Yarra Tech Clinic100% independent
No software vendor sponsorships, commissions or kickbacks. Advice goes where it fits your organisation, not where it pays.
Explore the island
Personal pro bono initiative · Vish Devarajan
Free technology guidance for community organisations in Aotearoa.
Helping community organisations make sense of technology when they don't know where to start. Four free one-hour sessions. No sales and no strings, just clear, practical advice.
Applications are reviewed based on fit and available capacity.
Limited placesI work with a small number of organisations at a time.
Remote and flexibleVideo calls at times that suit volunteers and staff.
4 × 60 minutesFour focused sessions, plus follow-up.
All of AotearoaTe Ika-a-Māui, Te Waipounamu and every region.
What the clinic stands for
Plain English
Clear, human explanations with no consulting jargon. You set the pace, and no question is too basic.
Public good
Dedicated to grassroots community resilience. You will never be pitched paid work.
Who it's for
Built for groups doing the mahi without an IT person.
Yarra Tech Clinic is shaped for frontline community organisations doing social, environmental and civic work without an internal systems lead.
- Registered small charities and not-for-profit charitable trusts
- Incorporated societies running sports, social or community hubs
- Volunteer grassroots groups and mutual aid collectives
- Organisations with no in-house IT staff or technology budget
You don't need to know the technical question.
Tell me what's difficult, slow, risky or frustrating, and I'll help you work out what the technology question actually is.
Māori and Pasifika organisations are warmly welcome.
Whether you support whānau initiatives, hapū projects or Pacific community networks, I offer a patient, culturally respectful and unhurried space shaped around how you work.
Is this right for us?
Find out in 30 seconds.
A few quick taps tell you whether the clinic fits your organisation, and where to go if it doesn't. Nothing you tap is sent or saved.
Advisory scope
What I can help with
Six focused areas that give volunteer-powered organisations clarity, safety and breathing room. Each one lives somewhere on the island.
Choosing the right tools
Comparing donor databases, member CRMs, accounting tools and everyday office software, with a focus on affordable not-for-profit options.
Avoid bloat and high licence feesUsing AI safely
Practical, low-risk guidelines for small teams using generative AI to draft grant proposals, tidy meeting notes and summarise documents.
Privacy-preserving workflowsAutomation that saves time
Cutting repetitive volunteer busywork, manual data re-entry and email follow-ups with straightforward no-code connections.
More hours for frontline workBasic cyber security
Password managers, two-step verification and simple habits that protect your organisation from phishing and account takeovers.
Simple habits over complex softwarePrivacy-aware workflows
Handling member, donor and client records respectfully and in line with the Privacy Act 2020.
Building trust with your communityA practical tech roadmap
A 6 to 12 month plan covering what to fix now, what can wait, and how to spend scarce funds.
Realistic, bite-sized milestones
Not sure where to start?
Restore your tech island in 3 minutes.
Answer 11 questions and see what happens with each answer, in real situations. You get a health score and the three fixes that matter most. Nothing you enter leaves your browser.
Play the health check
No sign-up · works on phones
Structured engagement
How it works: four focused sessions
A step-by-step structure that respects your committee's limited time and still delivers real progress. 100% free and independent.
- 1
Listen and diagnose
Unpacking your challenges, tools and everyday frustrations in plain English, without condescension.
Shared clarity on key blockers - 2
Options and models
Reviewing realistic, low-cost or free not-for-profit tools that suit your team's real digital capability.
A shortlist of vetted options - 3
Learn by doing
A hands-on walkthrough together on screen, so your coordinators build real confidence with new workflows.
Hands-on muscle memory - 4
Roadmap and check-in
A tailored 1–2 page action plan and an optional "pass it on" idea.
An actionable 1–2 page roadmap
Tangible takeaways
What you receive
No 80-page slide deck. Every engagement produces practical assets you can use straight away with your board and volunteers.
Tailored technology roadmap
A 1–2 page action plan with immediate priorities, estimated software costs and a milestone timeline.
Organisation health checklist
A clear snapshot of backup health, user access permissions and cyber safety habits.
Operational templates
Ready-to-use policy snippets for volunteer onboarding, device use and client record retention.
Discount and vendor directory
Guides to verified not-for-profit discounts, including TechSoup NZ, Google for Nonprofits and Microsoft for Nonprofits.
Clear service boundaries
What it isn't
To keep the clinic focused and sustainable, I provide strategic guidance and training. I don't provide:
Emergency IT or desktop troubleshooting
No real-time callouts for crashed computers, network outages or printer faults.
Website coding, design or hosting
I'll help with requirements and choosing platforms, but I don't write custom code or manage servers.
Hardware repairs or devices
I don't supply, repair or buy computers, tablets or network equipment.
Admin access or your passwords
For governance and privacy, you keep exclusive control of every password, login and account.
The one ask
Each one, teach one.
"There's no fee. I ask one thing in return: pass on what you've learnt to someone else who needs it."
Teach a skill, share your roadmap with a similar group, or help another organisation through the same checklist. It's an invitation, not a condition. The phrase comes from African American history, where people denied an education secretly taught each other to read. I borrow it with respect.
Volunteer technology adviser
A personal contribution to civic life in Aotearoa.
I'm Vish Devarajan, a technology architect with 15 years in banking, health, energy and government across New Zealand, Australia and beyond. I set up Yarra Tech Clinic to give small organisations the calm, honest technology advice that firms bill hundreds of dollars an hour for.
It's a personal volunteer programme, run in my own time and not connected to my employer. You will never be pitched paid work or referred to anyone I benefit from.
Places are limited. Apply in about 10 minutes.
Tell me about your organisation, your people, and the technology questions slowing you down. No preparation or tech expertise needed.
Apply for a place
Confidentiality respected · independent pro bono service