On 25 January 2024, we held our quarterly Charity Technology Roundtable in partnership with Microsoft Tech for Social Impact. We focused on the topic of getting IT resourcing right, discussing areas around: How are charities tacking the IT resourcing challenge? What models exist for for hybrid / co-managed IT team structures? How can hybrid / co-managed…
Teenage Cancer Trust is a cancer care and support charity for young people established in 1990. Their team includes office-based staff, volunteers, healthcare professionals and support teams for their NHS hospital units. Challenge Teenage Cancer Trust approached Smartdesc to find a solution to both their Incidents & Complaints and Expense Claiming processes. Their previous Incident…
ACEVO is the Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations. Together with their network, they inspire and support civil society leaders by providing connections, advocacy and skills. Their members include the leaders of small, community based groups, ambitious medium-sized organisations, and well known, well-loved national and international not-for-profits. ACEVO approached Smartdesc through a tender process…
Volunteering Matters (VM) bring people together to overcome some of society’s most complex issues through the power of volunteering. They partner with communities to overcome adversity – tackling social isolation and loneliness, improving health, developing skills and opportunity and making sure young people can lead change. VM approached Smartdesc as they wanted to move away…
Welcome to the Smartdesc October newsletter. This month we discuss how you can can strengthen your charity’s cyber security posture and offer the following resources: A blog on cyber security takeaways from our recent roundtable, and another on vulnerabilities you should be aware of Free Microsoft Cloud Security, Information Governance, and Cyber Security assessments The…
In today’s ever-evolving digital landscape, staying informed about cybersecurity threats is crucial, especially for nonprofits, who are the third most targeted industry in the world. In this blog, we share three recent cyber security vulnerabilities you should be aware of, and instructions on how to protect yourselves from them. Smartdesc are now offering charities a complimentary…
Last week we held our third Quarterly Charity Technology Roundtable, hosted by Microsoft Tech for Social Impact. In this blog, we summarise our discussion on cyber security, including risk management, BYOD, reducing risk of human error and systems gatekeeping. Compliance Frameworks, Risk Management, Reporting It is good practice to define the framework(s) or standard(s) that are…
Welcome to the Smartdesc September newsletter. This month we discuss the benefits of adopting a hybrid, in-house outsourced model for your IT function, including: A blog and video on how many large charities are adopting a co-managed IT structure, what this is and how to get started. The chance to come together with your peers to…
In today’s digitally driven world, technology has become a central component of most charities – from managing operations, measuring impact, connecting with supporters, coordinating volunteers, and enabling organisations to develop new services. Indeed, in our Charity IT survey we conducted earlier this year, over half of the leaders that took part are considering outsourcing via…
Keeping on top of the ever-changing licensing needs of your organisation can be a demanding job. Now, more than ever, it’s critical to ensure your Microsoft license estate is lean, optimised, and as cost effective as possible. As Microsoft partners and non-profit specialists, we are qualified Direct Cloud Solution Partners (CSP) who can help you navigate…
