Third sector organisations do engage expert web designers but many cannot afford to spend a minimum of £3000 on a website, especially if it is not going to generate significant income.
Non-directive consultancy works better for third sector organisations planning their web presence and not because it is likely to cheaper! The values of non-directive consultancy are more likely to match the values of the sector. So, this is how it works.
If you engage a non-directive consultant, you are the consultor. It is essential you understand the consultor role to get the best out of your consultant.
The Consultant – Consultor Relationship
The consultor has specialist knowledge about the purpose of their organisation, its history and background. The consultant, supplies additional brain-power. So, many third sector groups have a volunteer or staff member who looks after their website. Often the site lacks purpose or the knowledge of its in-house designer is limited. Sometimes, a team of people maintain a site but they lack the expertise to put it together in the first place or to make major changes.
The role of the consultant is to help solve your problems. If you know what you want and know what resources you have, sometimes it helps to have someone alongside who can challenge your thinking. Similarly it helps to challenge your thinking if you don’t know what you want!
You are likely to need to work out how your website team is going to maintain the site. Developing a disciplined approach is sometimes more important than the technical details. The problems many sites encounter are to do with content not site design.
Non-Directive and Expert Approaches
A web consultant combines non-directive and expert approaches. As a non-directive consultant, they aim to help the consultor develop a sustainable approach to their online presence. As an expert consultant they offer you the technical know-how you need.
The issues you face may have nothing to do with computers or the Internet. Maybe your web presence suffers because you are not able to manage your site. Low capacity could be lack of staff or volunteers or else it could be the way you deploy your people and resources. The consultant can help you think through the changes you need to make to be better equipped both on and off-line.
As a consultor you are in the driving seat. You make decisions when you have the knowledge and expertise you need to develop an effective online presence. The key is understanding your role, whichever approach the consultant uses.
If your website doesn’t do what you would like it to do, what are the reasons?
