The programme, which is delivered in partnership with CAST, a charity helping organisations use digital for social good, has supported over 60 charities to deliver innovative tech solutions and transform their digital capabilities. Deloitte has invested over £1m in the programme since it began in 2021 and earlier this year was shortlisted for Corporate Social Responsibility Project of the Year in the 2023 Charity Times Awards.
The successful applicants in the new cohort will benefit from six months of digital training, advice and support. They will be supported to make progress on an existing organisational digital project or challenge. The programme will provide them with one-to-one mentoring, masterclasses and workshops on digital design practices from Deloitte digital experts, as well as peer support and learning opportunities from CAST.
Claire Burton, head of responsible business at Deloitte, said: “I’m proud that Deloitte Digital Connect has already supported over 60 charities on their digital journeys through an investment of £1m in the programme. As we enter its third year, I’m looking forward to the programme continuing to reduce the digital divide in the charity sector, helping charities to support the communities they serve. By supporting charities to develop their digital knowledge, we’re aiming to help them scale up the reach of their services allowing them to help more people in need.”
Deloitte encourages applications from charities and social enterprises that have a project or programme in the UK aligned to education, employment, equality, diversity and inclusion, early years services, financial inclusion, public health, security and justice or climate action.
Jude Williams, CEO at Literacy Pirates, took part in Deloitte Digital Connect in 2022/23. She said; "The idea of creating a digital strategy for our charity previously seemed overwhelming. The Deloitte Digital Connect programme held our hand and supported us to not only create a strategy but also shift the organisational culture to be more digital focused. The programme is a great combination of one-to-one support and group learning."
Dan Sutch, co-founder and director at CAST, said: “We're delighted to be partnering with Deloitte for the third year running, to deliver the Deloitte Digital Connect programme to a new cohort of social impact organisations. Being able to harness the full potential of digital, data and design is critical for charities to deliver the support they provide to individuals and communities - and equally vital to ensure that civil society has an influential voice.
“We've collaborated with Deloitte to understand how previous participants' insights and success stories can be used to finesse the programme in order to provide maximum value, not just to the next cohort of participants and their respective organisations, but to the sector as a whole - and we're really excited about seeing the benefits come to life as this new version is rolled out."
Bridging the digital divide
According to recent research from FutureDotNow, ‘The UK workforce digital skills gap’, 60 per cent of the UK workforce lacks essential digital skills for work.
In addition, the 2023 Charity Digital Skills report found that nearly half (48 per cent) have a strategic approach to digital, which is less than the 56 per cent who had this in 2022.
To date, the Deloitte Digital Connect programme has supported 63 charities through one-on-one mentoring, troubleshooting, workshops, peer support, device donations, and pro bono assistance from over 100 Deloitte volunteers. A total of 350 customised digital resources have been shared with the participants - and many of these have been made available to the wider social sector also.
A survey of the previous cohort reported that 93 per cent found that they had learned the foundations of developing a digital strategy and 96 per cent had learned user-centred design practices. All participants found the one-on-one support from Deloitte mentors useful to gain more skills, knowledge and confidence in making progress on their projects.
More information on Deloitte Digital Connect and eligibility can be found on the website
If you have any questions, please register to join one of our Q&A sessions on Tuesday 10 October or Monday 16 October at 10am or email your queries to deloittedigitalconnect@deloitte.co.uk.
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
