The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) is an umbrella organisation that represents and supports charitable organisations. The NCVO provides a range of services and resources such as IT services which are aimed at providing charities with the necessary technical support to further their social goals.
In this blog post, we’ll delve into how the NCVO is an invaluable IT resource for charities, offering guidance and support to help them leverage technology and navigate the complexities of the digital landscape.
What is the NCVO?
The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) offers support to charity organisations and nonprofits across the UK. They’re the main body for hundreds of charities, voluntary organisations and the community sector. The NCVO is a registered charity that was established over 100 years ago. Ever since then it has been providing support, guidance and training to champion voluntary action.
Becoming a Member of the NCVO
The NCVO is a paid-for membership body with over 17,000 charity members. There are several benefits to joining the NCVO including:
- Member-only NCVO charity IT resources, such as an information technology guide to help structure IT policy within your charity.
- Discounts on events and training courses such as NCVO webinars about data protection laws.
- Free or heavily discounted support from NCVO approved suppliers in HR, insurance and IT.
To become an NCVO member, your charity or voluntary organisation must be deemed eligible. Take a look at the following criteria to make sure your organisation is eligible to become a NCVO member:
- The organisation must be based in the UK.
- You must be a charity, community group, voluntary organisation or social enterprise that works to benefit others, not for financial gain.
- You must possess a constitution or memorandum and articles that states your organisation’s aims, objectives and how it operates.
NCVO Membership Fees
All NCVO membership fees are based on your charity or organisation’s annual gross income. If your annual gross income is under £30,000 then you can apply for free membership. The NCVO offers a 15% discount when paying by direct debit or applying for a 3 year membership.
Below is a snapshot of the NCVO’s pricing table for more details:
If your charity is eligible and you’re happy with the membership fees, look into becoming an NCVO member.
NVCO Charity IT resources
There are many IT resources the NCVO offers to charity members. There are practical insights and step by step guidance to make the best use of digital tools and processes to help your charity, organisation or community group advance their IT knowledge and skills and keep up-to-date on the latest IT trends and best practices. Here’s how:
Technology Advice
Firstly, the NCVO provides technology advice across a broad range of topics including how to protect your charity from charity fraud and cyber attacks. Some charity fraud examples include malware and phishing attacks.Â
This advice is increasingly useful with the ever-evolving cyber attacks out there today, which has made cyber security for charities a top priority. The NCVO also offers digital advice and support to help your organisation choose the right digital partner or agency.
Online Resources
The NCVO also offers support that is practical and step by step guidance on digital and technological issues that many small charities face. This can help them bridge the IT knowledge gap. These resources are delivered via online training as well as downloadable toolkits like The Digital Maturity Matrix which assesses the strengths and weaknesses of a charity’s digital footprint.
Small Charity Helpdesk
The Small Charity Helpdesk isn’t just specifically for IT support, the NCVO welcomes any questions you may have on small charity formation or operations. They will also signpost you to other resources that they highly recommend if they can’t answer your question directly. The NCVO receives an average of 500 enquiries a month from an array of different organisations. Their experience helps them to answer their members’ queries but also directs them in a valuable direction.
You can contact the NCVO using the details below, their response time aims to be between 3 and 5 working days:
- [email protected]
- Call 020 7520 2552 on weekdays from 9:30am to 5:30pm
Training and Events
The NCVO provide their own IT and digital training through webinars and in-person events as well as signposting charities to other free training available from third-party sources. These include learning digital processes to help your charity organisation or community group to operate more effectively. An example of a third-party training resource they highlighted is Free Digital Marketing Strategy training for Charities from the Media Trust. This helps members of the NCVO become aware of all the free training out there available for nonprofit organisations.
Networking Opportunities
NCVO events are also beneficial for the networking opportunities they provide. Some smaller charities involving volunteers, simply don’t have dedicated IT staff or resources to invest in expensive IT solutions. They will really benefit from these networking events as they can meet with and be recommended to third-party companies to help them. Attendees at these events can also share experiences with like minded small charities and organisations and learn about best practices.
When it comes to members attending NCVO’s events, they can find support from experts on how to upgrade IT systems and infrastructure, prevent charity cyber attacks through enhanced cyber security and improve data management and collaboration. Some events may also feature workshops or talks where companies can tell you all about their expertise and give examples of IT projects they’ve completed for like minded charities.
Final Thoughts on the NCVO
In conclusion, charities across the UK can greatly benefit from the NCVO’s range of invaluable IT services and resources.
The NCVO acknowledges how important the digital landscape is in our lives and can help charities better leverage technology. In turn, this means charities can learn to streamline their operations and reduce costs. Consequently, charities can become more effective and beneficial to society. The NCVO’s cybersecurity resources, training webinars and team of experts are all there to provide charities with the necessary IT tools and guidance to achieve their goals. Its commitment to supporting charities with the IT expertise they need to succeed is commendable, and the organisation has been a pillar of support for the sector for many years.
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