What is "Connecting Communities"?
Last November, we started delivering a project for our friends at the West London Alliance, supporting their members (who are local authorities) to support smaller organisations (usually VCS's) to run Champions projects. The focus was not on how you train Champions (we've got that covered on the Digital Champions Network...) but how you find and retain volunteer Champions - the magic people who make it work.
Doing it via intermediaries is a great way to grow and run large scale Digital Champion programmes, because extends capacity and reaches parts of the community local authorities can struggle to support. But it can be hard for small organisations - who often don't have digital as a focus - to find resource and impetus to tackle the challenge; and hard for the umbrella organisation to provide the right level of support in a way that allows them to organise and measure the programme without micro-managing and preventing partners from playing to their strengths. Here's a case-study on how our clients in North Yorkshire are building a large network out of small organisations and how beneficial it can be.
What we did and how it worked...
Building on an initial discovery phase with borough teams, VCS partners and existing Digital Champion leads, we worked together to identify effective existing practice and key gaps in provision.
A consistent theme was the need for simple, low-burden approaches that enable boroughs to grow and sustain their Digital Champion networks without requiring additional resource.
In response, we designed and delivered a structured six-part webinar series for local authorities and partners. These sessions provided practical, actionable guidance on key topics from partnership development to long-term sustainability. The programme also created space for cross-borough learning, enabling participants to share experiences and approaches.
As often happens, the findings from the discovery phase prompted us to rethink our delivery approach. Our original plan for a structured course format did not align with what boroughs said they needed, so we adapted by reshaping the delivery phase into a more flexible webinar series supported by practical resources. This ensured the project remained relevant and genuinely useful.
Alongside the webinars, we supported boroughs to convene virtual coffee mornings with local organisations. These sessions created opportunities for boroughs to connect with potential delivery partners, raise awareness of Digital Champion initiatives and begin building or strengthening local networks.
To ensure that learning from the programme could be embedded and sustained, we developed an online resource hub, bringing together webinar recordings and slides alongside a suite of practical tools, including templates, checklists, role profiles and step-by-step guidance.
Taken together, this programme has not only provided immediate practical support, but has also established a foundation for ongoing collaboration and capacity building across the West London.
By combining shared learning, accessible resources and strengthened local partnerships, boroughs are now better equipped to sustain and grow their Digital Champion networks.