DG Murray Trust Innovation Project for Civil Society in South Africa

Deadline: 29-Feb-24

Are you looking to deepen your online communication practice so it can achieve more impact and ignite social change? Applications are open for the DG Murray Trust online learning course for communication specialists and activists in South African non-profits, coalitions and voluntary groups.

The programme teaches exciting topics and practice areas like strategic planning, audience development, narrative building, social media management, analytics, impact tracking, creative content and more!

Amplify Mobilise Change is a sector-leading DG Murray Trust innovation project designed to help South African civil society shift strategy and approach to develop more creative, impactful and efficient online communication and technology practices. They help participants learn how to:

• strategically integrate online communication practices into an organisation’s planning;
• build loyalty with core relationships through more intentional content and messaging;
• mobilise action and initiate more engagement with content and storytelling
• plan and execute successful online campaigns; and
• become more confident with online communication work and technology.

Learning Components

• Online Learning with Moodle
  • Your core learning work takes place using an online learning platform called Moodle. Participants need to complete 5 modules (including module assignments). You can choose 5 modules from the 6 available for the 7-month journey. The modules work in synergy. They are easy to engage with and mobile-optimised.
• Technical Workshops
  • The technical series supports your process and learning and helps hone more practical tech skills and solve immediate queries. Every month, you can sign up to technical sessions on offer on topics like: how to use Google Analytics, how to manage lists in newsletters, how to design simple infographics, how to run a paid campaign, and so on.
• Capstone Project
  • Towards the end of the programme you will conceptualise, plan and execute a small project. This could either be an online campaign, a content or an important internal communication document like a style guide. Everyone gets a budget to work with and plenty of support to complete your work.
• Strategy and Planning Sessions
  • Every cycle, they meet with you and a senior member of your organisation to help you plan and integrate your learnings into your work practice. These sessions give them a chance to tease out roadblocks and find practical solutions that suit your organisation and create impact and efficiency

Available Moodle Modules

• Module 1: Online communication planning for change
• Module 2: Understanding your audiences
• Module 3: Online content strategy
• Module 4: Writing for humans online
• Module 5: Pro tips for social media
• Module 6: Online campaigning for change

Eligibility Criteria

• Criteria for Individual Participants
  • You would need to be employed or contracted to a South African non-profit organisation, coalition, project or campaign.
  • You will need to be working in a communication role in your organisation, with a partial or complete focus on online communication.
  • You would have at least intermediate online communication skills, with a desire to upskill in core online areas.
  • You will need to have your own computer and access to data to complete the course.
  • You would need to be motivated, excited about your practice and keen to learn.
  • You will need to be focused and committed to completing all your assignments and projects and coming to sessions.
• Criteria for Participating Organisations, Projects or Campaigns
  • You or your organisation, project or campaign needs to be operating in South Africa, in the social development field as, for example, a:
    • non-governmental organisation (NGO);
    • community-based organisation (CBO);
    • faith-based organisation (CBO);
    • volunteer-based organisation;
    • Coalition or group.
  • A senior member of your group or organisation must also be available to join the individual participant in their planning sessions.
  • They will have a vested interest in the progress of the main participant and be able to support them in their strategic focus on online communication for impact and social change.

For more information, visit DGMT.