Charity Camp - An Unconference focused on digital for the Third Sector
A special mention to Harry Harrold and the team at neontribe and DXW for putting on the first ever Charity Camp during November this year - a third sector unconference focused on digital. The 1-day event in Birmingham was truly open to all across the third sector, travel bursaries and free tickets for participants meant a good diversity of roles and organisations were represented from funders to large and small charities, and community networks.
An unconference essentially focuses on an agenda created by the participants at the start of the day, everyone with the opportunity to bring topics and questions they are interested to discuss, swiftly pulled together in an agenda and timeslots throughout the day. The range of discussions was huge, truly reflective of the multiple challenges the third sector faces grappling with constantly changing digital environment including:
Do charity staff, volunteers and trustees have the skills they need?
How do we do proper user centered design?
How might we ensure we only use tech when it adds value?
Our sector is 5-10 years behind in digital transformation - how can we catch up?
What skills do you really need in a digital team - and what can/should you outsource?
How do you recruit for digital positions?
Different organisations/ teams mean very different things by "digital". How do we reach a mutual understanding? (Across project partners)
Data - how do you get people to care? How do you build a community of charity data people?
It was an inspiring day, mainly down to the energy and enthusiasm of each and every participant to share their knowledge and hopes for the future, but also their vulnerability - of what is not working, hard and challenging across the third sector.
Funding - where is it?
One of the main threads throughout the day was the lack of funding to the third sector. The lack of critical funding that is about practical support to organisations - support to learn, plan, implement and manage organisations through complex digital change programmes. Small organisations will still experience significant digital change and in turn the inherent cultural resistance this brings - a carefully managed programme of change is vital.
Organisations need access to funding that can provide skills, resource and practical support, within a support framework and relationship that encourages baby steps, not just the larger-scale “innovation” and “create something new” projects.
At Dot Project we started to feel the pinch of the lack of digital funding to the sector perhaps mid-way through 2022, and it was interesting to hear many others reflecting the same. This has continued to be a challenge as the major funders in the sector pivot their strategy and funding mechanisms. We see a strategic shift by funders to wrap digital into all their programmes, and not call it out specifically as “digital funding”, and yet many organisations are so far from being able to think like this, where they still see digital as a “project” and that is going to take time to shift a well-established mindset of digital in silos.
Organisations need support to see how digital is wrapped into every aspect of their operational fabric. The whole organisation needs to move together and navigate digital complexity every day.
How to embed funding for digital inclusion across the third sector?
A discussion on digital inclusion focused on how to access local and regional funding for programmes focused on digital inclusion in local communities. The group shared experiences of funding that was consistently focused on the number of people reached, rather than depth of impact and sustainable provision to support communities for the longer term.
We shared deep frustration of the extent of the issue prevalent across the UK with increasing numbers missing out on opportunities to learn skills, find work and access important, critical services - despite the continued proliferation of technological innovation at a speed very few can keep up with.
Insights of those leading the way such as 100% Digital Leeds with a vision of equal opportunity for everyone in Leeds. Their work is to “strengthen digital inclusion infrastructure in communities to increase access, engagement and participation”, built on a model of collaboration and working with partners across the city - third sector, public sector, health and care. Through to where many areas of the country are so far from achieving the succes of Leeds, battling a lack of funding and resource to coordinate multiple stakeholders to address digital inclusion in a coordinated way - from access to devices, data, and appropriate skills building that can be designed around the very communities they seek to support.
Are theories of change working in the current uncertain world. Is there an alternative to dealing with today's conflict problems?
Particularly interesting was a conversation around managing change across the third sector in the context of increasingly complex environments. How does the practice of “Theories of Change’ help or hinder managing change, is it still a viable “tool”?
This was a good debate around complex environments with very many stakeholders, through to the benefit of alignment internally and externally when the social change vision, the big goal is clearly articulated, and can provide that strategic light. What we could make sense of as a group was the increasingly critical role of storytelling - stories from within the organisation, amongst stakeholder groups, amongst those being impacted by the organisations work - to tell stories. To bring different voices and perspectives to authentically showcase the change they experience and see as possible and hopeful futures.
Reflection
It is a complex world, an increasingly complex world. For organisations deeply rooted in improving the welfare of our communities, every aspect of their work is increasingly complex. The needs of communities are more complex, the needs of staff and managing volunteers is more complicated, and the shape of digital in organisations moves at a pace that can be impossible to keep up with. The sector is on its knees with barrier after barrier to overcome, funders who truly want to make change and impact, need to pivot back to practical support and care for the organisations holding our society together.
We need safe spaces. We need very many more safe spaces to share journeys, and the wisdom and learnings of others. Charity Camp wasn’t just an event, it was a safe space for community and the strength we find in shared experiences and mutual support. Together, we can navigate these challenges and build a brighter future of support to the sector.
