Supporting community organisations with digital tools
The NZ Navigator Trust exists to create free or low cost, accessible, digital tools to assist community organisations in New Zealand to grow and thrive. They have gathered together their growing portfolio of online tools, all of which are designed specifically for community groups and organisations to use to enhance and support the work they do.
The newest contribution is Digital Stuff We Love. This website highlights tools and applications from the fast-changing digital world that the Trust thinks can add value to the work done every day by community organisations.
Digital Stuff We Love introduces lots of smart digital ways to work, communicate, and engage with your staff and community. For each tool featured on the site, the benefits of using it and the main features are explored and explained. This includes what it does, how it interacts with other applications and an overview of pricing.Some of the tools are free or offer free trial options; many are low-cost or discounted for not-for-profits.
The NZ Navigator Trust team, along with other experienced people from the community sector, review recommendations and select which tools deserve the love. They are also keen to hear about your experiences of digital tools and how they enhance the amazing work you do.
The NZ Navigator Trust hub also includes the original CommunityNet Aotearoa online resource storehouse.
CommunityNet Aotearoa is a well-known one stop online shop for people working in community organisations to freely access, use and share useful online resources. This popular community website has had a serious makeover and is there to help with all aspects of planning, strategy, and day-to-day running of community organisations.
The revamped search and filtering function on CommunityNet Aotearoa makes it quick and easy for users to find what they are looking for. Also, adding favourite items to their own personalised toolkit makes it easy to access and share tools, templates and information that groups can get to anytime they want to.
These free online, relevant, and practical supports attracted nearly 45,000 users to CommunityNet Aotearoa in the last year.
The third hub resource is the original NZ Navigator tool which was developed in response to the increasing demand on groups to improve their governance and management operations. This free on-line self-assessment tool helps an organisation or group conduct a self review and identify areas for improvement.
The NZ Navigator tool has nine areas of focus: Direction, Governance, Leadership, People, Administration, Finances, Communication, Evaluation and Relationships. This creates a comprehensive assessment that can be completed by one or more members of a group or organisation and, with only four or five key questions to rate in each focus area, it makes completing an assessment not too onerous.
The tool can be used by any community organisation and repeated regularly. This is a real benefit and can establish a baseline record that can then be used to monitor the results of the improvements that are put in place and help inform change; ultimately strengthening and improving the performance of the organisation.
Notching up nearly 2,700 subscribers is a significant milestone for the team responsible for NZ Navigator and this tells the Trust it is providing a helpful resource. Users report that the process of internal reflection involved in the data gathering stage is valuable in itself, then the discussion about the ensuing results really helps people make better plans and decisions for their organisation.
The NZ Navigator Trust is proud to be meeting community needs through responsive community-led services, projects and activities, such as NZ Navigator, CommunityNet Aotearoa and Digital Stuff We Love. Please use the material, add resources, share ideas and get in touch. This is really only the start of the journey.
What can NZ Navigator do for my organisation?
Help you identify your organisation’s areas of strength and opportunity.
Provide you with best practice information and appropriate resources to assist with organisational improvement.
Provide you with an accessible, self-administered way to evaluate your organisation’s performance and improvement.
Why use CommunityNet Aotearoa?
Get access to an online database of free, easy to understand and relevant resources to help you and your organisation.
What does Digital Stuff We Love offer us?
These clever tools have been collected to assist community organisations. All the hard work is done for you - experienced community organisation leaders have reviewed and recommended this collection of useful digital tools.
https://digitalstuffwelove.org.nz/