The Voluntary Sector
tictoc and the Voluntary Sector
As with our experience in the Education sector, we have extensive working knowledge of the Voluntary sector having worked with Charities throughout the UK since inception over 8 years ago.
Increasingly Charities are embracing the web and making far better use of it's cost effectiveness in delivering their messages and communicating with service users, supporters, beneficiaries and the wider market as a whole. The basic role of the voluntary sector is to ensure that those who are marginalised from society, against their wishes, can be integrated. This right to access information and services extends into cyberspace.
With a wealth of advice and information on the subject, we wanted to provide a few pointers to help you make more from the web without eating into valuable funds that would be better spent on the raising of additional funds, awareness raising, aims and activities.
The most important phase of developing a website is in the planning. Answering a number of key questions can really help focus your objectives and ensure the development process runs smoothly as the goals have been clearly defined in advance.
- What do I want to use my website for i.e. communication between service users/fundraisers, online selling of xmas cards, knowledge sharing etc?
- Who is my target market?
- What are the main accessibility issues I need to overcome i.e.
- do I have a number of ethnic groups who require translated text?
- what consideration do I have to make for visually impaired users? (view our Equality Forward website featuring Readspeaker functionality and colour change options)
- are functions on my site appropriate to the target market and are they simple to use
- What are the sites goals?
- How can my site generate income?
- What is my budget (the big question!)
tictoc can assist in answering all of these questions, from the initial project scoping phase through brand evaluation, design build and marketing of your website therefore if you'd like to discuss your requirements, contact Mel.
Useful websites / organisations
NCVO - The National Council for Voluntary Organisations
GCVS - Glasgow Council for the Voluntary Sector
Charity Commission - The regulator for Charities in England and Wales
SCVO - The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations
Third Sector Magazine - Publication covering what's happening in the voluntary and not-for-profit sector