Free online course Nezisk.Digital
or wrap efficiency around your finger!
Nonprofits, get more time for your mission, projects or clients! In our award-winning and free online course, with the support of your own guide and tech-expert, you'll actively learn how to use digital tools to streamline and automate activities where you're currently burning wasting your people's energy and time.
The fall course is already full, thank you so much for your interest. Want to effectively digitize activities in your nonprofit? Click here and leave your contact information, we'll be in touch!
The fall course is already full, thank you so much for your interest. Want to effectively digitize activities in your nonprofit? Click here and leave your contact information, we'll be in touch!
10/10
nonprofits from the fall run recommends the course to other organizations
The course through the eyes of the participants
10/10
nonprofits from the fall run recommends the course to other organizations
9/10
representatives* of women NGOs are satisfied with the course
52/55
nonprofits successfully completed the
course
What will the course give your non-profit?
Everything you learn in the course can be applied in your organisation at any time in the future - on your own, without our help.
Analysis of the situation and problems
You'll uncover the real causes of the problems that burn your organization the most. Most often it's team collaboration, project or financial management, data security, etc.
Mapping work processes
You will learn how to map specific processes and identify the most suitable areas for digitalization.
The most beneficial solution
You will find the tool you need or an extension to existing ones that will make your organisation significantly more efficient. You will also learn methods that will help you work with this tool.
Procedure for implementing the tool
You will take away a ready-made plan for the implementation of your chosen tool. So you can deploy your new solution gradually.
For which non-profits is the course intended?
The course is held twice a year. We carefully select 20 non-profit organizations that meet these criteria for both the spring and fall sessions:
You are a small or medium-sized non-profit organization (about 5 to 50 employees).
You have the possibility to draw de minimis support in the amount of 62 397 CZK.
You work in the social sector (e.g. social care and helping disadvantaged groups).
You use (or will use before the course starts) the MS 365 or Google Workspace platform.
The course is based on 3 pillars
Developing soft skills
Without developing the soft skills of the team, digital tools cannot be effectively implemented and used. Therefore, you will learn to understand the needs of your organisation and employees, identify where digital technologies can bring you the most benefit, plan strategically or manage change.
Active learning
The course is practical - participants work on a real problem in their organisation. This allows immediate application of new knowledge, skills and digital tools.
Guided tours
You'll get your own guide* guide and other experts to provide expert guidance and support throughout the course. The commercial value of their help is equivalent to around 50,000 CZK for each organisation over and above the cost of the course itself, paid for by the MLSA grant. But they are helping you as volunteers, out of enthusiasm and pro bono!
How does the course work?
Everything happens almost exclusively online. We communicate using a few simple digital applications. The course is intensive and requires your active participation. Each week will require a minimum of 5 hours from 2 participants* from your organisation (10 man-hours) over a four month period. It is highly recommended to involve your organization's leadership and other team members (with a lower time commitment).
2 weeks
Introduction to the course
Onboarding process + tools for course participation
Linking the guide*guide and the organisation
Initial in-depth interviews
3 weeks
Module 1
Activities: analysis and search for the root cause of problems
Outcomes: selection of the problem to be addressed in the course
Retrospective: meeting with other course participants and the evaluator
4 weeks
Module 2
Activity: mapping a specific process
Outputs: mapped process and identified areas for digitisation
Open meeting Nezisk.Digital: Processes and Insights
2 weeks
Module 3
Activities: creating specifications and requirements for a suitable solution. Consultation with technical experts and specialists.
Outputs: the chosen procedure for solving the selected problem
4 weeks
Module 4
Activities.
Outputs: a plan for introducing a suitable solution into the organisation
Open meeting Nezisk.Digital: Results and inspiration
1 week
Conclusion of the course
Next steps
Output retrospective
Ceremonial end of the course
Who will guide you through the course?
Guide*guide
She guides you through the entire course and provides expert support and guidance. The guide*guide works pro bono on the course and gives you up to 3h of her time per week.
