Power of Information Taskforce Report - NFP Summary
The recently released Power of Information Taskforce Report points the direction for the much wider use of Government Information in the UK. The report was commissioned by the Cabinet Office Minister, Hilary Armstrong, and was published in February 2009.
The Taskforce made 25 recommendations to the government, ranging from much more open access to mapping and address data to ensuring that public sector information is made as simple as possible for people to find and use.
There are several points raised in the report that are of particular interest to not-for-profit (NFP) organisations and some associated challenges:
Open government information - the government is urged to make information much more open, particularly to NFP organisations, through “backstage services”. There is potential here particularly for charities who engage with central government, local authorities, or the police, to be able to gain benefits both for fund raisers and for beneficiaries.
Online communities - the report makes the point that many of the most rapidly expanding groups are online-only organisations with no fees. This is a challenge to traditional membership organisations - how can you ride the wave of openness without compromising the values and financial stability of your organisation (part of the issue here is who you want to engage with - members or the wider public).
Map data - any move to make Ordinance Survey more accessible and potentially free to use for the NFP sector would be of benefit to walking groups and any group that has interest in GIS.
Policy data - many NFP organisations respond to government policy documents and consultations. There is potential to engage more rapidly and more comprehensively, with contributions across all stakeholder groups.
Challenge to openness - the government is being urged to open up its data. The challenge here is - is your organisation willing to open up your information and knowledge to the greater public good (or does this negate your unique selling point)?
Tags: NFP, online communities
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on Thursday, March 19th, 2009 at 10:26 pm and is filed under Posted by Alex McLachlan.
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