoring for young people in the area. All their mentoring volunteers are people who have previously had problems in there life of some sort and been able to work through them. They train them as mentors and they then go on to mentor other young people who are now going through what they once went through. They desperately need a website, and started creating one using a combined domain, hosting, and software package, Mr Sites; but they have found it too difficult to use. They're looking for someone to build them a mainly brochure-type website to show people what they do and what they are about, a contact form, and an online donations page perhaps via PayPal. They need to be able to update the website and add new pages after you've gone, so they'll need an appropriate CMS. They have a good idea of what they want, however they'll need guidance on the layout and structure. You'll need to: define the website content and structure in detail, point the domain name to the new host, guide them in signing up for suitable hosting, build the website, implement a CMS, and train them in its use.

Opportunity Name: Small brochure-style website
Skill Type: Website
Region: East Midlands
Locality: Leicester
Postcode: le3
Virtual: No

Description: This small sports club provides low-cost gymnastic classes in a deprived area of Leicester. Although mainly working with young people they are open to people of all ages and abilities. Although they are fairly well known in the area they would like to raise their profile by having a small website. They are looking for a volunteer to design and build something from scratch. They imagine the site would only be a few pages describing what they do, providing contact details, etc. They would require advice on domain name registration and hosting. This is probably a candidate for a CMS although the founder of the club is IT-literate and could probably be instructed in using a web-editing package of some kind.

Opportunity Name: CMS-based site to replace existing site
Skill Type: Website
Region: Yorkshire & Humberside
Locality: Leeds
Postcode: LS9
Virtual: No

Description: This Leeds-based charity, affiliated to a national organisation, works to improve the lives of people with learning disabilities. They operate family support services, run youth clubs and play schemes and have a residential home for a small number of adults. The charity has a website but they can only make changes through a third-party and this is too expensive. They would like to make regular updates so would like a site that they can control themselves. They would like a volunteer to build them a CMS-based site similar to the existing site. Ideally they would like to keep the same domain name but are concerned that it may not be registered in their name. The volunteer will need to investigate that and advise on a move to another hosting company if appropriate. The site will need to include text and images, a link to Paypal for donations and they'd also like to include video clips.

Opportunity Name: Help small charity put together IT plans for the future
Skill Type: Strategy
Region: Yorkshire & Humberside
Locality: Leeds
Postcode: LS9
Virtual: No

Description: This Leeds-based charity, affiliated to a national organisation, works to improve the lives of people with learning disabilities. They operate family support services, run youth clubs and play schemes and have a residential home for a small number of adults. The charity has no proper IT support and would like some help in putting together a strategy that will help them plan for the future. They have some minor problems including some slow PCs and one office isn't networked. They would like to consider how they could make better use of the Internet to advertise their services. For example, how best could they distribute their newsletter via e-mail? They would like a volunteer who can take a look at their existing systems, listen to their ideas and give them some advice on options for the future.