Update from January 2020

Happy New Year! 

Welcome to the end of January 2020 issue of Digital WM News and our first issue of 2020.

We're publising this issue on 31st January 2020 as we at RnR Organisation say 'au revoir' but not goodbye to the EU - we'll continue to watch tech for good developments in the rest of Europe






We hope you have enjoyed our 2019 e-bulletins and we hope we can continue to help you and your organisation/community group increase your digital skills and knowledge in 2020

 

In this issue we include:

• News including Levol-app launch, Walsall VCS Digital survey, Digital Candle to light path for charity leaders
• Events including Online support and social media surgery, Crowdfund Wolves and WarwickHACK
• People: Dave Ainsworth, TechforgoodCAST
• Resources including Stepping up digital efforts in charities, Data Empowerment, Website redevolopment and Data flow
• Vacancies 19 vacancies - a bumper crop!

We continue to increase digital skills and knowledge in the VCSE sectors, as part of Project 2020, by curating the most useful items we see on the web during the month.

We'd love to hear your stories of increasing digital skills and knowledge too. Please email them to Pauline at RnR.Organisation@gmail.com, marking them for my attention.

Subscribers
For our new subscribers in January, we welcome you!

Please note that this issue and all previous issues can be found on our website here

Readership
In 2020 we want to reach at least one person in every small charity, non-profit and social enterprise in the West Midlands. 

You can help us increase our reach and increase digital skills in the West Midlands by encouraging your colleagues and friends to subscribe to Digital WM News in 2020. 

They can SIGN UP HERE to ensure they receive the latest issue as soon as it is published.

Regards

Pauline Roche,
Editor, Digital WM News

Launch of volunteering management app, Levol-app

A new app which was developed to improve the volunteering management programmes of non-profit organisations by a European partnership was launched at BVSC in Birmingham on 31st January. The app called Levol-app has been created on an online training platform in five languages including English.

Stephanie Bloxham, Project Coordinator at Birmingham Voluntary Service Council said “Levol-app is a free online training platform for volunteer management, available in five languages”. Stephanie was introducing it today to organisations who work with volunteers, whether they're in a volunteer management role, or those who are supportive volunteers.

She said “we've had roughly about 16 small to medium sized organisations, predominantly those who are managing volunteers in some capacity, Policy Manager coordinators, or those who are managers in in organisations, who may be looking to roll this out to their coordinators. We've also had a couple of national organisations at the launch".

Unusually, Stephanie has been given permissions from the developer to go and tweak and edit things herself on the app which saves time and resources.

She said it was a “complete coincidence that we launched the app on the day that UK is leaving the European Union. it's really nice that we are celebrating the fantastic work that has been done across the partner countries to create this app”

The app will be launched more widely in the near future 

Voluntary digital & social media support sought by National Trust

The Roundhouse, in Birmingham, will emerge this summer as a brand-new place to visit and a lively base for exploration and adventure, with volunteers at the heart of all they do.

They are looking for smiley, enthusiastic and friendly volunteers with a passion for the city and a willingness to learn new skills. One skill sought is Digital & social media support e.g. Digital visitor projects, social media content 

Full details and drop-in sessions to find out more on Feb 13th and 15th here

Walsall VCS Digital Inclusion and Skills Survey

"...This survey is designed to capture information on the services Walsall’s voluntary and community sector delivers to support residents to be digitally included. It also seeks to understand the digital skills within your organisation, and to what extent you use digital tools to deliver your activity..."

Closing date for completion of responses is Friday 21st February 2020

Full post including link to survey here

Technological drivers in 'The Road Ahead 2020: A review of the sector's operating environment' from NCVO

"...an increasing role is being played by the ‘tech for good’ movement. For issues that have global significance, technology can dramatically expand outreach capacity in a way that no one charity can match.

But even for smaller scale issues, we are seeing that people’s engagement and support is changing. We can see it, for example, in the increased investment in ‘lifestyle politics’ and the extensive use of social media and peer networks..."

The #RoadAhead is NCVO's take on the political, economic, social, technological trends likely to impact charities in 2020.

