The Community Sector and ICT

The work was carried out on behalf of the Coalition by one of it's members, the Community Development Foundation.

The key findings of the research into the ICT needs of the community sector are:

1. There is a direct correspondence between the size of organisations, and their state of
development in adoption and management of ICT.
2. There is evidence that technological developments become more widely adopted and better managed
not only according to size and resources, but also with the passage of time.
3. There is a need to understand and deliberately target Community Sector organisations if their voice is to be heard and if services are to be useful to them.
4. This Report both shows the nature of the differentiation between the Community Sector and the Voluntary Sector, and also gives indications of what realities a service targeted
at the Community Sector will need to deal with.
5. Advice needs to be taken from members of the community themselves as to their wishes, aspirations, needs, potential,and constraints; and guidance for service-providers in conducting those discussions should be sought from specialist community development or other appropriately experienced agencies, both in designing and negotiating the service.

There are three publications which can be downloaded free here:

The Community Sector and ICT which details the results of surveys into the community sector's ICT needs.

Using Computers and the Internet A Newcomers Guide for Community Groups is a practical guide aimed at small community groups with no paid workers to enable them to use computers and the internet effectively in their work.

Wired Up for Success Learning Programme is a resource that takes a community development approach to ICT and the community sector.

If you wish to have printed copies these can be bought (while stocks are available) from the Community Development Foundation.