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NPB Webinar Speaker Guidelines

Dear Speaker, 

Welcome to the NPB Webinar Series! We're thrilled to have you share your expertise with our global non-profit community. These guidelines outline our webinar format and best practices to ensure a successful and impactful session for both you and our participants.

Duration and format: 

Each webinar will run for 45 to 60 minutes, with live participation via Zoom in English. One of the Nonprofit Builder staff will moderate the session, watch after the questions/raised hands and the chatbox, assist the speaker with whatever might be needed, manage the recording, and updload the reading materials, if any. Q&A are usually offered toward the end of the session. We record the session so that those who cannot attend can watch later and share with their colleagues and peers.

Methodology and content: 

As the audience is usually quite diverse, the speaker usually focuses on the most common challenges the nonprofits face in the given area, the recent trends, practical tips, pitfalls to avoid, etc. 

The main objective is to raise awareness, awaken interest and encourage eventual requests for capacity building support. The Webinar shall however have highly informative/learning value and be practical, with lots of examples and advice. Discussion/input from the audience is encouraged.

Participants: 

The Webinars are mainly for the nonprofits, but funders and even peer consultants also join. 

  • The geographies of the audience: very diverse - from Australia and South East Asia to Argentina and Chile.

  • Nature of nonprofits: from startups to 20-30 years old organizations, mostly in the area of climate change. 

  • Level of staff participating: any - from CEO to a junior manager.

 Preparation for the registration: 

Speakers are required to provide 2-3 need assessment questions to NPB team to be included in the webinar registration form. These questions help us gain a better understanding of the participants' current knowledge, challenges, and expectations.
Optional suggested 1-2 poll questions to gauge which related topics participants may be interested in for future training or coaching packages. This will help us identify and address their key pain points.

How many people will attend: 

We will compile the responses from registered participants and share them with you 3-5 days before the workshop. Usually, it is 25-30 people who register. However, we shall be prepared for any scenario - in case of a really low number of live attendees, the Webinar is delivered in a more narrative/information-sharing format. The regular number of live attendees is 8-15 persons. Take some time to review the list to gain a better understanding of your attendee also provides you with sufficient opportunity to adjust your content and focus to directly address the identified needs and interests of the audience.

Outlines and sample recordings: 

Once you confirm the date and topic, we will add it to ourWebinar Page so that people can register. To encourage participation, we would just kindly ask a brief outline on what to expect. Here is a template/sample of an outline - to be shared as early as possible so that potential participants are informed and interested in attending.

Software & Technology:

NPB team will use our Zoom platform, create an event and invite you and all participants registered accordingly. Make sure you pay attention to the time in your schedule to avoid confusion.

Moderation planning:

  • We usually do a brief rehearsal a couple of days before the session: the objective is to test the link, screen sharing and also to discuss the methodology and facilitator's role (whether you use breakout rooms, polls, whiteboards , how you prefer to take questions, etc.). 

  • Share your Whatsapp contact number with us in any emergency case

Actual session:

  • We usually start the actual session with brief introductions of the participants (unless there are too many can be done in the chat): name, organization, and main challenge in the topic of the Seminar. 

  • Then the floor is given to the speaker, who may also start with a brief introduction of themselves (expertise, what kind of support they provide, to whom, how they work, what are the special methods, what are the expected outcomes) before moving to the main topic. 

  • They may also very briefly explain the activities and whether questions can be taken through the session or as a block at specific moments of the Webinar.

  • Our advise is to take questions thoughout the session (via chat or by raised hand sign) and not to reserve a special time slot for questions at the end of the session. It is hard to predict the "mood" of the audience, whether they would be active with questions, discussion and peer exchange, so please be prepared to any scenario. 

  • Be prepared that some attendees may be in a "listening mode" (camera off) due to the Internet connection issues or for some other reasons (e.g. being on the road, etc.). Such participants usually do not take part in the activities: discussions, breakout rooms, etc.

Handouts and Slide deck:

We usually follow up right after the Webinar, where we share both presentations/handouts and some other useful materials (templates, manuals, lists of do's and don'ts, etc.). You may include in the handouts your brochure describing your services. We also encourage the attendees to continue the discussion by reaching out to the speaker directly and requesting a consultation and further support. If any of the participants reach out to you, please keep the NPB team in the loop so that we can check for the budget and funder's availability, which can cover the project budget for them.

Invoicing:

  • This is a free-of-charge event aimed at helping consultants create more impact to the network, besides finding new opportunities for collaboration on NPB's platform. If there is any cost involved for special Webinar format, ensure you are well communicated to the NPB Team.

  • Attendees can directly engage with a consultant if they wish to cover the fee themselves. Should they require NPB to cover the fee through funder support, please inform the NPB team to receive further collaboration assistance.

What's next:

Webinars are usually followed by requests from the attendees for one-to-one consultations, coaching, and guided projects, so we hope you will have the availability to respond to these.

The Nonprofit Builder staff usually send a follow-up email after the session, sharing the materials, the link to the recording, and the contact details of the speaker for eventual consultations.

Thank you from NPB Academy team