Full review here

Connecting curious charity leaders with digital experts



46% of charity leaders don't think digital is relevant to them. Digital Platypus wants to light a path.

Reclaim Social 2020

It's the third year of Reclaim Social in 2020

https://www.lightful.com/blog/community/how-we-can-reclaimsocial-for-good/

David Ainsworth, writes about charities for @wethecatalysts and 
@techforgoodCAST

Dave spent fifteen years working as a journalist, at Civil Society Media, a specialist trade magazine for charities, where he edited online and print titles. He decided that after all this time writing about charities, he should try working for one, and moved to the Charity Finance Group.

Dave's recently moved jobs and on Twitter in Jan 2020 said "I've started a new job, still writing stuff about charities"
.

Stepping up the digital efforts in charities
by Gillian Murray, Pilotlight, 6 Dec 2019

"..it is clear that we need to create more space for, and focus on, digital efforts and digital transformation as a strategic and leadership challenge/opportunity. My experience with over 800 charities through Pilotlight is that small charities are doing vital, inspiring work. They are also, broadly speaking, (particularly the smaller ones), under-resourced and under-financed. So, it’s the day-to-day, hands-on essential work for their user groups that take priority..."

Full post


Three Examples of Data Empowerment
By Michael Cañares 9 Jan 2020

"...Globally, there are many examples of how data has enabled people to advocate for their rights, demand better public services or hold governments to account. This blog post shares a few examples, focusing largely on how people are able to access and use data that shape their lives..."

Full post

From websites to ‘digital’ and beyond
By Megan Gray, NCVO 17 Jan 2020 

"...this is a great time to reflect on how we think about ‘digital’ internally as an organisation. Is the term understood, or helpful? Is now the right time to follow the example of other organisations? Should we drop ‘digital’ and focus on service design, or being ‘user-centred’ or something else? I honestly don’t know, but it feels like the right time to ask these questions.

What do you think? Have you explored what ‘digital’ (or any of those other words) mean in your organisation?..."

Full post




Capacity, capability and longer collaboration
By Edafe Onerhome - a thread

Turning data into information and information into opportunity
By Ketan Govan, 22 Jan 2020

What one technological development has the greatest immediate potential for business leaders? I’ll give you a hint. In my experience it isn’t Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning or Predictive Analytics. Powerful though all those can be, I’ve found the actual answer to be something much more fundamental; effectively recording, holding and reporting valuable information.

Full post




Check out this whole Twitter thread here - advice useful for leaders in our sector too


From hype to nuance: civil society and technology

Posted 30 January, 2020 by Julia Keseru 

Our new user-focused website: 10 things we learned
By Abi Cox and Tom Morton 8 January 2020

"...Our old brand and website didn't reflect the kind of charity we are. They didn't reflect the kindness, passion and enthusiasm of our staff and volunteers across the country. The moment someone walks into one of our services or visits our website, they should know straight away that our priority is to help them to change their life..."

Full post




Karl Wilding, NCVO on NPC article on NCVO and Charity Commission data
Full thread 

Delivering digital service: this much I have learned

"...good practice isn’t evenly distributed, and I sometimes find myself feeling the same frustration rising as it did that day almost 20 years ago.

I try not to take it out on people. This stuff isn’t complicated, but neither is it obvious. As a digital profession lead, I often find myself arguing for little bits of this model in isolation. In this post, I’m trying to draw together the threads of good practice as I see them...

Full post here (HT Dominic Campbell)





It's Data flow that matters
by Peter Wells - twitter thread

"...data needs to be secure but unless data also flows then it can't *get to people who need to use it* to make decisions (eg consumers, retailers, farmers, govts)..."


Four Stories of Systems Change
by Emily Bazalgette, 24 Jan 2020

"...This isn’t a post about the theory or methods of systems change — there’s loads out there already and I’m very much still learning. This is a post that tells four stories of The Children’s Society’s systems change work, three local, one national, to bring systems change out of theory and into practice for a service and organisational design audience..."

Full post


TikTok 101 for non-profits
By Richard Gabrintina, 17 Jan 2020

it’s a mobile app primarily popular among Gen Z, and a powerful platform to engage with younger audiences

Full post




Full thread

 

No closing date