Offering Free Technical help to Charity

[GWilliy]

Hi All

Currently I'm contracting on-site with Oxfam at the head office here in Oxford.

We're currently replacing our Core Customer Relations System from a homegrown to a highly customise'able off the shelf CRM product.
This is obviously costing lots & lots of money.

Yesterday I had a crazy thought as I remember always thinking I'd like to offer free technical help to Oxfam.

I wonder how interested anyone would be in offering free remote technical help/code in creating new systems for Oxfam (obviously expenses would be available if you needed to visit on-site).

This is unofficial & I've not mentioned this to anyone senior here yet

Even if lots of people were willing to help it would certainly be a challenge to put a proposal together & possibly a fight to get it through but hey, think of the money we could save & allocate to where it's really needed.

Does anyone think something like this could ever work ?

Please post comments & give me an indication of peoples willingness to help with this poll.

Many Thanks

GW

PS This Poll is not flagged as public ie. your names will not be shown against the option you choose

[DimPrawn]

Sounds like a great idea.

What skills, (programming) languages and platforms would be required?

[Troll]

I wonder how interested anyone would be in offering free remote technical help/code in creating new systems for Oxfam (obviously expenses would be available if you needed to visit on-site).

Is there a salary structure for permie workers at Oxfam?
Did you do your dba contract for free?

but you want us to help out the fuzzy wussies for free ?

think you're on the wrong site

HTH

[KathyWoolfe]

I think it's a good idea but as my skills are mainly system design and or analysis I'm not sure how I could help. My programming skills are maily limited to an ancient language (similar to Latin) called COBOL so I'm not sure I could help there!
One snag is that I'm in Scotland - quite far away from Oxford.

[DimPrawn]

I would help but I have a terrible war wound that plays up when people talk about working for free and charity and the like.

[Troll]

One snag is that I'm in Scotland

That's quite a snag

[KathyWoolfe]

That's quite a snag

yeah

[Churchill]

Half the upper management at Oxfam are pulling in six figure salaries/stipends, why not hook up to the same gravy train?

[GWilliy]

Wow fast reponse - Thanks

Dim - Requirements would be better known after a Proposal & Scope had been created. but generally MS SQL Server & .Net is in use

Troll there is an open grading Salary structure for the permanent Staff here - there are also quite a few Interns & volunteers working on site for free.
I do this Contract at a reduced daily rate & not for free because I am on-site 40 hours a week & unfortunately still need to earn a living.

Kathy - Thanks, Scotland is not that far away really ;-)

GW

[GWilliy]

Well done Churchill

If your going to slander people for no reason you really should do a little bit of research first.

This is not a discussion I will get into but to put the record straight

see
http://www.intelligentgiving.com/fat_cat_salaries

GW