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Allotted roles

IT | John Tate | 1 Oct 2007

The business world has a lot to offer charities with IT issues, suggests John Tate.

I attended a charity function in September and after the meal joined a group of people I knew for a chat. I was introduced to a person I did not know who asked what I did and I explained that I was a business person.  The immediate response was “oh, one of those – they seem to be everywhere” or something similar. I felt a sense of disdain so tried to change the topic and proudly announced that I also had an allotment.

The response to this was similarly wither-ing. “Not another one. Everyone seems to have an allotment nowadays.” Trying not to be defeated I asked the person what they did and the response was “I am a Charity Commissioner.” Rather feebly I responded by saying that everyone seems to be a charity commissioner nowadays and I used the pause to extract myself from our conversation.

That got me thinking. Is being a business person a source of disdain in the charity sector? To some perhaps yes. I will not try to defend the rights or wrongs of working for a for-profit organisation but do know that they can do a lot of good in the charity world. Leaving aside any financial donations they make they can also be of huge help as a volunteer. IT professionals in business can have a wealth of expertise and skills not eas-ily available/affordable in a charity and can take on a wide range of roles. At a senior level they can sit of the board of trustees and use their experience to help guide a charity through the governance and day-to-day run-ning of their IT systems. They can hopefully also champion IT as a key strategic tool and make sure the organisation gives it some serious focus.

At a less senior level, IT staff in business can help charities on projects and bring in expert help to an organisation when needed. Many of the leading companies offer IT staff on secondment or time off work to help out their favourite cause. There are also a growing number of people reaching retire-ment age who have worked in the IT sector. The basic principles of IT have changed little in the last 40 years and an individual with experience gained over the decades can be a very valuable resource.

Commercial organisations can also pro-vide access to computers and software and may be able to leverage a relationship with an IT company who can donate or offer goods/services at discounted prices. Using volunteers effectively is not straightforward. People who are busy may make commit-ments that they do not have the time to fulfil. It can be difficult to have the control over this resource, compared say to using a conventional supplier. If you want to engage voluntary help from an IT professional working in the business world you need to set clear terms of reference.

You also need to be prepared to listen what they have to say and act on their advice. I am reminded of one well-known environmental charity which recruited a trustee who was the IT director of a large global bank. He resigned after six months as he felt the board and sen-ior management team were just not taking IT seriously and that he was not adding value. I would recommend all charities consider having IT representation at trustee level. The business world can be a good source for this.

Charities will also need to consider whether they are comfortable with having a volunteer who is from a business background and their ethics. They would be wise to take time to understand the objectives of the volunteer and create a win-win situation. For example, some individuals appreciate the chance to gain a closer understanding of how a charity goes about its business. If this is the case it could help the relationship if the individual has the chance to participate in the charity’s work. Basic stuff but often ignored.

Returning to the function I attended, was I cross with the commissioner for their appar-ent disdain of a business person? Or more upset with the suggestion that by getting an allotment I was following some sort of fad? Probably the former but I wish I had told the Charity Commissioner that I have two sheds. I have been given a nickname by a colleague in the sector to recognise this status – two sheds Johnnie.

Who's Who: John Tate