Improving Digital Service Delivery Across the Voluntary Sector

Before proceedings get underway, this short explainer session will explore how you can get the most out of our new next generation Conference platform.

Our IG Voluntary Team will run through how to make virtual connections, creating networking meet ups, accessing content on demand and how to use our new Q&A, chat functions and virtual polling tools.

This session will provide delegates with the opportunity to ask direct questions to Zoe Amar. Topics for discussion will include:

• Where is the sector at now digitally and what should the next big digital focus be?
• What key lessons have we learnt in the last 12 months and how do we look to implement change and improvements?
• What works in digitalising face to face services?
• How can voluntary organisations better utilise the Charity Digital Code to improve the delivery of digital services?

• Learning the importance of developing a digital transformation roadmap. What does an effective roadmap look like? And what is a realistic timeline?
• Learning how to accelerate transformation without missing any crucial steps. What are the legal and compliance steps that you must include for example?
• How to best utilise volunteers and grassroots communities to lead rapid digital change
• Learning from Scouts: What were the key challenges faced during Covid-19 and sharing guidance for overcoming these

This session will be followed by 10 minutes of questions and answers

This session will share insights into how NSPCC took an organisation-wide approach to enhancing digital skills and understanding of staff, in order to deliver digital services which meet the needs of service users in an increasingly digital world.

Learning Outcomes Include:

• Learning from NSPCC who designed a framework for digital skills training that can be replicated for all staff across the organisation
• Learning how a two-phase approach, combining internal and external learning can be adopted across other voluntary sector organisations
• Learning how to foster a digital culture, including reverse mentoring, roadshows and clinics and a digital debunking blog
• Discussing the key challenges NSPCC faced around staff engagement and culture change and how to overcome these

Your opportunity to make the most of the virtual Conference, meet up with fellow delegates, make connections and tour our real-time resources and content.

Don’t forget if you’ve missed a session, you can use our replay functions, so you can watch all the content on demand at a time that suits you.

• Learning how to get board and management buy-in when embarking on digital transformation and outlining the importance of doing so 
• But my organisation has a digital skills gap at board level’ What chance do I have of embarking on a digital transformation journey? Learning how to work with your board to communicate the benefits of digital services especially in light of Covid-19
• How can a top-down approach to digital transformation led to organisation wide cultural change and how can this be facilitated? 

This session will be followed by 10 minutes of questions and answers

• Examining the different funding options available to charities looking to upscale digitally
• Outlining what funders expect to see from a successful grant application and guidance on evidencing this in your application
• Discussing how funders and charities can work more closely together to target funding where it is most needed

These break out room sessions will provide an opportunity for delegates to discuss the latest initiatives in the sector and what can be learnt from these.

Delegates will have the choice of breaking out into two rooms to share experiences, assess findings and discuss what more can be done to tackle these issues.

Each room will be led by an expert speaker and will be focused on one of the following themes:

Breakout Room A: How to Make Digital Service Delivery Engaging – Led by Yasmin Georgiou, Head of Digital Engagement, GOSH (invited)

Breakout Room B:  Getting Staff Involved in Whole Organisational Digital Transformation – Led by Michael Wilkinson, Digital Director, RNID (invited)

The Forum for Day 2 concludes at 13:25pm.

You will still have the opportunity to make the most of the virtual Conference, meet up with fellow delegates, make connections and tour our real-time resources and content.

Don’t forget if you’ve missed a session, you can use our replay functions, so you can watch all the content on demand at a time that suits you.

This session will provide delegates with the opportunity to ask direct questions to Helen Milner. Topics for discussion will include:

• What are the causes of digital exclusion and how can we tackle these?
• How can we support the 9 million vulnerable people with digital access?
• What is the role of the Good Things Foundation in this and how can the voluntary sector work with the foundation to combat digital exclusion?
• How can voluntary organisations ensure that their services are reaching digitally isolated communities?

This session will share top tips and guidance on how voluntary organisations can improve the digital skills of service users and ensure they have the skills necessary to access services. Topics for discussion will include:

• How to overcome reluctance or hostility towards technology among service users
• Getting service users comfortable using technology and addressing key concerns
• Innovative methods and activities for teaching digital skills remotely
• Utilising digital champions to engage and train service users

This session will be followed by 10 minutes of questions and answers

Your opportunity to make the most of the virtual Conference, meet up with fellow delegates, make connections and tour our real-time resources and content.

Don’t forget if you’ve missed a session, you can use our replay functions, so you can watch all the content on demand at a time that suits you.

• Outlining how The Clare Foundation and Your SimPal collaborated to combat digital exclusion through providing digital devices and sim cards to isolated individuals
• Highlighting how partnership working is crucial to combatting digital exclusion and how charities can best utilise collaborative working
• Sharing top tips for partnership working, including identifying and approaching a partner, utilising skills and expertise and how to ensure the partnership is a success
• Understanding the challenges that can result from partnership working and how these can be overcome

This session will be followed by 10 minutes of questions and answers

In this session, panellists will share innovative methods and practices undertaken during the course of the pandemic to deliver digital services which were inclusive, tackled digital exclusion and enhanced the quality of services for service users.

Delegates will have the opportunity throughout the 30-minute discussion to put their own organisational and job role challenges to the panel to ensure that practical solutions and guidance is being delivered on improving digital service delivery in light of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Delegates will have the choice of attending one of two workshops according to where they are at in their digital journey.

This workshop will be tailored towards voluntary organisations at the beginning of their digital journey or who have only just began moving services online during Covid-19 and are looking to develop a more detailed action plan for leading a digital transformation of services.

• Learn the must haves and key components of a voluntary sector digital strategy and how to map out your organisational aims against these
• Learning how to conduct a digital audit to assess how digital is being used across your organisation currently and identify areas for improvement
• Learn how to utilise your service user data within your action plan to ensure your digital priorities align with service user needs
• Learn how to develop a detailed digital action plan to be implemented within your organisation that fosters a shared understanding of your organisation’s digital goals

This workshop will be tailored towards voluntary organisations who have an effective digital strategy in place but are looking to enhance and adapt their strategy to better deliver digital services in an evolving digital landscape.

• Learn how to conduct a thorough SWOT analysis to review your current digital progress and how to ensure your strategy addresses this
• Understand how to adapt your digital strategy to meet an evolving digital landscape during Covid-19 and beyond
• Develop an action plan for enhancing your digital strategy to ensure it is fit for purpose in a new digital age
• Learn how to continuously update this strategy in line with digital developments and safeguard against future digital crises

The Forum for Day 2 concludes at 1:20pm.

You will still have the opportunity to make the most of the virtual Conference, meet up with fellow delegates, make connections and tour our real-time resources and content.

Don’t forget if you’ve missed a session, you can use our replay functions, so you can watch all the content on demand at a time that suits you.

*Programme subject to change