"Digital has to be embraced across the whole organisation – digital leadership isn’t a strategy that sits off to one side.
Our new Digital Leadership series of training and advice uses the recently launched Charity Digital Code of Practice to provide a framework for strategic decision-making around digital technology for social impact.
We were excited to kick start our introductory workshop, Digital Leadership 101, at RCVS's trustee and CEO network meeting on 4th February.
We opened the workshop with a discussion of the qualities of good leadership and the tools, practices and mindset that the word 'digital' encompasses.
Evidence of need
We asked attending trustees and CEOs to choose the three principles of the Code that they most needed to focus on at their organisations.
Trustees in Richmond felt that digital skills being represented at all levels of the charity was vital to help their small charities thrive in a changing world. Trustees also identified they needed support to make service users the starting point for everything they do digitally as well as help to make changes to the values, behaviours and ways of working of their teams.
What insights did they take from discussions?
- What digital leadership is - prompting me to think more carefully and ambitiously about digital can help
- What other charities are doing & what challenges they are facing to tackle digital
- Just the chance to THINK about digital
- An awareness of the Charity Digital Code of Practice
What did attendees find most helpful?
"Everyone's insights showing the clear need to embed digital for the future."
- Insight into digital code and what can be achieved with digital leadership
- Understanding the 7 digital principles
- Table discussions on digital code
- I valued the discussions on our table and space to focus and think
For some, the introduction was too broad, with people wishing instead to focus on specific tools or issues. Superhighways will be taking this into account for future training sessions. There will also be an additional range of specific resources and case studies available at the end of the project to help small local charities move forward with digital.
Key actions attendees will take forward as a result of the workshop
- Identify efficiencies
- Plan to help employees / users identify how digital technology is relevant to helping us move forward
- Using digital resources to analyse the demographics of people buying tickets
- Keep building "followers" on social nedia platforms
- Delve deeper into capabilities of our website to enhance usability
- I'll encourage CEO's to carry out this discussion / workshop at all levels to test the need for going more digital and how best we would benefit from it
- Develop a digital strategy
- Talk to staff at staff meeting about ideas for use of digital
“Superhighways delivered an engaging and well-designed event. Digital leadership is a big topic to cover in a short session but using the new charity digital code, they highlighted key areas that leaders of small charities need to be thinking about. Crucially they helped delegates identify next steps for their organisations.”
Julie Gavin, Service Coordinator – Advice & Training, Richmond CVS
This workshop was run as part of Superhighways' Digital Leadership programme funded by DCMS.