Posted By Clore Social Leadership,
26 March 2021
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This #CloreSocialFellowFriday, we sat down with Dean Gillespie, a 2019 Emerging Leader Fellow. Dean is the Digital and Data Manager at All We Can, and is passionate about learning and development in the social sector.
Can you give us a little bit of background information about yourself and your role?
I work for All We Can, an international development and relief NGO, which works to help some of the world's most marginalised communities. Our vision is to see every person’s potential fulfilled. As Digital and Data Manager, my role is to work across the organisation - including public engagement, partnerships and programmes, finance and operations - to drive forward digital transformation. This means that I work closely with colleagues across the charity to support and lead digital operations and improve the performance of the organisation.
As Digital and Data Manager and as a digital leader, what were some of the strategies that you’ve used during the pandemic?
During this extraordinary period of crisis, I fell back on a lot of my learning from the Emerging Leader Clore Social programme, and especially the leadership framework. The idea of being a ‘Courageous Changemaker’ was one of the first things I worked on in the programme. During my time with Clore Social and through my discussions with the leaders I met on the course, I gained confidence that I had the strength to step into new challenges and lead with courage. Particularly during lockdown, this meant seeing past the uncertainty and apprehensiveness of the pandemic to drive forward a period of rapid digital transformation at All We Can. Together with the rest of the amazing team, we were able to tailor our public engagement work towards the needs of people first. At the beginning of lockdown, we developed a new online community called 1:17 across our social media channels focused on bringing people together to encourage and support each other - because let's face it, we’ve all been feeling separated and isolated during this time.
Part of this also meant thinking like a ‘Focused Strategist’ and figuring out the needs of team members, our supporters and international partners, and the best way to serve them digitally. For example, as a faith-based international relief and development charity, many of our supporters missed visiting church in person and being able to sing together. We identified this as an opportunity to create a new online collaborative experience called The Big Church Sing, regularly viewed live by thousands of people globally, working in partnership with CBeebies presenters, acclaimed musicians, artists and choirs including a newly established virtual choir of over 1,400 people. Thanks to digital innovations such as large virtual events, All We Can has witnessed a record amount of online income and seen the fastest growth in the acquisition of new regular givers in the organisation’s history. Equally, by embedding a ‘people-first’ approach, there has been a significant increase in engagement and online audience growth – over the last year, we have grown new followers by 242% and increased engagement by 114%.
For me, the pandemic has also cemented the need to be a ‘Generous Collaborator,’ because you’re only as good as the people that you surround yourself with. I’m honoured to work every day with incredible colleagues and friends at All We Can. In the sector, it can be very easy to view digital simply as a technical abstract specialism that works behind the scenes to fix things when they break - but in reality - digital is all about people, and that starts with building a team culture that understands the full potential of digital to bring collaboration and make powerful change in society.
What parts of the Emerging Leader programme have really stuck with you and impacted your career?
The leadership programme has been incredible because it gave me the confidence to be the courageous change maker needed at a time of crisis, and it allowed me to really focus on what skills I needed to build on in my career to bring about transformation and innovation.
I always remember one of the things that a facilitator said, which was that the things that will make you progress your career aren't necessarily the things that got you there in the first place. I think for someone like myself that statement gave me the freedom to push myself to grow in other areas too. I now feel more confident to challenge myself to grow as an individual and pursue opportunities that stretch my existing skills and learning.
The course also introduced me to a group of wonderful people who I'm still in contact with today. I’ve found that Clore Social creates a supportive culture because we all believe in the causes that we’re working for and we all want to make the world a better place. Rather than being competitive, the guided programmes opened up a space for greater collaboration and encouragement where we, as Clore Social Fellows, were able to listen, support and inspire each other.
What are you looking forward to this year, and what does the future hold for you?
I'm really excited for a year of continued innovation and growth, not only for myself as a leader, but also for organisations in the social sector. Since lockdown, I think that the sector has come to realise the incredible value of digital, and I’m hoping to see charities continue to embrace the digital revolution to foster greater social transformation in the years ahead. I’m also really excited to continue my learning and development journey, and to take advantage of all of the upcoming learning and networking opportunities with Clore Social. Knowing that there are incredibly purposeful people, working tirelessly every day across the social sector to make the world a better place, who I can personally connect with and collaborate with inspires me and gives me hope.
You can find Dean on Twitter @deanjgillespie, and LinkedIn.
You can find All We Can on Twitter @allwecanuk and Facebook.
If you would like to be featured for a #CloreSocialFellowFriday, send us an email at info@cloresocialleadership.org.uk.
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Posted 26 March 2021