Practical digital capacity for charities and community organisations.

charIT part of everwished

Funding support

Find the right route before asking anyone to pay.

Many community organisations need better digital tools, safer systems, clearer records and more confident volunteers, but they do not always have spare unrestricted funds for IT projects.

charIT helps organisations identify suitable grants, shape practical project plans and build a case for funding digital improvement work. This is not about bending grant intent to fit an invoice: the work must match the funder's purpose and the recipient organisation's real need.

Request help shaping a grant application See funding links

How organisations can pay for support

The right route depends on who benefits, who is eligible and what the current fund or budget allows. charIT's job is to help make that route visible before anybody is asked to commit money.

Grant-funded improvement

A charity, CIC, social enterprise or community group may apply for practical digital improvement where the fund purpose, applicant and costs fit.

Project or unrestricted budget

Some groups can fund a bounded audit, setup or training step directly when the scope, outputs and limits are clear.

Beneficiary-led business support

A local business or supporter may pay for support on behalf of an eligible organisation, but that should follow the beneficiary's need rather than pressure.

Matched donated time

Where paid support is agreed, charIT may add donated professional time if capacity allows and if the arrangement is recorded honestly.

In-kind support

Devices, venues, software help, admin capacity or specialist advice can all help where they genuinely fit the project.

Funded roles

A suitable host may design a digital champion, coordinator, trainee or supported role with charIT providing technical oversight where appropriate and agreed.

How charIT helps

  1. Identify suitable routes

    We help look for grants, support schemes, project budgets or business-supported routes that fit the organisation and the real work needed.

  2. Shape a practical project

    We turn vague digital pain into a scoped improvement plan: outputs, costs, beneficiaries, risks, training, evidence and handover.

  3. Support the application where appropriate

    We can help with plain-English project descriptions, outputs, evidence notes, supplier scope and implementation plans, while the applicant checks current guidance and owns the decision.

  4. Deliver with value for money

    Where paid support is possible, charIT may match some paid hours with donated professional time, subject to availability and written agreement before any application relies on it.

Fundable package examples

These are examples, not rigid products. The right shape depends on the organisation, the fund, the current guidance and the real-world support capacity available.

Direct group improvement

Digital Baseline Pack

A current-state review of account ownership, email, files, access, passwords, recovery, data risks and the next practical improvements.

  • Account ownership
  • Access and recovery
  • Trustee-ready next steps

Direct group improvement

Secure Admin Setup Pack

Organisation-owned email, shared drives, calendars, permissions cleanup, committee handover structure and simple templates.

  • Organisation-owned email
  • Shared files
  • Handover structure

Security, data and safeguarding

Cyber and Data Protection Readiness Pack

Baseline cyber checks, safer sharing, trustee-visible evidence, data protection notes, incident routes and practical records.

  • MFA and safer sharing
  • Data handling notes
  • Incident readiness

Training and digital inclusion

Volunteer Digital Confidence Training

Practical sessions for Google Workspace, Microsoft 365 basics, safe file sharing, phishing awareness, password hygiene, event publishing, records and handover routines.

  • Practical sessions
  • Safer habits
  • Reusable notes

Shared community infrastructure

Digital Communities Discovery Pack

Discovery for a possible Digital Communities project: local need, champion route, shared calendar, directory, group onboarding, governance, funding readiness and sustainability.

  • Need and scope
  • Local champion route
  • Funding readiness

Shared community infrastructure

Community Calendar and Directory Pack

A practical shared calendar and directory setup with onboarding, moderation workflow, training, accessibility notes and evidence of community benefit.

  • Calendar workflow
  • Group onboarding
  • Handover notes

Training and digital inclusion

Digital Inclusion and Skills Pack

Practical digital confidence work around online access, safe everyday use, community services, assisted communication, devices and volunteer support.

  • Skills sessions
  • Device planning
  • Safe support

Governance and evidence

Governance and Resilience Pack

Practical governance support for policies, access maps, handover routines, risk notes, funder evidence and continuity planning.

  • Evidence pack
  • Risk notes
  • Continuity checklist

Employability and supported roles

Funded Digital Coordinator Oversight Pack

Role design, work planning, safe task boundaries, trainee or volunteer development routes and technical oversight where a suitable host organisation and funder agree the structure.

  • Role design
  • Technical oversight
  • Safe task boundaries

Example: Digital Communities

Digital Communities shows the kind of shared infrastructure a fundable project could unlock: shared visibility, events, organisation-owned tools, training, safer group administration, employability routes and reusable local learning, with local ownership and subject-to-agreement caveats where partners are not confirmed.

What funding could support

  • Community calendar setup and moderation workflow
  • Local group directory and visibility pages
  • Digital inclusion sessions and admin support
  • Volunteer confidence and supervised role design
  • Trustee-friendly evidence and handover notes

For funders and local businesses

For funders

Funding digital basics gives strong value for money when the outputs are practical, measurable and reusable: safer records, clearer ownership, trained volunteers, better handover and stronger evidence.

Social enterprise and employability routes

Some Digital Communities or digital-capacity work may become more fundable if it creates genuine local infrastructure, supervised roles, training or reusable community support. That does not mean charIT can access every fund directly, and it does not mean a role is safe or suitable without proper hosting.

Possible future route

A mature project could be delivered by a charity, CIC, social enterprise or local anchor where it provides useful services, training, coordination and support to local organisations.

Important caveats

No promised awards
charIT can help shape a clearer project, but funders decide eligibility, priority and awards.
No automatic in-kind match
Donated time is not treated as formal matched value unless the fund allows in-kind support and the arrangement is recorded properly.
Applicant fit matters
A charity, CIC, social enterprise or community group may need to apply directly, with charIT named only as adviser, supplier or delivery partner where permitted.
Conflicts stay visible
If charIT helps shape a bid and may later deliver, that possibility should be declared early and any quote or procurement rules followed.
No hidden free-service promise
Funded or donated support is limited by capacity, eligibility and written agreement; it should never be described as unlimited free IT.