Newid Digital Adoption Scale

Our leaders recognise they need to do more, but there is hesitancy to progress because we’re unsure of the opportunities and risks. It can feel a bit overwhelming and we don’t know where to start.

Our staff lacks basic digital skills and confidence. We sometimes seek help from volunteers with digital skills, but when volunteers move on, their expertise goes with them. 

We have minimal digital infrastructure. We communicate via e-mail but are reliant on paper for most of our data collection and record-keeping.

We'd like to be able to do more, such as sharing calendars and saving documents in the cloud so that all staff and volunteers can access them. We need help getting a basic setup in place.

We design services by actively listening to the community and responding to their needs, but we're not confident about how technology may help us deliver our services

We use digital methods to communicate, like e-mail and video calling. We may have a social media page and post from time to time, but we don't feel we are using it effectively. It's another add-on to busy workloads.

We have a data protection policy, but we would like to do more to ensure we're safe and compliant.

First things first, it's important that you have a Data Protection and Privacy policy in place that's shared with your staff and volunteers so you can handle data safely. You can find lots of useful information about what your policy needs to include below: 

• ICO’s guide on how to write a privacy notice and what goes in it
• NCVO’s guide on writing a data protection policy and procedures
• Steps to improve data protection in your organisation
• Advice for small organisations on data protection from the ICO.

It’s really important to keep your organisation protected from Cyber attacks. The National Cyber Security Centre has put together a simple guide to help charities like yours protect themselves from the most common cyber threats.

There’s also a free online learning course for small organisations by NCSC that we advise you to look at.

You may still be using a lot of paper-based and manual processes, which can slow you down. However, there are many solutions that can help you streamline data collection. There are lots of free digital tools you can use to gather data. Instead of using a paper form, try using a digital alternative to cut down on the piles of paperwork you have. NCVO have created a guide on delivering a successful survey and how to choose the right digital form platform.

Storing meeting notes, documents, session plans and bids in the cloud, allows your team to share links to files that can be worked on together, instead of attaching copies and then having to integrate changes manually. 

You can read Charity Digital’s guide to cloud computing to help you get started.

Attend a training session on using digital within your organisation. There are always free and paid opportunities for the third sector to upskill your team in digital. Check out our page on upcoming training opportunities and sign up for our monthly newsletter to receive a roundup of training opportunities for the coming month. Google run a range of digital skills training including live webinars and online courses. Check out their Digital Garage and training page to see what’s on. 

Do you have a volunteer who is a pro at Search Engine Optimization or using AI? Ask them to share what they know. Volunteers are a vital source of knowledge and can come from all types of professional backgrounds. Make sure to think about how you can learn and benefit from the knowledge they bring to the team. 

Our leaders realise they need to learn more about how digital can help. We are open to exploring digital solutions.

Basic digital skills are becoming more widespread, and there is a growing emphasis on continuous learning and development.

We do have some digital systems in place; however, we are still heavily reliant on paper forms and manually entering data into our digital systems. 

We may have social media accounts, but we don't have dedicated digital staff. We post when we can, alongside our other tasks. We have a website, but we don't update it as regularly as we'd like. We may have a newsletter or are considering starting one.

We’re trying to incorporate digital into our service delivery. Sometimes it works, but sometimes it creates extra layers of confusion and complexity. We’re good at listening to our community and responding to their needs, but we’re not sure what digital solutions would work best for us and our service users. Do we need an app? Could AI help? 

We have a GDPR and/or Data Protection policy in place and we know this requires a constant process of keeping it up to date.

Keeping your data safe and your systems secure is an ongoing task. If not done so already, you’ll need robust policies and processes in place and someone needs to take on the role of Data Controller. As part of their Digital Toolkit, Cwmpas has curated some of the best guides to support you.

At this level, you may want to get your Cyber Essentials Certification. This government-backed scheme will help you protect your organisation, whatever its size, against the most common cyber attacks.

Creating engaging communications and content is a really important way to engage with the people who use your services and to promote your organisation to potential funders. 

• Create a simple communications and marketing plan for your social media and website. Media Trust has created a Digital Marketing Strategy Toolkit to help create an extensive plan, including Audience Personas and Digital Objectives. 
• Did you know as a third sector organisation, you can get a Canva Pro account for free? You can apply directly on their website. It’s an excellent tool for creating engaging digital content and they have lots of templates to get you started. Take a look at this guide on using the AI features included in Canva. 

A digital infrastructure offers one place for you and your team to store and share documents to work together on projects and fundraising activities whilst keeping people’s information safe. Digital systems can make working together easier and faster. There are many different digital systems that can help you achieve different things. We also created a guide to help you choose one, suited to your organisation. Here are some examples:

• Shared calendars: People in your organisation can see each other's schedules so you can easily see each other's availability. Most email providers include this as a free feature, including Google and Microsoft
• A CRM or database: To keep everything in one place and easily manage and keep track of volunteers, donations or funders you might have. We have created a free, adaptable CRM template using airtable that can get you started.
• Accounting systems: Manage invoicing, cash flow, and tax, payments. You can find guides on record keeping, monitoring and accounts, and charity accounting requirements on the Knowledge Hub.

If you’d like help setting up a digital system, contact DigiCymru for free 1-1 support.

Having older computers or laptops can slow your work down. However, we appreciate that sometimes the only option is an older computer due to lack of funding and having to make tough calls while balancing various important needs. If you are able to upgrade, we have created a guide to help you choose a laptop, and give you the information you need to make a case for buying a good laptop.

All the services you deliver should be focused on meeting the needs of the people who use them. We can support you in using digital to develop your services by working through the four stages of service design: Discover, define, develop, and deliver during our Designing Digital Services course. Subscribe to our newsletter to find out about the next course, or join the waitlist.

Our leadership team is committed to digital. We are developing our skills, reading about digital leadership and talking to other organisations who are more digitally advanced. We are investing in technology and digital roles.

We are up-skilling staff and volunteers in digital technologies relevant to their roles.

We use digital systems; however, we are struggling with legacy IT, and our systems are slowing us down. We are prioritising streamlining our processes, integrating automation and updating outdated systems.

Regularly updated social media accounts. We have a website but we don't update it regularly. We don't have clear leads on our social media accounts.

Technology is increasingly being adopted to enhance service delivery, and improve user experiences and accessibility. We are learning about user-centred design, and agile and iterative design cycles. We are improving how we use our data to inform service delivery.

Leaders take a more proactive approach to cybersecurity, implementing robust policies and procedures to mitigate risks.

Staff and volunteers receive regular training and updates on data security best practices and their responsibilities.

You should consider investing in upgrading older systems and existing digital services. Having slow, clunky digital systems and software can slow down and disrupt your work.

Create a skills matrix and see if there are any gaps in your team's knowledge of digital. Can you fill these gaps by upskilling existing staff or hiring a new person to join the organisation? 

Check your job descriptions for your staff and volunteers, do they include digital skills as part of the person's specifications? You might want to include references to digital to attract new staff that can share their knowledge with the rest of your organisation. Take a look at the Digital Competence Framework for inspiration on what to include in your job descriptions. 

It’s a good idea to look at what data you gather and how you use it. This could range from how many people click links in your newsletter to what social media post gets the most engagement to identifying common trends in the location of people who access your services. Data can help you understand needs and demands and monitor how well your services are working. A good place to start is looking at Data Orchard and Data Cymru. 

Adopting the service design process throughout your organisation will support you to continually evolve and adapt in response to advances in technology. Make sure all of your staff are confident with this way of working. You can sign up for our free course to learn more.

Carry out discovery research to see if your services are meeting your users' needs. This could take the form of interviews, questionnaires, personas, and journey mapping to really understand the needs, experiences and challenges of your service users. To learn more about conducting discovery research, watch this video by ProMo Cymru. If you’d like to be supported to follow the service design process and improve your service for your users you can sign up to the waitlist for our Designing Digital Services course. 

Our organisation’s culture supports behaviours that enable effective use of digital, such as testing and learning, openness to new ideas and collaboration. Our organisation’s leaders are continually developing the knowledge and skills needed to lead digital change. 

Our staff and volunteers are supported to learn new digital skills and empowered to continually develop their own digital knowledge. 

Our systems work well with each other and with external systems if needed. We understand and budget for the ongoing costs of supporting, maintaining and improving our technology. 

We understand which digital channels our audiences use and allocate our resources accordingly. We also measure, analyse, and evaluate the performance of our digital communications to improve our future work.

We understand our user's needs. We use insights to make decisions and improve our services. We continually adapt our services in response to new technology and changing needs. 

Our leaders take ownership of cybersecurity risks, while staff and volunteers understand their responsibilities for securing data and technology.

Digital tools are continuously being created and developed, and it’s important to set aside time to try them out. Experiment with automation tools like Zapier and Make to help save you time. What tasks can you automate? For inspiration, read how a Community and Cultural Centre uses Zapier to update their mailing list automatically. 

Alternatively, experiment with a tool like Calendly or Cal.com that allows people to see your calendar live, and automatically displays available slots, letting someone book a meeting directly into your calendar. That way, it cuts down back-and-forth emails trying to find a time and date that suits everyone. 

You need to have buy-in for digital at all levels of your organisation, including your board. To help you get started, Charity Digital have created a guide on how to recruit the right digital trustee.

Third Sector Lab run free 30-minute sessions to “get your board on board” with digital and provide guidance on finding and recruiting digital trustees. They also have a network of digital professionals interested in joining a board of trustees that you can choose from.

Share your knowledge with organisations towards the start of the digital adoption scale. Plan a webinar to share your expertise and help other organisations in the sector develop their skills, or write a social media post sharing a top tip.