Workwithus are currently able to offer a limited number of small voluntary organisations and community groups a free deal for the first 12 months, thanks to funding from the Scottish Executive.

Available to all workwithus subscribers, the DIY website builder is a simple, highly effective and easy-to-use tool that allows organisations to create and publish their own professional websites. Requiring minimal technical knowledge, content can be cut and pasted from documents or existing websites. In addition forms, pictures, files for download, and online donation-processing software can all be built in.

Small voluntary organisations and community groups can now have the DIY website builder tool plus subscription to Workwithus.org free for the first year. After one year the organisation can choose to continue (price £125 plus Workwithus subscription* per year) or cancel their account.

*Workwithus annual subscription is offered to all voluntary organisations and ranges from £25 (for organisations with annual income less than £25,000) to £250 (annual income greater than £1 million). Subscription brings additional benefits tailored specifically for voluntary organisations such as the ability to accept donations online.

The package includes:

The website builder tool to create your own website
Publicly available website, hosted by workwithus
Registration of your chosen domain (.org.uk)
Ability to take on-line donations / event promotion / bookings / payments
DNS management
10 email mailboxes (plus email forwarding)
Online help and email support desk.

Websites are increasingly being used by groups for communicating with members and supporters; promoting events and activities; and raising the group’s profile. However there are often several obstacles to developing a website not least the financial cost and the apparent technological know-how required. Workwithus has developed a mechanism that gets round these obstacles and helps groups set up a professional website.

Workwithus is a not for profit company owned and managed by a consortium of voluntary organisations, including Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations, Voluntary Arts Scotland, Youthlink and a number of others. They manage www.workwithus.org , the single gateway to Scotland’s charities, voluntary and community groups and provide a number of other Internet products and services.

Subscription to Workwithus.org also brings a number of additional benefits. A subscriber is able to add extra interactive features to their website that are provided by Workwithus. For example, as well as promoting events the site could take bookings and even payment online. It would also be able to take donations online (the payment is processed by workwithus) and access Charity Sponsor – an online tool to help individuals raise sponsorship online for events they are doing.

You can find out more at www.workwithus.org/services