PRESS RELEASE
For immediate release
May 5, 2023
NetHope Communications Team
Communications@NetHope.org
NetHope, a global consortium of over 65 of the world’s leading nonprofits, announced the opening of applications to participate in a new digital leadership course provided by the NetHope Digital Leadership Institute. This course was made possible by the generous support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance and the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation.
The NetHope Digital Leadership Institute builds on NetHope’s decades of research and training to equip nonprofit executives and senior leaders with the technical knowledge and leadership skills to leverage digital technology for greater impact. The growing power and prevalence of digital technologies demands a new kind of nonprofit leadership—digital leadership. NetHope’s research reinforces that to drive successful digital transformation, nonprofit organizations need to expand the digital leadership their executives and senior leaders utilize.
NetHope designed the NetHope Digital Leadership Institute to fill that gap. The course, Leadership Skills for a Digital Age, is specifically designed for leaders of programs, operations, communications, resource mobilization, finance and other important functions in humanitarian, emergency response and environmental nonprofit organizations.
In the first phase of the training from May 2023 to September 2024, NetHope will train 300 leaders.
“This course will enable nonprofits to make a significant leap forward in digital leadership and skills building,” said Lance Pierce, CEO of NetHope. “The training of the first 300 participants builds on the promise of NetHope using the power of digital, data and partnerships to support those who receive aid and those who deliver it. NetHope Members span the humanitarian and conservation sectors, accounting for more than 60% of all annual, non-governmental international aid spending. Through NetHope, Member nonprofits collaborate with technology companies and funding partners to develop solutions to development, humanitarian, and conservation challenges. This course equips executives and senior leaders at these organizations with the technical knowledge and leadership skills needed to better leverage the power of digital technology for greater impact.”
NetHope’s Members and technology partners understand the power of digital technology to enable, connect and multiply the life-transforming impact of humanitarian, emergency response and environmental nonprofit organizations. However, nonprofits often struggle to take full advantage of our increasingly digital world. They are challenged by the rapid pace of change, the complexity of digital technology, and a lack of leadership skills and technical understanding among executive and senior leaders. The proliferation and rapid adoption of emerging technologies outpaces the abilities of nonprofits to respond, innovate and implement solutions to improve services and protect those they serve from harm. The course incorporates globally recognized standards, best practices and lessons learned for overcoming these challenges and achieving impact through the effective use of digital technologies.
"Nonprofit leaders are crucial in driving digital transformation within their organizations to better serve vulnerable populations. In the process, they also establish new environments for us to explore ethical and moral concerns surrounding the future of digital technologies, such as artificial intelligence. This includes incorporating input from the community in designing technology, identifying and addressing potential biases, and focusing on a rights-based approach to implementation. The NetHope Digital Leadership Institute plays a vital role in developing the sector's abilities to address these pressing issues," stated Vilas Dhar, President of the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation.
“USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (USAID/BHA) is pleased to partner with NetHope to strengthen digital leadership among humanitarian leaders and empower our implementing partners to use digital solutions to achieve greater impact in addressing the needs of crisis-affected communities worldwide,” said Leith Baker, Disaster Data, Assessments, and Information Management Acting Team Lead within USAID/BHA’s Office of Technical and Program Quality. “We know that new technology creates opportunities for new assistance services and service delivery mechanisms and we are excited to support this effort.”
NetHope, and its community of leading global humanitarian and conservation NGOs and digital innovators in the data and technology sectors, have been partnering for 20 years. They believe that the nonprofit and private sectors can accomplish more by working together. NetHope developed the NetHope Digital Leadership Institute in collaboration with its corporate technology partners and its Members and wider NetHope community. The course incorporates globally recognized standards, best practices and lessons learned for achieving impact through the effective use of digital technologies.
To learn more about the NetHope Digital Leadership Institute and the Leadership Skills for a Digital Age, visit nethope.org or contact training@nethope.org.
About NetHope
NetHope is a nonprofit organization and consortium of the world’s leading humanitarian, development, and conservation organizations which collaborate across geographies and missions to solve some of the world’s greatest challenges. Together, the NetHope community achieves positive change, building a shared platform for insight and action for those who receive aid, those who deliver it, and those who steward the environment for future generations. To learn more about NetHope, visit nethope.org.
This document for the NetHope Digital Leadership Institute is made possible by the generous support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance. The contents are the responsibility of NetHope and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance or the United States Government.
The NetHope Digital Leadership Institute is also funded in part by the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation.
