Startup cloud storage company GoodCloud is planning to enter the market for charities and social enterprises by offering customized and affordable solutions, said Computer Weekly.
The company seeks to address the data-sharing and management issues faced by foundations. GoodCloud CEO Russell Marriott has performed senior fundraising-related roles and has the first-hand experience of the data-related challenges faced by such organizations.
According to him, the sector is underserved in terms of data storage and management solutions.
He further explained, “Particularly over the past 10 to 15 years, cloud storage and the internet has played a much bigger role and is being used far more widely by charities and social enterprises.”
Such organizations are in need of accessible data solutions given that they have a widespread workforce composed of volunteers across different locations.
He added, “There are around 170,000 charities in the UK, and the top 10 charities account for nearly 80% of the income generated by the sector. There is a lot of money there, but it’s all skewed towards the bigger charities, such as Cancer Research, that are bigger than most of the companies that donate to them.”
However, they have limited funds to use for this technology, which means that some smaller organizations hesitate on jumping into the cloud wagon.
“The vast majority of charities are small entities that are maybe staffed by one or two people working in a backroom, for example, and they cannot afford a big enterprise-level cloud platform,” he noted.
To cater to their online storage needs, these institutions opt for free services such as Dropbox or Google. While these platforms are free and functional, they pose some restrictions such as storage limits.
They also tend to make the service free for one person only with the option to expand accessibility by paying a membership fee for each additional person.
Marriott noted that this can ramp up the cost for these organizations, especially as “the average hospice, for example, has got 4,000 volunteers.”
With the help of GoodCloud, foundations and social enterprises can now avail of a data storage and management solution that is affordable and tailored to their needs.
One thing that gives GoodCloud an edge is its ease of use. Its platform is designed to be user-friendly even for the average volunteer with minimal technical knowledge and experience.
The company not only offers services to charitable institutions but hopes to become one as well. It promises to give 25% of its profits back to foundations.
