Giving Back

Our Principals consistently tell us when they join that one reason they  got out of a corporate environment and have decided to make a career as a Portfolio IT Director is because they want to give back. We work mostly with fast growing companies usually with revenues in excess of £5M, but that doesn’t stop our Principals wanting to do more, particularly with charitable organisations that would benefit from our skills. We do donate to charities, both as a business and as individuals, but money can sometimes be limiting. Giving our time and effort will, we believe, provide a far more significant difference.

This was why we got very excited when we found out about CITA, the Charity IT Association, because it is exactly what we were looking for; an organisation set up to help other Charities find people in the IT profession who could help them with IT Strategy or sometimes specific IT issues within their particular charity. It couldn’t have been a better fit and after talking with Tracey Phillipson of CITA, I was struck by how much alignment there was between the two of organisations. CITA enables charities to register on their website and explain why they need help. Volunteers, like our Principals, sign up and can view those requests and, if they want, take them up on the requirement and get in touch. Most of them want some help with IT Strategy or similar which is why the fit is so good for us.

Until now, Tracey explained, CITA has mostly concentrated on London because that was were most of the volunteers came from, but with our national coverage through our Principals, the opportunity to grow throughout the UK is immediate. This can only be a good thing. Freeman Clarke’s aim is to make a long-term commitment to CITA and provide an opportunity for our Principals to give back and for the Charities associated with CITA to benefit from this relationship.

You can find out more about CITA here: https://charityithelp.org.uk/