Impact measurement is one of those topics that everyone in the charity sector agrees is important, yet no one has quite cracked. It’s complex, time-consuming, and let’s be honest often frustrating. So, at the Tech for Good Summit 2024, a panel of experts came together to unpack the challenges and explore potential solutions.

Is your charity feeling a little weighed down by inefficiencies? Maybe your workflows carry some extra “admin weight” after the festive season? Don’t worry, it’s time to hit the gym (figuratively, of course). With the help of skilled volunteers and innovative technology, you can streamline your operations, boost your productivity, and free up time for what really matters—making an impact.

When charities embark on a digital journey, it’s rarely a straightforward path. From navigating new technologies to rethinking the way they work, the process is as much about learning as it is about implementation. But with the right support, charities can unlock digital solutions that make a lasting impact.

In July 2023, River Kids Charity Manager Jack Christine sought support from the Scottish Tech Army (STA) to enhance their website. River Kids, a Scottish charity dedicated to helping underprivileged children and families in West Lothian, had recently undergone a brand refresh and sought a more professional online presence. The goal was to create a website that would clearly communicate their services, attract corporate sponsors, and inspire community support.

The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders (Princess Louise’s) Regiment was created under the Childers Reforms in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 91st Argyllshire Highlanders (raised 1794) and 93rd Sutherland Highlanders (raised 1799) but traces its history back to the raising of the Stirlingshire Militia in 1639.

At the Scottish Tech Army (STA), we know that volunteering is a journey, not just a one-time commitment. People step in, contribute their skills, take a break when they need to, and often return with renewed energy and fresh perspectives. That’s why we’re so excited to celebrate Volunteer Returners Week, shining a light on some of the tremendous volunteers who’ve come back to STA after some time away. Their stories reflect the flexibility, purpose, and sense of community that define our organisation.

The Tarbat Historic Trust is a charity that preserves and shares the history of the Tarbat Peninsula. It runs the Discovery Centre at Tarbat Old Parish Church, which is full of Pictish and Medieval artifacts. To make these treasures more accessible, the charity asked the Scottish Tech Army (STA) for help.

The Daisy Project (Domestic Abuse Integrated Support for You) provides integrated domestic abuse advocacy and support services to families across the South of Glasgow. Originally named the Castlemilk Domestic Violence Project, the charity was formed in 2000 based on a need identified within the local community and is now run by a dedicated team of five qualified Independent Domestic Abuse Advocates (IDAAs) who have extensive experience of supporting women long-term.

There’s a scene in the first of the latest incarnation of Star Trek movies where Scotty congratulates himself on beaming 3 people from 2 locations onto 1 transporter pad and on a not-so-sunny day on 19th May, we had something of a similar sense of satisfaction when we worked with PwC to support them once again on their fantastic One Firm One Day initiative.

Every so often the Scottish Tech Army gets asked to realise a project that has a wow factor. As soon as you start talking about it to people you can see the lights go on. Even better when such a project connects with a basic need we all have: using a toilet.

Automation has been hailed as a game changer for productivity with the power to streamline and turbo charge repetitive tasks especially in administration. However, one small charity found itself in a nightmare scenario when its automated procedures started to break down and their whole system needed to migrate to a new platform.

In November 2023, we had the pleasure of supporting the annual ACOSVO conference for charity leaders which was held in Edinburgh. ACOSVO is the membership organisation that supports Scottish charity CEOs, senior management and Chairs. The focus this year on data, digital and AI was responding to the membership’s need for more information and an opportunity for open discussion.

The Digital Skills Gap is a major challenge in the UK, both in terms of individual skills for life and in terms of skills to be effective and productive in a work setting. We attended two events in November that highlighted initiatives designed to help address these challenges.

Estonia, like its two Baltic counterparts Latvia and Lithuania was under Soviet Occupation briefly in 1940-41 and then for 47 years between 1944-1991. It was feared that the Post-Soviet slump would continue to impact on the Estonian economy and way of life. However, as a society Estonians have made transformative changes since the early 2000s. So much so that Estonia is now a world leader in the IT and Technology industry and has become one of the most digitalised nations on the planet.

Being Santa involves some big, logistical challenges. This is why GSOC teamed up with the Scottish Tech Army (STA) to improve their online capabilities. Via The Tech For Good Alliance the Scottish Tech Army called on a team of specialists from AND Digital to improve GSOC's website and database functionality.

Guest blog from Toni Scullion, a Computing Science teacher and founder of nonprofit charity dressCode.

This year’s Tech for Good Summit was good for many reasons, most of which you might expect, perhaps. Great networking opportunities, fascinating discussions and expert contributions from across the tech and third sectors. An unexpected outcome was an opportunity to partner with PwC on its One Firm One Day volunteering initiative, using their skills to conduct a feasibility assessment on using code released by Microsoft to create an enduring service to support the visually-impaired community.

At our third Tech for Good Summit on 20th April we were delighted to welcome Philanthropy expert, Rhodri Davies to deliver our morning keynote presentation. In a wide-ranging talk, Rhodri set the context of the many challenges facing the charity sector post pandemic. In many ways the sector is facing a perfect storm of reduced financial reserves, shrinking income, higher wage bills and energy costs, all happening at the same time as a big increase in demand for the services and help it provides.

ISEE’s Journey to Establishing a Digital Presence with the Scottish Tech Army’s Expertise. As a new charitable organisation, ISEE is dedicated to achieving its mission of raising awareness of Irlen Syndrome. Irlen syndrome is a difficulty with visual perceptual processing and is not an 'eye' problem. A key part of the charity’s strategy is establishing a digital presence to help raise awareness.

This week I thought that I would offer my insight into some of the work being carried out behind the scenes here at the Scottish Tech Army and highlight the contribution our community of volunteers continues to make.

So who am I? Well I’m Joe, a Geography graduate who has found himself working with the STA for almost a year now (wow does the time not fly?).