Program Support
Digital Navigator Model
Bridging the digital divide, ensuring everyone can participate in the increasingly online world.
Who are Digital Navigators?
Digital navigators are trusted guides who assist community members with ongoing, individualized support for accessing affordable and appropriate connectivity, devices, and digital skills.
Navigators can be volunteers, cross-trained existing staff, or dedicated new hires who offer guidance on connectivity, devices, and digital skills. Typically at trusted community-based organizations, digital navigators are familiar with their community’s resources that relate to digital equity, and they help residents learn to use critical online services. They recommend resources and check back with the client over time to ensure they are able to reach their goals.
With on-demand services or through appointments, digital navigators support both urgent needs and long-term goals. Most digital navigators provide general support, and some offer specialized support for specific topics, such as healthcare, and for specific populations, including people with disabilities, returning citizens, higher education students, and caregivers to K-12 students.
The Digital Navigator Model
The digital navigator model is a replicable framework for organizations already providing digital inclusion services or those entering the digital inclusion space to ensure that their constituents can connect with them online. Together, NDIA and our community further defined the work of digital navigators, adapted and scaled the model, provided guidance for programs with the development of digital navigator standards and produced resources to help organizations launch and manage digital navigator programs. NDIA is available for consulting about adapting the model to your community’s needs, existing social services, and to provide digital navigator training.
What NDIA and Affiliates are doing to Develop the Digital Navigator Model
After fostering the inception of the Digital Navigator concept model in 2020, NDIA provided direct assistance to Rural LISC and the Salt Lake City Public Library to develop pilot Digital Navigator programs operating within their partner sites, and continues to provide consultation for digital navigator program development, management, training and technical assistance to community, regional and statewide programs. NDIA launched and directly supports 18 digital navigator programs in rural and Tribal communities in the National Digital Navigator Corps.
Many NDIA affiliates have implemented the digital navigator model in their own way and support one another as a community through NDIA’s Digital Navigator Working Group. The digital navigator resources shared below were developed with members of the working group and are freely available for use and adaptation by any digital navigator program. This living model is ever-evolving to meet the needs of communities. Learning from all, NDIA shares best practices from the digital navigator model as they are developed.
NDIA’s National Digital Navigator Corps is serving rural and Tribal communities.
NDIA is advancing digital equity with a multi-year commitment to rural & Tribal communities that will impact thousands.
Resources for Digital Navigators
We offer all materials under the Attribution-NonCommercial Creative Commons license. Feel free to remix, adapt, and build upon this work non-commercially. Please acknowledge the work that went into your new work by noting: “Framework provided by National Digital Inclusion Alliance.”
Tell Us About Your Digital Navigator Program
Do you have a digital navigator program? Or does this program sound similar to something you currently offer? We want to hear from you! Your experiences and insights are invaluable in the fight for digital equity. No matter what you call your program or your role, your unique stories of helping communities bridge the digital divide are essential in showcasing the power of collaboration and commitment.
Recent Digital Navigator Blog Articles
Read about all the amazing digital navigator work being done across the country!
Video Gallery
Digital navigators are a key component to many strong digital inclusion ecosystems. These webinars are a great starting point for organizations who are considering a digital navigator program, new digital navigators starting out in their positions, or anyone who would like an overview of the foundations of digital navigators and how they are keeping communities connected.
Digital Navigator 101
An introduction to NDIA’s Digital Navigator Model for anyone new to the digital navigator space.
Digital Navigators Building Connected Communities
Learn how digital navigators keep communities connected.
Digital Navigators Model
Learn how to start a digital navigator program in your community using NDIA’s model.
Digital Navigator Frequently Asked Questions
Anyone can use the term digital navigator!
We request that NDIA is cited for the definition of digital navigator and any of the resources provided by NDIA under the CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International. The term “digital navigator” was developed in 2020 and updated in 2024 to help bring together a community of practitioners doing similar work and provide a descriptor that was standard across many communities. Further the digital navigator model has evolved based on input and guidance from NDIA’s Digital Navigator Working Group and affiliate network.
YES! The term “digital navigator” is useful for describing this kind of similar work nationally and connecting with similar programs, but a different term may be better for your community. Even when the term was first coined, there were already programs doing this work under different names. The digital navigator model and community are available to everyone committed to serving their community’s digital inclusion needs through holistic, repeated one-on-one interactions.
NDIA’s community have shared what they use in Spanish to identify a Digital Navigator including: Navegador Digital, Especialista en acceso tecnológico, Asistencia Técnica Personalizada, Facilitadores de Acceso Digital, and Facilitadores Digitales. While Navegador Digital may seem like the most obvious translation, it is important to note that the term “navegador” also means browser. Let us know if you use a different term in Spanish, or join the Digital Navigator Working Group to discuss with other programs.
Not necessarily. We have seen the term “digital navigator” used to describe trusted guides who assist community members in accessing and using the internet, devices, and digital skills in a wide variety of ways in a variety of settings. For one measure, we have over 400 people in our Digital Navigator Working Group currently and it continues to grow. We also know there are programs offering similar services under different titles. The term “digital navigator” is useful for describing this kind of similar work nationally and connecting with similar programs.
Digital navigators do not need formal training, and there are no education requirements for what makes an effective digital navigator. Successful digital navigators often have a background in customer service, interest and/or involvement in their community, strong communication skills, ability to be resourceful, empathetic and have a good sense of humor.
Generally, digital navigators should have some training in the following areas:
- Orientation to Digital Inclusion including an understanding of digital inclusion barriers and available community resources
- Data & Research
- Understanding of Community Groups being served & their Needs
- Digital Skills, Resources & Frameworks
- Internet Options & the Affordable Connectivity Program
- Asset Mapping & Resources
- Knowledge on how to assess what types of internet enabled devices community members need
- Customer service training
Digital navigators dedicate time and skill development to preparing for, and working with community members to connect them with low-cost and affordable home internet, appropriate devices, and digital skills instruction. Many public libraries provide similar services but those services are often for one aspect of digital inclusion, such as a digital skills class, or to meet a single immediate need, such as help resetting a password in a computer lab. Some library staff are cross-trained as digital navigators and tasked with providing those services. These services are characterized as having dedicated resources, staff time, and support, and are designed to allow repeated, one-on-one interactions for long-term support in all areas of digital inclusion.
It is important that digital navigators are trained and committed to provide excellent customer service and quality, consistent support. As with many programs, consistent and excellent service is more likely in a scenario where a commitment is required and fair compensation is provided. Some programs are successful using volunteers as digital navigators in combination with paid program staff.
Lots! There are more than 400 people connected to NDIA’s Digital Navigator Working Group and we’re learning about new programs every day. Tell us about your program!
There is no comprehensive national directory of digital navigator programs. Good places to look for existing digital navigator programs include NDIA’s Affiliate directory, digital inclusion coalitions, libraries, community action agencies, community health organizations, housing organizations, community colleges, workforce development centers, extension offices, etc.
The DN community is very generous! You can start with the resources freely available on this page. The Digital Navigator Working Group members share many of their resources through shared docs and a listserv. Reach out to [email protected] to connect.