Tech-expert*ka
It helps you choose the most suitable digital tool.
Evaluator*ka
Evaluates the whole course and its impact. Conducts retrospectives and in-depth interviews.
Coordinator*
Leads the onboarding of organizations into the course, assembling work "teams" and communicating the schedule. Oversees that teams are successfully moving in the right direction.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I find the exact schedule?
Here! :-) 14. 5. - 6. 6. -> initial interviews with those interested in the course
20.6. -> submission of signed documents for binding participation in the course (from 20 selected organisations) 4.8. - 29.8. -> sending instructions for participation in the course, including one online meeting 1.9. -> start of the course 12.12. -> end of the course
What if we have more questions or problems after the course?
Even after the course, you will have access to our open platform discuss.digital where you can ask questions, seek advice, volunteer to help out, share experiences and generally get more support. As a graduate of the course, you can also meet at the regular volunteer meetings of the Nezisk.Digital course.
What will be the outcomes of the course?
Upon successful completion of the course, you will have finished deliverables in the form of a needs analysis, a mapped out process that is holding you back the most, a brief for a digital solution, a worked out implementation of the main digital tool and a plan for the next steps you have created during the course.
Can we get more members from our organization to join the course?
We recommend that 2 people from your organisation are fully involved in the course - ideally someone from management. This will ensure that new practices and changes are aligned with your strategy and easier to promote among others. For most organisations, this is why the course involves directors*directors, people responsible for human resources, projects or finance. The course is all about strategic work that impacts the whole organisation. We also run a workshop at the beginning of the course for about 5-10 people from the organisation. These representatives can be further involved in different stages of the course on an impact basis - e.g. in feedback on newly introduced processes and also in implementing digital tools to be as effective as possible.
Where does the course take place? Do we have to go anywhere?
The course itself is fully online. We use digital tools such as Google Meet and Miro for communication and collaboration. But we will have the opportunity to see each other twice in person. Before and after the course we organize informal meetings in Prague with other course participants*course participants, expert volunteers*volunteers and the organizing team. These two meetings are voluntary and serve for mutual tuning and networking.
What technical skills does the course require?
You don't need to have any advanced technical knowledge. The course is designed to be understandable even for beginners. The important thing is to be open to new techniques, tools and be willing to learn. Participation in the course requires equipment for online meetings (we call each other via Google Meet, we work in Miro), so all you need is a computer with internet connection, camera, microphone and speakers. We will introduce you to the communication tools in which we run the course in due course.
What kind of support can we expect during the course?
Each organisation will have its own guide*guide for your digital transformation, as well as a technical expert*expert on digital tools to help you throughout the course. You will also be able to meet (not only) online and share experiences with other participants*on the course. The whole course is supervised and organised by the course coordinator, who is available for all of you.
Will we get a grant to buy a digital instrument?
No. You are responsible for the purchase or rental of your chosen instrument. You are likely to use it for years to come, so it is not within the grant's ability to pay for the instrument. However, large discounts are often given to non-profit organizations and some tools are then completely free. You will discuss the financial requirements and options for your organisation with a technical expert* during the course.
What is de minimis aid and how do we know if we can benefit from it?
In order to make participation in the course free of charge for your non-profit organisation, the costs of the course are paid by the European Union and the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs. Each organisation is formally credited with this support in the de minimis register (you get so-called small-scale support). However, accounting-wise, this does not mean any action for you. The financial flows and paperwork are handled by Česko.Digital. The best way to check whether you are entitled to de minimis support is to check with your accountant*. In short: you must not have received more than €300,000 of de minimis aid in the last 3 financial years.
Is the course really free?
Yes. The course is completely free of charge for your organisation. The organizer of the course, Česko.Digital, is paid for by a grant from the EU and the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs. In addition, to make the course as relevant as possible for you, we work with a community of volunteers*volunteers (guides*guides and tech-experts*experts) who help to personalize the course for specific non-profit organizations. Of course, you have to factor in your own time investment.
What topics can we cover in the course and when do we have to choose them?
