Digital technologies are developing fast and offer tremendous opportunities to third sector organisations (TSS) and social enterprises (SE). Not only can digital technologies help in marketing, awareness raising and fundraising, they also enable efficient governance and internal communication as well as innovative ways to reach target groups and deliver social impact. In the recent COVID-19 context, the need for their effective and efficient use by TSS & SE is more pressing than ever before, as it is crucial for their impact and sustainability. Although initiatives are being developed to support a variety of target groups in developing digital skills and competencies, such as the DigComp framework for European Citizens, no tailored programmes or learning materials are available specifically for third sector and social enterprise leaders&professionals. EU3Digital will develop a European framework of Digital Competences (FDC) for Third Sector and Social Enterprise leaders&professionals. The framework will be developed based on extensive research on digital needs and skills in the third sector through questionnaires and focus groups, with close involvement and engagement of ‘fellows’: third sector and social enterprise leaders from the project countries (UK, NL, Portugal, Spain, Croatia) who will be involved at key moments in the project to consult the project partners in the development of the Intellectual outputs. The engagement of fellow guarantees that the project results are relevant, adequate and responsive to the needs of third sector leaders across Europe. In addition to the FDC, the project will gather and develop online & offline training materials for third sectors leaders to assess their digital skills and develop specific skills and competencies through an open-access online knowledge centre. Finally, the project will also share its learnings in a Policy Paper, presenting to the European Commission and other relevant stakeholders what is important to know about digital skills in the European third sector. The project will be implemented by 6 partner organisations from the 5 project countries, one of which is a European network covering 12 countries, therefore able to reach out to 8,000+ beneficiaries across Europe. The consortium includes knowledge partners, universities with an expertise and track record of research in respectively digital skills development and third sector leadership; and practice partners - organisations with a strong local and/or regional network for outreach to social enterprise and third sector leaders -as is the case of the project Coordinator. The project has a duration of 30 months. OBJECTIVES of EU3Digital: * To create a framework of competences for European third sector and social enterprise leaders * Gather and develop training materials for specific relevant digital skills and competences for third sector and social enterprise leaders across Europe * To develop a strategic partnership among key organisations for digital skills and competences in Europe * To build capacity for dynamic and swift adjustment of the third sector to major societal changes, using digital tools & skills * Translate research findings into policy advice to the European Commission and other relevant stakeholders to inform initiatives for developing digital skills and competences in Europe’s third sector IMPACT: 1. 1. Increased value and sustainability of third sector initiatives. 1. 2. Improved access to digital tools and dissemination of good practices and resources. 1. 3. Increased perceived value and effective application of digital competencies in the European third sector. 1. 4. Empowered, strengthened and intersectional aligned action of the Third Sector as a whole. 1. 5. More efficient and integrated advocacy for digital inclusion in the Third Sector. SUSTAINABILITY The project is designed with a long-term perspective: * The European Framework of Digital Competences will lay the groundwork to further develop the online knowledge centre, to include training materials covering all identified competences. The resources will continue to be publicly available * The Emergency Tool Kit will be an open resource for third sector organizations to use creatively and strategically, in the development of flexible internal management and sustainability strategies and procedures as well as innovative products & services that will better prepare them for survival and positive impact, no matter the contextual scenario; * The policy paper provides the basis to further pursue advocacy for to develop digital competences for the benefit of the European third sector, unlocking additional funding and resources to build capacity of third sector and social enterprise leaders.
Through developing the digital skills and competencies of TSOs and SEs, EU3Digital aimed to 1) increase the value and sustainability of TSOs and SEs; 2) improve their access to digital tools and dissemination of good practices and resources; 3) increase TSOs and SEs perceived value and effective application of digital competencies in the European third sector; 4) empower, and strengthen the third sector as a whole; and 5) developing more integrated advocacy for digital inclusion in the Third Sector. The project did so, by developing a shared understanding of the challenges facing TSOs and SEs in the digitalisation of their organisational processes and systems. Furthermore, the project identified digital competences, which led to the development of a competence framework to meet the unique circumstances of the sector. The EU3Digital developed practical resources to help TSOs and SEs to develop digital competences and skills to address these challenges. Last but not least, the policy paper aimed at providing a solid basis for advocacy to develop digital competences for the benefit of the European third sector, as well as to inform policymakers at EU level about the needs of the sector to digitalise.
The EU3Digital consortium identified the need for a more strategic approach to the adoption of IT and the development of associated competencies in a context where many Third Sector Organisations (TSOs) and Social Enterprised (SEs) had adopted different tech packages and applications as a matter of urgency in response to their pressing need to digitise, including the Covid-19 pandemic. Hence, EU3Digital’s Intellectual Outputs (IOs) aimed at enabling organisations to continue the digitalisation journey in a more strategic way and with greater confidence in their competences and skills.