Launch of Newid
We are happy to announce the launch of Newid - a service to support the third sector with digital through training, support and information.
Newid has been designed based on the delivery, and feedback from our initial prototype service.
This website is where you can follow or <subscribe> to our work. We will share knowledge and capture insights so the third sector in Wales can understand and use digital ways of working.
We raise awareness of the CDPS digital service standards for Wales and user centred approaches to improve digital in the third sector.
Newid is funded by Welsh Government.
Previous work
Back in early 2021, WCVA and Cwmpas commissioned research to define what support the Welsh third sector needed with digital.
The report Digital Discovery for the third sector by ProMo-Cymru and Dotiau highlighted the need for a coordinated programme of support for the sector in Wales.
In November 2021, with funding from Welsh Government, Newid was launched as a pilot programme to test how best to provide support.
What we did and what we learnt
Baseline survey
- Created a survey to establish the needs of the sector.
What we learnt
536 organisations filled in the survey, which demonstrated a high level of interest for digital support in the third sector.
On the baseline survey the average score of People and Skills was clearly an area that needs future attention for small and large third sector organisations
Service Design training
- Delivered two Service Design courses. Helping organisations learn practical approaches to build better digital services with people.
What we learnt - Time is often the biggest constraint to designing and improving services in the third sector. Third sector organisations really value practical support and being given the time to explore and test new tools and approaches.
Digital Strategy
- Organisations value support in identifying digital priorities and setting them out in a simple to follow inclusive and pragmatic action plan.
What we learnt - Digital improvements do not have to be technical or complicated, our work to break digital down into manageable chunks or tasks which are shared across the organisation has helped many move forward.
Community of Practice
- We brought together digital advocates from across Wales to share experiences. A Facebook group was used as a platform where regular updates and topics could be shared.
What we learnt - We need to develop the digital culture of open working across Wales. There are many solutions that can be repurposed or shared that would be of real value to the third sector as is the case in other parts of the UK.
Digital for Trustees events
- A programme of talks to support trustees with progressing digital in their organisations
What we learnt - Feedback from our events showed that attendees wanted more short introductory sessions on different digital topics and their relevance to the role of trustees. Attendees shared that they felt they had “digital blindspots” and didn’t know what they didn’t know, which impacted their ability to find the support they needed.
Digital skills training for third sector membership, infrastructure and umbrella organisations
- To enable them to better support the organisations they work with on a wide range of digital topics.
What we learnt - Time (or lack of it) is often a barrier to learning new digital skills. Organisations valued having training tailored to the third sector in Wales and seeing how digital tools and approaches could support their work. More support is needed to enable organisations to share what they have learned with others.
Resources on different digital topics
- Creating content so the third sector better understands digital.
What we learnt - There is a variety of good content that can already support the sector with digital. Organisations valued content that was reflective of the Welsh third sector.
What’s next
Over the next three years, we’ll be taking a learning and iterative approach to developing a programme of work for Newid. Learning from what works, and what doesn’t so we can improve how we support the third sector.
Our approach is informed by a methodology called Service Design.
This year we will:
- Develop training courses suitable for all third sector organisations.
- Offer one-to-one support with digital strategy.
- Deliver more in-depth training and supporting organisations to try new tools and learn new approaches.
- Work with third sector infrastructure organisations in Wales to support their digital learning.
- Add useful tools and resources to the website to help third sector organisations in Wales with digital and linking to a range of other useful resources.
- Making sure we deliver a joined up approach for organisations to access support.
About the website
Our website is run on the Ghost platform, which is managed by a non-profit. We chose this platform as it allows the website to be fast, simple and easy to use for people who access the site and the Newid team that manage it. We’ll be making changes and improving the website based on our research, analytics and feedback. We’ll give a more detailed explanation of the website in another post.
The Newid partnership
Newid is delivered in partnership by WCVA, Cwmpas and ProMo-Cymru, supported by The Centre for Digital Public Services funded by Welsh Government.
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