The course helps you to streamline your organisation's internal processes - you will learn how to improve internal communication, teamwork, effective data and contact management, financial management, security or knowledge management using digital tools. On the other hand, the topics covered in the course are not web development or marketing campaigns. You may have already defined the topic before the course, but with the guide*guide you will validate it or just discover it. There is space in the course to focus on only one of the most pressing topics.
What is the content and structure of the course and how does it work?
The course is structured into four key stages (we call them modules in the course): 1. Naming the problem of the organization. 2. Breaking the problem into steps. 3. Preparing the brief for selecting a digital tool. 4. Implementing, testing and adopting the tool. In each module you will have practical tasks and consultations with guides*guides, possibly tech-experts*experts. The course is definitely not just about developing the digital competences of individual participants*participants. The focus is on the strategic development of the digital maturity of the whole organisation.
Is the course suitable for our non-profit?
The course is designed for small and medium-sized non-profit organizations (approx. 5 to 50 employees) that want to improve their digital maturity. The aim is to kick-start the digital transformation of the organization, conduct a needs analysis, select the appropriate tool(s) and start implementing them.
How will the course help us and what will it achieve?
The aim of the course is to help you kick-start your organisation's digital transformation. At the end of the course you should have completed a needs analysis of your organisation, mapped its main weakness (i.e. the problem you will focus on in the course) and have selected a suitable digital tool or optimised the use of existing tools as a solution. By the end of the course, you should also ideally be in the process of implementing a suitable digital tool across the organisation. Due to the longer testing and learning curve required for team members, this process is likely to continue beyond the end of the course (depending on the number of users and the robustness of the chosen solution).
How much time will we have to devote to the course?
The course lasts a total of 16 weeks (spring run from March to June). It is recommended to reserve at least 5 hours per week for each of the 2 participants* taking part in the course. In these 2x 5 hours we count all your activities within the course: online meetings, active work with guides*guides and tech-experts*experts, independent work, sharing in a group of other organizations, in short everything.
What does our nonprofit need to meet to be accepted into the course?
1. Simply fill in the questionnaire - Preliminary interest in the course, where you tell us the size of your organization, your motivation, how you currently use digital tools, names of potential participants and other data. Your organisation must be active in the social field (i.e. working e.g. with the target group of children, families, seniors, minorities, people with disadvantages, etc.). 3. You have the right motivation and the right expectations from the course. 4. You can benefit from de minimis support (details below).
Impact of the Nezisk.Digital course
I liked the course, we learned how to use new tools and at the same time we gained awareness of things we hadn't noticed before. Overall, I am very happy with what we experienced in the course.
Mark Christ
Everything is more organized and efficient and we don't do overtime anymore.
Tereza Šašková
Thank you for adapting the language of the course to a non-native speaker. I appreciate the structure of the course, from auditing to tool selection to implementation (I am glad that it was not only about tool selection, but also about the steps before and after the selection).
Martina Podlipná
The Nezisk.Digital course is exceptional because it did not only provide us with suggestions, but guided the organization through the entire implementation process up to the testing and system modifications. This comprehensiveness and emphasis on practical implementation makes the program a unique tool for supporting the nonprofit sector.
Kateřina Kalábová
Check out the videoreferences
View the full playlist
The Nezisk.Digital course has already helped 55 non-profit organizations to become more effective. Be among the others!
The project is implemented thanks to a grant from the Employment Plus Programme (funded by the European Union), which is announced by the Department for the Implementation of ESF Programmes under the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs - Social Innovation Department.
Final reports from the incubation phase, the pilot course:
Summary document from the incubation phase: what we learned, what we changed compared to the plan and how the work with our method works.
Cooperation plan with organisations: which organisations we cooperated with, how the cooperation developed and with whom we plan to cooperate in the next period.
Summary document from the incubation phase: what we learned, what we changed compared to the plan and how the work with our method works.
Cooperation plan with organisations: which organisations we cooperated with, how the cooperation developed and with whom we plan to cooperate in the next period.
