net:gain

Denmead Community Association runs a centre in a rural part of Hampshire just outside Portsmouth. It provides many regular activities as well as special events for members of the local community including film nights and theatre performances.

Denmead Community Centre, Hampshire

Centre Manager, Jane Andreoli said “I joined the net:gain programme with the idea of asking for help from The Really Helpful IT Company, the local net:gain centre, in setting up a computer database for our Association members and also to look at improving our internal processes.”

The net:gain process made them examine the reasons why people became members of the community association; they found that this was mainly to claim discounted room hire fees. The committee decided to make membership a positive choice rather than an economic necessity by giving all groups the discounted room hire rate and giving Association members discounts on the plays and film showings. The members were all contacted about these radical changes and invited to join an email list via the Centre’s website. Instead of an expensive database, the organisation now has a growing email list to contact members about forthcoming events without incurring additional postage, paper or IT costs and resources.

“In future years we may indeed need a computer database, but for now, we have a working system that meets our needs and makes much better use of the IT facilities we already have,” commented Jane.

Download the full case study here