Why work with a charity elearning specialist?

July 26, 2021

We are very proud that we have been designing and developing bespoke elearning for charities and not-for-profit organisations for over 10-years. In that time, we have developed a reputation for offering creative and award-winning solutions that deliver change for individuals and organisations.

But enough of our bragging! Here’s what we’ve learnt along the way about the benefits of working with a design company that understands the specific needs of the charity sector. Yes, we know we would say that but read on for our three ‘C’s so you can decide for yourself…

 

Cost

Without a doubt, the budget available will be a huge factor and constraint for many charities. The fees charged by large bespoke agencies can be outside the budget of many charities. Fees are high because often they have to pay sales commissions, expensive conference stands, large offices and marketing budgets. Smaller agencies, like ours, will have lower overheads and can therefore charge less.

 

Context

This is important for two reasons. The first reason is the context in which the elearning will be set. Charities are different to corporations in many ways. Their challenges are different, their focus is different, and the way they operate is different. A supplier that appreciates and understand the context doesn’t need to learn it, which means they understand the need to put volunteers first or how your charity shops are managed. Complexities around this can include:

• A variety of potential learners as some organisations will have staff, volunteers and service users accessing the same resources. The learning needs to speak to them all. If the language only talks to staff, volunteers and service users will disengage and/or not complete the course. In contrast to this, their individual needs may differ, so the content may need to be tailored to their role.
• Representation of service users/imagery.

The second reason is the context in which the development project will be set. This might include a project team that includes children, volunteers and service users, the need for flexibility regarding project finances/milestones. A charity specialist understands and has experience with these nuances.

 

Content

There is plenty of off-the-shelf elearning available on generic topics (think manual handling, fire safety etc.). Most of these will work in a charity setting. When it comes to content that’s organisational specific or sensitive, custom elearning is the only answer. The organisational specific content relates to our points above about context, but sensitive topics… that’s when our experience comes into its own.

We have worked with a huge range of organisations and have built vast expertise around specialist areas such as safeguarding, sexual health in disaster situations, animal welfare, children and young people’s services and support for service users and inclusive education.

A charity specialist will be able to talk your language, speak to volunteers, service users and staff and represent them effectively in stories and images.

 

In summary

We develop elearning for charities because we are passionate about what they do. We get to spend every day doing what we love for amazing causes, it doesn’t get better than that! We always strive to get the best outcomes for our clients, create the best elearning we can to ensure it provides the best experience for their learners. Our office motto is ‘No Sh*t Lives the Shop’; this acts as both motivation and a challenge. That means no compromises, and, at times, it means we have to challenge clients.

As you’ve probably guessed, we are a values-driven company, make sure you find a supplier with that kind of vision to ensure you get the best value, a great experience and modules that really help you to have an impact within your organisation.