Over the past five years, NDIA has worked with and learned from the thousands of people on the ground in communities across the country who are doing the important work of narrowing the digital divide. This blog post condenses those conversations with our National Digital Navigator Corps and affiliates who run digital navigator programs into five essentials for running successful digital navigator programs.
1. Trust is key.
There must be trust in the organizations offering services, trust in the individual digital navigators providing services, and trust that everyone is putting the needs of the community members first. Every community is unique, and a program that reflects that uniqueness – through language, values, traditions, gathering places, etc. – will instill trust. This goes for staffing as well: people will feel more comfortable seeking assistance from digital navigators who work and live in their community.
2. You will need time, probably more than you think.
Be patient with yourself and set realistic expectations when starting a digital navigator program. Finding funding, hiring and onboarding staff, building internal support – these may all already be clear timelines in your mind. What we’ve learned consistently is that people underestimate time in two main areas:
- Building community partnerships for referrals can take months, as it requires identifying the right contact, developing good communication, and building trust.
- Building community awareness through marketing, outreach, and word of mouth can also be a slow and time-consuming process. Some programs have needed half a year or more to reach full capacity.
3. Your digital navigators will need financial and organizational support.
Sustainability has always been a challenge, but even more so in the current climate. Be sure budgeting for the digital navigator position includes not only salary but also other benefits like attending professional development opportunities and related program costs (e.g., mileage reimbursement for travel to community members, marketing, staff support for program and data management, use of a data management tool/platform, travel expenses for conference and events, etc.).
Furthermore, digital navigators’ one-on-one, community-based work can sometimes isolate them from other staff in your organization. Ensure they have steady contact with and well-defined support from other staff regarding data, marketing, peer support, and partnerships.
4. Measure your digital navigator program success in unconventional ways.
Focus on quality over quantity. Conventional benchmarks, such as client numbers, may look “small” due to the individualized, in-depth nature of the model. So don’t make them your primary metrics for success! Instead, consider evaluating robust partnerships, the level of community trust, engagement quality, and results from interactions with digital navigators. Digital navigator programs are also particularly rich sources for client stories, which are a powerful tool to share with funders and other stakeholders.
5. Your digital navigators need ongoing training and community support.
Professional development and communities of practice give digital navigators the opportunity to troubleshoot ideas, share resources, and give and receive feedback. These opportunities also provide motivation and a chance to lean into leadership opportunities within their career path. The other benefit of ongoing training and support? Avoiding burnout. Digital navigators process difficult information daily from community members, and proper training and support can help them process that secondary trauma and prevent it from impacting them and their work.
Does this match your experience? Do you have other tips to share? Tell us about it by sending an email to [email protected]
This blog is one in a series about lessons learned from the National Digital Navigator Corps written with input from the Digital Navigator Working Group. View the series here and look out for more practical tips in the Digital Navigator Program Toolkit coming in 2025.
Connect with NDIA’s community of practice by joining NDIA and the Digital Navigator Working Group.