Verizon Small
Business Digital Ready

More than 100,000 small businesses closed due to the pandemic, with a disproportionate impact on Black and Lantinx-owned small businesses. Verizon Small Business Digital Ready offers businesses support, aiming to enable digital readiness and drive digital transformation through a customized curriculum that accounts for industry, size and interests. NACCE is proud to be working with Verizon to reach those businesses most in need of support through the community college system.

Developed for small businesses by small businesses, Verizon Small Business Digital Ready offers a personalized experience – providing resources, networking, and coaching tailored to specific needs. The program can help small businesses move forward in four ways: 

  • Personalized Learning: Content presented by small businesses through brief, information-packed lessons small businesses can use right away.
  • Expert coaching: Guidance from business experts across marketing, business planning, legal, and more.
  • Peer Networking: Connections to other small businesses to build their networks.
  • Incentives: A marketplace of tools, solutions, products and services that can help small businesses. Participants will also be eligible to apply for grant funding exclusive to users of Verizon Small Business Digital Ready.

Ready to get involved? 

Ambassador Program

10 NACCE Members will earn up to $1,500 this Year!

Building upon the momentum of the Digital Ready Contest, we want to advance awareness of the resources available to our national community. We know that the Verizon Small Business Digital Ready portal is a keystone for digital success for today's entrepreneur. NACCE will open the Verizon Small Business Digital Ready application this spring. Ten selected participants will be become Digital Ready champions!

Qualifications:

  • Ambassadors must be NACCE members.
  • Ambassadors must utilize the Verizon Small Business Digital Ready within their own coursework at their institution or small business center.
  • Ambassadors must commit to getting a minimum of 50 of their community members (students, entrepreneurs, small business clients) to create and complete a profile on the platform.
  • Ambassadors should act as ambassador for Verizon Small Business Digital Ready within their college and/or community college network to help onboard three additional leaders into the ambassador program who recruit a minimum of 25 students
  • Participate alongside NACCE in an educational capacity in at least one (1) in-person or virtual event, marketing/awareness campaign, or webinar AND author at least one (1) blog article for the NACCE blog that chronicles the process/tactics for deploying Verizon Small Business Digital Ready into their course in order to share a collection of best practices even highlighting a student success story.
  • Ambassadors are expected to post at least once a month in our NACCE Meets online community of practice and attend regular community check-in calls 

Ambassador Program Funding Requirements | Total stipend available per participant: $1,500

  • Sign up & profile completion of students: $200 per set of 50 (up to $800)
  • Present alongside Verizon Small Business Digital Ready in at least 1 event or webinar: $100
  • Author at least 1 blog post: $100
  • Attend monthly check-in meetings: $125 (max $500)

Ambassador programs opens Summer 2022, and will be active through October 31, 2022
Stipends will be paid at the end of the ambassador term, and are based on participation as noted above.