Remote onboarding to build trusted relationships

Summary of work

Challenge statement: How might we build trusted relationships online, by replacing our face-to-face onboarding activities (e.g. for learning journeys) with an accessible and safe online experience.

Loomio discussion period

7 - 13 July

Loomio decision date

13 July

Kick-off call with cluster

14 July, 3:00PM - 4:30PM (1.5hrs)

Latest start date

20 July

Expected contract length

4 weeks.

Budget range

Up to £10,000 for the digital partners.

Why the work is being done

This is a Cluster project, bringing together a group of organisations with the shared need of transitioning face-to-face training and support services online in response to COVID-19. 

Problem to be solved

The problem area is broad and includes:

• Onboarding new users into the first stages of a learning journey

• Building trusted relationships online

• Creating a great experience for users by streamlining the process and tech

• Bearing in mind different levels of emotional engagement for different online options

• Working with users with a broad spectrum of tech access and literacy (combating digital exclusion).

Who the users are and what they need to do

There are six partners in this cluster. Their users are teachers, tutors, foster carers and carers for the elderly, each going through a recruitment process to join the charities’ networks/ communities/ services. 

They need to be onboarded into new services, ensuring the same level of trust and safeguarding that had previously been achieved face to face.

Expected outcomes for this work

• Deeper dive to understand the shared challenge area and how this is experienced by the different user groups

• Identification of key opportunities for shared digital tools or infrastructure

• Achieving quick wins for the group by recommendations around reuse or repurposing existing tech, patterns, standards etc.

• Identifying other relevant projects and partners this group, or the individual members, could connect to

• Broadly scoping a Phase 2 piece of work

• A case study and/or other useful documentation to be shared with the sector.

Any work that’s already been done

This work forms a part of wider support all organisations are receiving from Nesta.

As a Cluster we have had an intro session to identify the shared challenge. This Miro Board captures our discussion. 

Who the Digital Team will work with

At the kick-off session, reps from each charity will be present and we’ll agree on the lead point person from the cluster and the level of engagement from each partner.

How many days can the nonprofit team commit to this project?

The lead organisation is expected to commit two days a week to this project. Involvement from the other organisations might vary and needs to be agreed as a team.

Do they have internal developers and which tech stack are they using?

Some do, and others have volunteer support that has helped build existing systems. All organisations have been experimenting with running online webinars and remote communications with their networks. They each have existing tech systems and processes.

About the organisations

• Tutorfair Foundation - provides free tutoring to students from low-income backgrounds, partnering with schools and third-sector organisations who are responsible for the development of disadvantaged young people

• Flintshire County Council - recruiting and training foster carers, responding to an increase in child protection cases predicted when schools return

• EmpathyLab - offering activities and teacher training programmes to build children's empathy, literacy and social activism through a systematic use of high-quality literature

• Shared Lives Plus - membership organisation for shared living - the members are Shared Lives carers and schemes, and Homeshare providers. They support members with good practice, guidance, legislation and regulation.

Essential skills and experience

• Digital: 

  • Online safeguarding experience, as these organisations all work with vulnerable groups

• Data: 

  • Data needs assessment and audit

• Design: 

  • User research

  • Service design

  • Relational design

• Strong knowledge of existing digital tools and techniques that support group learning experiences

• Maximising connection and relationships online.

Nice-to-have skills and experience

• Content design

• Experience working with nonprofits

• Experience with organisations that work with children and young people

• Working with coalitions/ partnerships.