Trustees may have valuable practical ICT skills but their key role is to ensure that policies are in place to cover legal responsibilities such as personal safety, data protection and health and safety. They must also help develop and implement plans to ensure the organisation has the resources and support it needs.

ICT is a tool to enable your organisation to work more efficiently and be more effective.It can help you do better things and do things better.

There are lots of very simple ways of reducing the environmental impact of the ICT you use.

ICT consultants can deliver a database or website, or help with planning, fundraising, a merger or a new community building. They will bring specialist expertise and offer an outsider’s perspective. They may also help with ongoing needs, such as IT support.

Always work with colleagues to prepare a brief.
Be realistic about budgets, timescales and the [...]

When computers stop working it can be difficult to know what’s gone wrong, let alone how to fix it. Whether you work from home on a single computer or rely on a network of computers on multiple sites, it is important to think about how you tackle ICT problems when they arise.

You need enough money to buy, install, maintain and use the right solution for you. This requires capital as well as revenue budgets – like buying a car and budgeting for petrol, insurance, an MOT or driving lessons.

Work with other people in your organisation to write an ICT plan. Think about where you are now, what ICT equipment and skills you have, what you think of it, how much it costs and common problems and limitations. Think about what you want to achieve in the next three years, whether budgets will grow [...]

Most staff, volunteers or trustees need to be happy using a mouse, saving and retrieving files, working with different programmes, turning a computer on and off, sending and receiving emails, writing, printing and saving documents in a word processor and looking things up on the internet.

Sales of new IT equipment are often driven by the demands of new software, especially system software such as new versions of Windows™. At the same time ICT prices have dropped to levels at which it is often cheaper to replace than to repair or re-use equipment.

You can pay-as-you-go by the hour or take out a contract. What you pay depends on what you need, the supplier, the number of computers you have, the level of support offered, your own capabilities and your location.

Online information such as the ICT Knowledgebase is a great resource but sometimes a book is better. User-friendly options such as Dummies Guides are handy as a reference, as well as for learning new skills.

An ICT plan is not simply a shopping list for new boxes, gadgets and wires. It is a management tool to take you beyond the initial purchasing decisions to an ongoing process that makes sure you get the most from your investment. An ICT plan will include:

An Acceptable Use Policy includes guidelines and procedures explaining how you expect staff, volunteers or clients to behave when using your computers. It may link to legal issues, health and safety, staff discipline or financial management.

Managers and trustees must take data security seriously and must take appropriate steps to avoid sensitive data falling into the wrong hands. This includes client information, staff and volunteer details, financial information or confidential reports.
Have a written policy about using and storing passwords and include it in your induction information.
Store data in as few places [...]

Data protection is about protecting people, not data. People can be harmed if their data is misused or falls into the wrong hands, or if inaccurate or insufficient data is used to make decisions that affect them.
Before collecting, storing or using data for the first time always check you are complying with the Data Protection [...]