Join the next cohort of the ECDA Fellowship Program dedicated to progressive non-governmental, civil society organizations, and social movements based in the European Union who want to maximize their impact during this crucial election year.
Empowerment through digital organizing
ECDA Digital Organizing Fellowship
5 February 2024 - 5 April 2024
Digital organizing is a powerful tool with the potential to revolutionize how organizations connect with their communities and mobilize supporters. Our fellowship program will equip your organization with the tools and insight needed to lead impactful campaigns, foster community engagement, and drive meaningful change.
Info sessions
Check out the recording from our online information session on 15th January 2024 for a full program presentation.
"I wholeheartedly recommend any progressive civil society media to apply for the fellowship. As we continue our journey to create European media that is sustained by its readers, the ECDA fellowship has been instrumental. Learn their mechanisms, stay independent, and build a community-based approach."
Carla Allenbach, The European Correspondent
What is the Fellowship Program?
An online learning program about digital organizing and fundraising strategies that is designed for progressive organizations to elevate their digital capabilities and maximize their growth and impact both offline and online.
Many progressive organizations today rely too heavily on social media and traditional media to reach their audiences and get their message across. Organizations lack a strategy and the tools to organize their supporters into contactable communities and to involve them in their campaigns in the thousands and tens of thousands.
The fellowship will entail theory, planning, and implementing learnings in real campaigns. Success will be determined based on metrics and impact, with the possibility of extending participation beyond April in the form of an intensive, pre-election second phase of the fellowship.
Who can apply?
Progressive non-governmental, civil society organizations, and social movements legally registered in the European Union are eligible.
Organizations that are keen to scale up their digital organizing capabilities and willing to adopt small-donor fundraising.
Groups associated with the following campaigns are encouraged to apply:
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Climate change
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Trade unions and workers’ rights
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Gender equality
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LGBTQIA+ rights
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Refugee rights groups
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Immigrant advocacy groups
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Progressive grassroots media
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Citizen activism
"What makes digital organizing special and powerful is that there is no other medium that lets you have a direct conversation with your supporters."
Ari Rabin-Havt, Deputy Campaign Manager for Bernie Sanders, ECDA Fellowship guest speaker
Program structure
A ten-week program consisting of online, interactive sessions:
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Workshops with leading experts in the field
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Guest speaker sessions
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Knowledge-sharing by past fellows
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Small-group work sessions
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Opportunity for individual online mentoring sessions with our team of mentors and consultants
There will also be an optional in-person meeting during an intensive two-day boot camp (date to be announced later) with all fellows.
Following the completion of the fellowship program, qualifying organizations can extend their participation in an intensive second phase lasting from April to June 2024. Organizations who qualify for the second round will be provided with more tailored and individual support.
What is required from you?
Dedicated ten hours a week. Roughly two to three hours of online sessions and optional mentoring check-ins, plus individual time to execute campaign plans.
Fellows will set up the CRM, list-building, and fundraising tools that the ECDA works with – Action Network and Lunda (provided by Estratos)– within their organization.*
While the program is designed for anyone from the organization that is digitally savvy, there must be high-level senior leadership support for implementing the learnings from the fellowship.
*Some consideration can be taken for organizations that are already using different digital tools.
Dates
Program duration:
5 February - 5 April 2024
Program fees and financials
The cost of the ECDA Fellowship program is €500.
There is a fully-funded scholarship available for organizations that are interested and meet certain criteria. Please indicate this on your application.
Meet the team
Nilesh Pinto
Nilesh has a background in journalism and digital organizing. He helps organizations across Europe build two-way communication channels with their supporters and tell powerful stories that generate meaningful impact.
Why digital organizing?
We believe that building direct online communication channels, encouraging two-way engagement and small-donor fundraising are vital for civil society organizations to mobilize their supporters. With this in mind, the fellowship aims to mold participants into digital organizers who use cutting-edge digital tools to generate meaningful impact on issues ranging from LGBTQIA+ rights and advocacy journalism to climate change and migrant rights. It is also the ECDA’s goal that fellowship participants share the knowledge they acquire within their organizations in order to scale up their digital organizing capacities.
The Fellowship Program is tailored for progressive organizations seeking to make a tangible impact in this election year. It is designed to benefit organizations adept in traditional and social media communication, offering new avenues to connect with supporters. The program will help groups organize their supporters into accessible lists, leverage pivotal moments to keep groups organized and mobilize through engaging emails and written content.
Don't be a bystander; take an active role to ensure your organization reaches more supporters, mobilizes them, and fundraises effectively.
What past fellows have to say
“The fellowship improved my digital skills, especially with regard to email writing and building grassroots campaigns. Thanks to the ECDA’s support and mentoring, Gay Center managed to record more than 10,000 signatures for our petition and we grew our email community to 15,000 subscribers.”
Eliodoro Belmare
Gay Center (Italy)
