ScotlandIS and Third Sector Lab: strengthening digital leadership across Scotland’s third sector

We’re delighted to be working with ScotlandIS to help strengthen digital leadership across Scotland’s third sector, with an initial focus on our Digital Trustees programme.

Digital is now fundamental to how charities and third sector organisations operate. From cyber security and data to AI, digital service delivery and organisational resilience, technology is increasingly shaping the decisions organisations need to make.

But having access to digital expertise operationally is only part of the picture. Boards also need the confidence and experience to understand digital opportunities, ask the right questions and make informed decisions about risk.

Bringing digital expertise to the boardroom

Our Digital Trustees programme helps charities and third sector organisations understand the digital skills and experience their boards need, while connecting them with professionals from technology, data, design, cyber and AI who are interested in becoming trustees or board advisers.

The programme isn’t about bringing in someone to simply “fix the technology”.

It’s about helping boards ask better questions, understand risk and opportunities, and make digital part of their wider organisational strategy and governance.

As digital continues to influence how organisations deliver services, manage information and connect with the people they support, that understanding is becoming increasingly important at board level.

Connecting Scotland’s technology and third sector communities

Our work with ScotlandIS gives us an exciting opportunity to connect third sector organisations with a much wider pool of technology professionals across Scotland.

For technology professionals, becoming a trustee or board adviser is a chance to use their experience in a different way, develop their leadership and governance skills, and make a tangible contribution to a cause they care about.

For charities and third sector organisations, it provides an opportunity to bring valuable digital knowledge and experience into the boardroom — particularly around areas such as cyber resilience, data, AI and digital service delivery.

Ross McCulloch, Founder of Third Sector Lab, said:

“Charity boards are now having to make important decisions about cyber security, data, AI and digitally delivered services, whether or not they feel equipped to do so. Digital Trustees is not about bringing in one person to ‘fix the technology’. It is about helping boards ask better questions, understand risk and make digital part of their wider organisational strategy.”

Building bridges between sectors

We believe there is huge value in connecting Scotland’s different ecosystems rather than working in isolation.

There is an incredible depth of digital knowledge within Scotland’s technology community, alongside charities and third sector organisations delivering vital services in communities across the country.

Bringing these communities together creates opportunities on both sides.

Through our work with ScotlandIS, we’re looking forward to helping more technology professionals explore how they can use their skills for social good, while supporting more third sector organisations to build the digital leadership and confidence they need for the future.

https://www.scotlandis.com/blog/scotlandis-and-third-sector-lab-working-together-to-strengthen-digital-leadership-across-scotlands-third-sector/