e-Riders: introduction & toolkit
The Connecting Communities Conference and the draft Digital Strategy strategy both identified the need for affordable, reliable and accessible Information and Communications Technology advice and support for non-profit organisations. The e-Rider (or eRider)movement is one proven model for this.
What is e-Riding?
eRiders: Grassroots Technology
"eRiders are roving information and communications technology (ICT) consultants who provide one-to-one advice, planning, training and on-going support to non-governmental organisations (NGOs). Rather than being external technology experts, or expensive corporate advisors, eRiders are local experts with a combination of technical flair, consultancy skills and a strong NGO background. We see eRiders as a critical element for NGO's to integrate technology into their work." - definition from http://www.tacticaltech.org/eriding by the Tactical Technology Collective (TTC), who are helping start e-Riding - originally from America - in parts of Europe, Africa and Asia.
"eRiding is based on the idea that technology support can be best delivered to NGOs by a technologist who is knowledgeable of the NGO sector and its resource limitations. If such technology support is delivered by someone working within the NGOs movement, this can in turn increase trust as well as reduce accessibility issues. The eRider model is designed to deliver personal, reliable and flexible expertise at a relatively low cost to the NGO.", from TTC's eRider Summary.
This website also has useful eRider FAQs.
International eRiders
The Collective has an international eRiders community site at:
http://www.eriders.net/.
This site appears to be an extremely valuable resource. It includes: