Participants spent six weeks developing practical, future‑focused digital skills and are now applying what they learned to improve how their organisations operate, govern, and deliver services.
The programme was developed by CiviCode in partnership with NICVA to equip voluntary and community organisations with the tools, confidence, and knowledge needed to thrive in the digital age. Thanks to bursaries from The Department for Communities, we were able to offer the programme at a greatly reduced rate, helping ensure it was accessible to organisations across the sector.
What participants learned
Through a combination of practical learning and strategic thinking, participants developed skills to:
- Create and implement sustainable digital strategies
- Strengthen cybersecurity and understand digital risk
- Confidently manage service providers and digital contracts
- Streamline administration and operational delivery
- Use workflows, automation, and AI to improve efficiency
- Measure impact, produce meaningful reports, and tell compelling data stories
These skills are already helping participating organisations improve governance, increase efficiency, and plan digital change with confidence.
Congratulations to the participating organisations
We were delighted to work with the following organisations on the programme:
- All About Us – ASD Teens
- Causeway Volunteer Centre
- Christian Unions Ireland (NI) Trust
- Comhairle na Gaelscolaíochta
- Disability Action NI
- Fortify
- Foyle Women’s Aid
- Governance Advisory and Support Charity Organisation
- Reach Out Healthy Living Centre
- Rosie’s Trust
- Tara Centre
- The Brain Injury Foundation
What participants said
Feedback from participants highlights the immediate and practical impact of the programme:
“The Digital Empowerment Programme provided practical tools that will directly improve how we manage our organisation behind the scenes. It’s empowering to understand how stronger digital systems can strengthen both service delivery and fundraising impact.”
“This course clearly showed that effective administration is the backbone of good governance and is essential for organisational efficiency and accountability.”
“This has equipped me with the skills to assess and advise changes to our Microsoft Admin Centre roles, empowering our organisation to plan digital transformation strategically while streamlining administrative processes.”
“The learning has already led to organisational improvements in workflow and clearly demonstrated the value of digital empowerment.”
“This course has given me the confidence to have meaningful conversations with the team about making realistic improvements to how we use SharePoint.”
What's next
We are planning a series of Digital training sessions over the next few months. The next one is on 7 May.
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