Rural VCO’s are benefiting from the ruralnet|uk managed ‘Improving Reach’ project, supported by Capacity Builders. As part of this project, rural VCO’s are being invited to adopt a widget for their website.

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What is Improving Reach?

The current initiative is a pilot (through to Mar’08) funded by Capacity Builders with aims built around identifying ways to provide isolated rural groups with face-to-face training and access to online advice and support services to enable them to use ICT more effectively to manage their organisations and deliver their services.This Capacitybuilders funded project provides new and existing online services to isolated rural voluntary and community groups. Through piloting and evaluation amongst community groups in Teesdale during 2007, online services have been tailored to meet the needs of rural groups and are now being made available to support capacity building across rural England.We now have 3 streams running in the project:

Stream 1: The Widget

This stream is focussed on deploying ‘widgets’ on websites that are strategically positioned to touch ‘isolated rural groups’. Our strategy is to identify and partner with local/regional infrastructure VCOs and networks that are already providing umbrella services to isolated rural groups. The widget provides direct access to ruralnet|uk’s ExpertsOnline and xPRESS Digest services.

Why would you want a widget?

The widget (see below) enables 3rd party services to be deployed locally within existing infrastructre and service support organisations. This adds value to the host site by being able to offer a wider range of services to their network/service users. The widget is dynamic and complements existing content and services. It is also more covenient for users proving direct access to the service, rather than having to go to other 3rd party domains or loading proprietary software to access services - the widget acts as a portable web based access point. As the service provider, ruralnet|uk are able to develop and offer a strong and dynamic service in which users can ask questions they want answered as well as benefitting from the cross-pollunation of ideas and resource being stimulated and generated by users in a variety of community sectors, networks and geographic localities.The widget puts all of this resource at your users’ finger-tips in your domain…

Improving Reach is currently a pilot project aimed at isolated rural groups, running to end of March 2008. Any users who register before the end of March, will receive free subscription to ExpertsOnline and will be asked to participate in feedback during Feb/Mar’08 to help us determine how to develop the services further and the best ways to reach isolated rural groups. User feedback is essential for this and users who participate in the feedback will qualify for extended access to services to end December 2008, during which time we hope to secure further funding to extend the service beyond that time.

Stream 2: Internet Skills

This stream is focussed on utilising readily available online services and helping rural organisations and support groups adapt/tailor them to organise online information in a useful way. An initial exercise undertaken with Warwickshire Rural Hub has proved to be successful and popular in helping members gain the knowledge and tools to go online and manage their email, bookmarks and calendar effectively and with confidence. The package provides the trainees with a way of keeping the information they need all together, where they can access it quickly, in a format they can use easily; saving them time and money. For more click here.

Stream 3: Outcomes

An active participation programme designed to help rural groups to track outcome based projects more effectively. Outcome training is being delivered, based on the Charities Evaluation Services guidelines, early in 2008 and will provide hands-on training and useful tools to increase awareness of the importance of Outcomes and help in planning and managing projects to track Outcomes.Outcomes from this pilot project will be published here when the ‘pilot’ phase concludes in March 2008…

2007 - ongoing

This Capacitybuilders funded project provides new and existing online services to isolated rural voluntary and community groups. Through piloting and evaluation amongst community groups in Teesdale, online services will be tailored to meet the needs of rural groups before being made available to support capacity building across rural England.