Digital capacity building for National Lottery Community Fund Grantholders
The National Lottery Community Fund for Scotland, funded by the players of The National Lottery, is investing in the success of its grantholders through the grantholder support programme, including this digital capacity building service.
Over the last 5 years, the Scottish Tech Army has worked with over 500 third sector organisations to help them use technology to enhance their reach, their impact and their effectiveness and we are here to help you too.
Technology represents one of the most effective ways you can make the most of your scarce resources, freeing up the time of your team to focus on the most valuable parts of the role they carry out.
.Our community of skilled technology volunteers will work with you to understand the problems and challenges you face daily and the many ways in which technology can help you deliver your services most efficiently. We will work together to deliver practical, working solutions that will help you every day in the work that you do.
We run a regular series of Ask Me Anything Digital sessions online - these provide an opportunity to learn ore about the type of digital support that we can provide, hear about examples of the impact of previous projects that we have delivered and ask questions about how your charity can utilise digital technologies most effectively. You can see the list of sessions available and book your place on the event booking page.
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There are many ways technology can be used to benefit your organisation. Some examples include:
Automate manual and repetitive processes
Streamline data flows and maximise integrations between your systems
Make the best use of the systems you already have
Identify and implement new solutions, including AI, to help you grow and scale
Some of these may resonate with you or you may have different challenges - in either case, don’t worry about how technology can help you, that’s our job - please do get in touch.
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Any project will need your time and attention. We need you to:
Work with us to help understand the problem
Be clear about the difference a solution would make to you and how you will measure it
Attend regular meetings to ensure the volunteers can progress the work with you
Be responsive to requests for information
Test the solution once it has been delivered
Implement it effectively within your organisation
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The short answer is it depends. Our projects are delivered by volunteers, so they may take longer than a service that you pay for. However, part of the process of defining a project with you will be to agree realistic timescales for its delivery.
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Here’s the good news - there are no costs to you for delivery of the project. If there are ongoing costs to run the solution, such as software licenses, you will be responsible for them but we’ll make it clear up front what those are likely to be.
As the work is being delivered on a pro bono basis we are not able to offer any warranties.
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There are two main ways in which you can find out more before submitting your request for help:
We run regular online “Ask Me Anything Digital” sessions, in which we talk through some examples of how other organisations have used technology with our support and give you the opportunity ti ask questions that will help you frame your request for help. You can find the list of events dates currently available and book your place on our event booking page.
You can speak with your funding officer at The National Lottery Community Fund, who will have been briefed about this programme, what it can deliver and the best ways to access and use the support we provide.
Watch some of our project stories
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![Sported UK logo]()
Sported UK
Sported UK needed help to seamlessly integrate members' application forms into their CRM system. Previously, the process involved manually transferring data from SurveyMonkey, soaking up precious time and resources. Now forms are automatically uploaded, with established workflows to ensure prompt notifications to the relevant individuals by region.
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![Listen Up Storytelling logo]()
Listen Up Storytelling - CAKE
CAKE is an interactive resource designed to support professionals in the workplace. It was designed as a resource that would support nurses working in the community to cope with Secondary Psychological trauma and uses creative storytelling techniques to promote self-care and team wellbeing.
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![Babysteps 20+ logo]()
Babysteps 20+
BabySteps 20+ reached out to the Scottish Tech Army for support in developing a new website, including an e-commerce capability. Previously, the charity struggled with limited online visibility, making it challenging to connect with its community and supporters. Now, with a streamlined website and an active social media presence, BabySteps 20+ can effectively engage with their audience and promote their mission.
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![African Women’s Group Scotland logo]()
African Women’s Group Scotland
African Women’s Group Scotland needed an online platform to support their information-sharing program, aimed at building a supportive community for African women in Scotland. The group sought to alleviate the isolation experienced by African women and facilitate valuable exchanges of knowledge. Skilled volunteers developed a Learning Management System (LMS) which became a crucial tool in empowering women by providing additional support to families in need and enhancing the group’s outreach.
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![Stable Life logo]()
Stable Life
Stable Life supports disadvantaged young people in the Scottish Borders through Equine Assisted Learning and Therapy. Its existing paper-based systems were inefficient, and transitioning to a digital equine management system was challenging for staff. Skilled volunteers helped streamline operations by digitising its processes and providing staff training, allowing them to better manage client data, produce reports more efficiently, and improve their marketing strategy.
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![Fanconi Hope Logo]()
Fanconi Hope
Fanconi Hope, a UK-wide charity supporting those affected by Fanconi Anaemia, reached out for technical support to complete their innovative Patient Passport and Alert Card App. The app, essential for providing medical information to individuals with this rare genetic condition, was nearly ready but needed assistance with launching on the Apple store. Skilled volunteers stepped in to ensure the app’s completion, enabling the charity to move forward with beta testing and support their community more effectively.
