The Bishop’s Action Foundation (BAF) started the ICT Gateway (originally called Making IT Work) in 2008 to support not-for-profit organisations to develop fit-for-purpose ICT strategies and implement sustainable solutions. The ICT Gateway also provides an effective and affordable provider able to establish service level agreements to create piece of mind for organisations seeking ongoing IT management and support.
18 years later the ICT Gateway continues to flourish and has become a go-to ICT partner for Iwi, Maori organisations and not-for-profits across Taranaki. The need for ICT support in the community sector continues to increase as technological innovation accelerates.
BAF intentionally created the ICT Gateway to become a social enterprise. This means that while it provides services to not-for-profit organisations at an affordable rate, it does so within a self-sustaining financial business model ensuring its continued operation into the future without reliance on grants and donations. In addition, since the inception of the ICT Gateway, BAF has been able to access high quality in-house ICT support that helps us to stay ahead of technology and ICT changes and ensure our staff and service are supported by reliable and effective ICT infrastructure.
Not only does the ICT Gateway respond to operational ICT challenges for organisations it has also been able to support communities after significant events such as Cyclone Gabrielle and the Eskdale floods that destroyed Hukarere Girls’ College near Napier. The ICT Gateway worked with the Anglican schools’ charitable Trust and SPARK to coordinate the replacement of 60 laptops to ensure the girls were able to continue theirs studies from home.
BAF continues to explore how to evolve the ICT Gateway to ensure that it remains a sustainable social enterprise delivering relevant and future focused ICT support to the not for profit and community sector.