net:gain delegate motivates colleagues to embrace change

Wendy Thomas , Fundraising and Marketing Manager of the Lloyd Park Centre in Walthamstow has only praise for the net:gain programme. She signed up for the programme via the O-Regen Click Cente, Walthamstow. "This has been a really valuable experience and I would highly recommend it to any other voluntary orgainisation "
The Lloyd Park Centre has come a long way since starting out as a parent and toddler group in 1987. An established charity with purpose-built facilities, Lloyd Park now provides high quality, family orientated services for the under 5s, their parents and carers. Effective communication between all stakeholders involved with the centre and its clients is vital to maintain their high quality of service.

One of the first delegates to embark on the net:gain programme at the 0-Regen Click Centre, Wendy had no idea what to expect . But she immediatly saw how useful the net:gain method could be to her organisation, and was inspired to put it into practice straight away.

The net:gain programme helped Wendy and her colleages to begin their strategic planning for ICT with an open mind: focusing on what they wanted to achieve for their beneficiaries without getting bogged down in ICT issues. The programme materials enable people at every level in the organisation  - including volunteers and service users  - to contribute to planning , whatever their ICT capabilities, as the process allows for insights on mission, needs and goals from their different perspectives.

"We found this a really valuable exercise in identifying ways to improve our organisation and together we planned twelve initiatives around the goals we identified. Using the net:gain planning charts we could quickly establish a process to help achieve these goals. Everyone involved left the meeting feeling motivated about making the changes happen," said Wendy.

Inspired by the meeting, two members of staff had each implemented an initiative within a week! Some initiatives  ed to technology innovations. The organisation is now trialing SKYPE - internet telephony - to improve communications between users and partners. Calls to partners and families can be made free of charge.

"We contact users and partners several times during the day and have conference calls as well. This is a cost saving approach and optimises the use of our broadband."