Tech for Climate Action Residency - Calling NGOs, Skilled Volunteers!

A transformative 5-day program that brings together NGOs and skilled volunteers to co-create tech-driven solutions for climate action. They will collectively understand barriers faced by organisations working in climate action and which of those barriers can be meaningfully solved by leveraging technology.

Apply Now →

What participants say

"This workshop reinforced the idea that digital skills and content creation are not optional for non-profits—they are essential. Using technology to streamline processes can help non-profits work smarter, not harder.

Naji

Naji Mahfood

Co-founder, Ignite India

The Challenge

Climate-focused NGOs are at the forefront of environmental protection, but many lack the technological resources to maximize their impact. Meanwhile, skilled professionals and students eager to contribute to climate action often struggle to find meaningful ways to apply their expertise.

Quick Facts

Duration: 5 days [Monday to Friday]
Batch Size: 8-10 Participants per batch; 2 batches a month
Location for Workshop & Stay: aikyam space at Kochi, Kerala
Format: Residential, Workshops, Hands-on learning
Cost: Free Workshop, Stay, Food & Tech tools. [Participants cover only travel costs. Note: Students can get a travel allowance, if selected]

Why you should Apply?

For NGOs:
- Co-create ideas to leverage tech in your work with free, simple tools
- Learn to make institutional knowledge accessible, streamline day-to-day ops like staff & expense management
- Enhance discoverability, visibility, storytelling of your work to reach more volunteers, team, donors
- Implement data-driven programs, decision-making with vulnerable communities at the centre
For Volunteers - Professionals & Students:
- Understand climate change complexities directly from NGOs
- Apply your skills in real climate action contexts
- Gain hands-on experience with tech tools that amplify your skills
- Build a network of climate tech peers and potential employers

How will we learn together over 5 days?

Day 1 | Strategy: Tech Strategy with a planet-centred approach
- Co-create the role technology could meaningfully play in your climate action work
- Identify the tools, budgets, software, donations, volunteers that we could leverage
Day 2 | DiscoverabilityUnpacking your visibility in 4 Steps
- Enhance discoverability and visibility
- Create engaging content and develop effective digital outreach & fundraising strategies
Day 3 | Data-GuidedLearn, Collect, Aggregate, Analyse, Act Framework
- Learn data lifecycle, participative analysis, and simple visualisation techniques
- Apply data insights to inform program development and impact assessment
Day 4 | Knowledge ManagementMaking institutional knowledge accessible
- Create a centralised information repository that is easy to access, live translations
- Implement collaborative knowledge sharing systems
Day 5 | Operations ManagementEffortless day-to-day operations
 - Leave, Expense, Staff Management
- Inventory, Procurement, Donations Management

Some tools that you will try, based on your needs

Data Collection

Open Data Kit, Kobotoolbox

Data Analysis

Metabase, DataWrapper

Web Presence

Ghost, GitHub Pages

Design

Canva, DataWrapper

Fundraising

Razorpay, Frappe CRM

Operations

Frappe HRMS

Knowledge Management

Bookstack, Danswer

Infrastructure

Digital Ocean, Coolify, Cloudflare

What could success of the residency look like?

Confidence with tech: You feel more confident about leveraging tech in your important work
Actual Tech products: Based on your needs, the residency helps you set up tech. This could be your website , content management plan, an outreach tool, data analysis tools, etc
Live Results: You raise actual donations using methods you learnt, analyse your program data and go back with dashboards & results, etc
Maker Mindset: You become a self learner and actively improve upon the learnings from the residency

Our Pillars of Support

We are able to provide this residency free of cost because of their support.

Who are the trainers?

Abhiram N J

aikyam Fellow

A tinkerer who loves exploring different FOSS tools, Abhiram loves helping people grow through communities. His special focus is on optimising workflows.

Anjani Sanga

aikyam fellow

Anjani is the go-to person for all things related to aikyam space. Skilled at organising, she ensures all visitors to Aikyam space leave with a smile and lasting impression.

Jasentha Joy

Cook

Jasentha whips up the most delicious food at aikyam space, making sure your stay is a memorable one. You will love chatting with her if you like home remedies.

Jinso Raj

aikyam fellow

A full stack developer with an interest in automation & DevOps, Jinso is an enthusiast of free and open-source software (FOSS), and is a certified Frappe developer.

Megha Jibhakate

aikyam fellow

Megha is a front-end developer with an interest in coding. She loves working with NGOs on website development and improve data collection & aggregation.

Pooja T

aikyam fellow

Pooja curates and manages aikyam jobs, connecting professionals with impactful roles in non-profits. She has extensive expertise in Bookstack, Ghost.

Shemeer Babu

aikyam fellow

Shemeer is obsessed with tech for social good and has 12+ years of experience in leadership, design thinking and impact technology.

Subina Shamsudeen

Housekeeper

Subina does the housekeeping with the most meticulous care. But one thing is not just a task for her you can hear her humming a song every time she waters the plants.

Sumi Thomas

aikyam fellow

With over two decades of experience in media, branding and entrepreneurship, Sumi’s skills lie in communications, design for storytelling and operations management.

Testimonials

"Bookstack helped us in making our training content into a user-friendly, searchable and language compatible tool.

suresh

Suresh Ponappa

Chief Financial Officer, Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies

Who Should Attend?

  • NGO Staff: Mid-to-senior management from climate-centric NGOs (up to 3 participants per NGO)
  • Skilled Volunteers & Professionals, Students: Experts & Students in fields listed below, who are eager to contribute to climate action

Some skills we are looking for from applicants:

  • All Environmental Sciences
  • Field Experience & Management
  • Monitoring Learning & Evaluation Skills
  • NGO Operations & Program Management
  • DevOps & FOSS: Your skills can help organisations implement available open-source solutions into valuable solutions for NGOs.
  • Outreach & Communications: Your skills can help craft compelling messages, engagements for climate action initiatives.
  • HR & Operations: Your skills can help streamline processes for more efficient day to day operations.
  • Fundraising & Sales: Your skills can help develop strategies to secure resources for impactful projects.
  • Marketing: Your skills can help amplify the reach and visibility of important causes.
  • Data Analytics: Your skills can turn real data into actionable insights for climate programs.
  • Design: Your skills can create visually compelling materials to engage audiences.
  • Project Management: Your skills can help ensure climate initiatives stay on track and deliver results.

How to Apply?

Ready to make a difference? 

Whether you're an NGO looking to enhance your tech capabilities or a skilled professional eager to contribute your expertise to climate action, we want to hear from you!

Check out the upcoming batches and use the Apply Now button below to send in your applications. All completed application forms should reach us by the deadlines mentioned below.

Review Process

You will hear back from us within 7 days of the application deadline date, accepting or declining the application. In case you are unable to join one of our workshops, we encourage you to post your requirements at our forum to connect to other tech resources.

Upcoming Batches

November
04
Apply by October 24, 2024
Closed for Application
November
18
Apply by November 07, 2024
Closed for Application
December
02
Apply by November 21, 2024
Seats available: 6/10
December
16
Apply by December 05, 2024
Seats available: 6/10
January
06
Apply by December 10, 2024
Seats available: 6/10
January
20
Apply by January 09, 2025
Seats available: 6/10

FAQs - Frequently Asked Questions

Check out our FAQ page for answers.

For any additional questions, please email us at hello@aikyamfellows.org.