Welcome to the InvolvingLincs Voluntary Sector ICT Website

Information Communications Technology (ICT) is now an integral part of our lives.  Email and social websites now form part of every teenager’s daily routine and many commercial ventures rely heavily on ICT (many now trade solely on-line).  The voluntary sector is no different and a few minutes browsing the Web will reveal numerous organisations advertising their presence.

However, voluntary organisations are often unable to make the most of current technology, with their ability to properly engage with large sectors of the community hampered.  In light of this, the Lincolnshire Voluntary Sector Consortium ‘InvolvingLincs’  http://www.involvinglincs.org.uk/ has established a new ICT Development Officer post in order to promote the use of ICT in the voluntary sector.

As the new incumbent I am delighted to take up this challenge and to see the vast range of worthy organisations in Lincolnshire utilising ICT to better improve their presence and to work ‘smarter’.  It’s not about burdensome and complex solutions that take all your time to understand and maintain – it’s about helping you be more effective and efficient.

So what can I expect from the ICT Web?  The purpose of the Lincolnshire Voluntary Sector ICT Web is to create a permanent record of the ICT hints and tips that have been offered via ICT Bulletins.  The advice covers ‘hands-on’ technical advice through to policy advice for senior managers.  You can find your way round the website by using the menus and links to the left of each page.  Please remember that the site is in its infancy and that some areas are ‘under construction’ – rest assured that filling any gaps is a high priority.

I have relied heavily on a number of sources in getting this far.  You couldn’t do better than visiting the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) ICT Development Services website http://www.icthub.org.uk/about/ or any of their partners listed therein.  The LASA ICT Consultancy and Services have also been invaluable http://www.ictknowledgebase.org.uk/.  I have also used images from across the county to liven up the website.  Picturesofengland.com (http://www.picturesofengland.com/) displays photographs from across the UK, all taken by the general public.  I am indebted to them and the contributors for allowing me to use their pictures of Lincolnshire. 

If you have any comments on the site’s content or have anything to contribute yourself, please feel free to contact me via the 'Contact Us' link to the left or, alternatively, post a message to my blog or twitter via the 'ICT Blog & Twitter' link.