Digital Empowerment Programme Info Session

On the programme participants will learn to develop sustainable digital strategies, strengthen cybersecurity, manage service providers, streamline operations, and leverage workflows, automation, and AI. They will also gain the skills to measure impact, create meaningful reports, and tell compelling data stories—all designed to help your organisation make a lasting difference.

Information session

We will hold an online information session on 28 January 12noon - 12.45pm.

This session is for anyone who is interested in finding out more about the programme.

After the online information session you will need to complete an expression of interest form and pre-course survey if you wish to apply. 

All participants MUST be able to commit fully to the six half day sessions in person and complete the pre and post programme surveys to assess impact.

Places are limited on this programme and the registration form will be used for selection.

The deadline for the expression of interest form is 4 February at 12noon.

Selection criteria

• Organisations with an income of less than £1 million per year
• Participants need a minimum level of technical proficiency
• Participants need to have the authority and responsibility to make changes in their organisation.
• Participants need to demonstrate their need for the programme to achieve their organisational objectives.
• Geographical and thematic spread of organisations

Target Audience

Small to medium-sized organisations with an ambition to develop and a goal to build or refine their digital strategy. Participants need to have a minimum level of technical proficiency. Participants must commit to sharing their learning with their organisation and be prepared and able to take action to apply the learning.

Preference to be given to medium-sized organisations with income of less than £1 million. One person per organisation.

Format for the programme

6 half-day sessions at NICVA, including practical takeaways and follow-up activities 

Start Date: 17 February 2026

End date 31 March 2026

Session Times: 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM 

Location in NICVA in person

Additional Learning: 6 half-days of online learning and work to be completed between sessions. 

Dates of sessions. If you are interested in registering for this programme please provisionally hold all dates in your calendar

1. 17 February
2. 24 February
3. 3 March
4. 10 March
5. 24 March
6. 31 March 

Bursary

Thanks to bursaries from The Department for Communities we are able to offer this programme at a greatly reduced rate. Participants only need to pay £100 per person. The normal cost of this programme is £1,150 per person.

Modules

Module 1: Developing and Implementing a Sustainable Digital Strategy 

Objectives: 

Understand what a digital strategy is and why it is essential. 

Learn practical steps to develop and refine a digital strategy. 

Explore techniques for discovery and continuous improvement in digital planning.

Identify methods for successful strategy implementation.

Module 2: Administering Your Organisation

Objectives:

Strengthen organisational security and data management.

Implement best practices in user and data flow management.

The regulatory environment we operate in.

Steps to avoid the common pitfalls.

Module 3: Managing Your Service Providers

Objectives:

Understand the role and responsibilities of service providers.

Learn when and how to engage service providers effectively.

Establish clear boundaries and agreements.

Module 4: Operational Delivery

Objectives:

Master the fundamentals of project and process management.

Understand the importance of stage gates, SLAs, and KPIs.

Learn strategies for effective change management

Module 5: Reporting with Impact

Objectives:

Understand the essentials of impactful reporting.

Learn to define and track KPIs and quality metrics.

Discover tools and techniques for storytelling with data.

Module 6: Workflow, Automation, and AI

Objectives:

Understand the basics of workflows and their importance before automation.

Learn about tools and best practices for automation.

Explore practical applications of AI for the voluntary and community sector.

About CiviCode

CiviCode: Empowering the Third Sector Through Sustainable Digital Solutions

At CiviCode, we believe that every stakeholder – not just shareholders – should be involved in the process. Our team, including Andy Hayes (Software Engineer), John McAnallen (Data Scientist), Brent Diffin (Chartered Accountant), and Michael Pratt (Solution Architect & AI Engineer), specialise in helping organisations in the third sector make the most of their technology.

We focus on reducing costs by optimising existing software, delivering lasting solutions that your team can take ownership of, and upskilling staff at all levels. With a fixed-price model and agreed deliverables upfront, we ensure transparency and value. Our free support model further demonstrates our commitment to sustainability – if you need ongoing support for something we've built, or external help to maintain it, we see that as unsustainable.