Zoom has become a word, like googling before.
Amid the coronavirus pandemic and the ensuing state-mandated stay-at-home orders, so many Zoom meetings are taking place that it’s a miracle the system holds up.
Zoom meetings can be family fun and build staff morale, but they are also emerging as key connection points, especially for nonprofits that want to maintain relationships with supportive constituents. Since the social context we live in, the new normal, changes by the hour, predicting more online gatherings is a safe assumption.
For an unknown period of time, nonprofit development staff are unable to travel and the economy is slowing, so Zoom meetings are becoming a good way to manage relationships. Consequently, we are all learning as we go.
With that in mind, here are some recommendations to make your nonprofit Zoom meetings (or similar online meeting software like Skype, GoToMeeting) profitable:
1) Develop a six-month digital plan, rather than a travel-based one, for each segment of your donor base. This can be determined by donation amounts, age, or some other designation that is meaningful to your nonprofit’s mission.
2) Give each of these initiatives a title and come up with a focus or journey, the number of meetings (avoiding donor fatigue), talking points and value-added inputs that empower donors, then build the number of meetings around what works best to keep them informed. , enthusiastic and committed.
3) Create a template for your invitation, reminder, and follow-up emails, a professional appearance that presents the nonprofit with its best foot forward.
4) Recognize that donors are also learning online meeting software, so make joining the meeting (link) as simple as possible, probably without using passwords unless absolutely necessary for security.
5) Script of the meeting, that is, do not improvise. Identify the topic, presentation points, desired outcomes, next steps, and how long the meeting will last; generally, the shorter it is, the better.
6) Check the lighting beforehand. Better lighting enhances your professional image and impact. Lighting: What lighting technicians call key lighting (directly at the speaker), hair (top), and fill (side), make the difference between a meeting that feels like it’s happening in a studio, and one that feels like it’s happening in a studio. has a tunnel
7) Check the sound beforehand. Using an external microphone almost always
Produces a fuller, fuller sound and reduces echoes.
8) Determine what backdrop you want to share behind the host speakers and/or panelists. Is it virtual or do you need to set up a green screen? Does your backdrop overpower the speaker? The background could be the nonprofit’s logo, if this isn’t distracting in any way, or it could be a map or some other image relevant to your mission.
9) If there is a chance that your WiFi may become unstable, use an ethernet cable to connect your computer directly to your router. This helps reduce delay and interruption.
10) Decide if it is necessary and appropriate to record the meeting and, if you do record, determine that you need to inform the participants at the beginning of the meeting.
11) Once your donors join the call, direct them to the top right corner of
their screen and suggest they click Speaker View so they can focus on the person presenting and reduce distractions from others. And tell them about the chat button at the bottom and how to use it to ask questions.
12) Welcome your guests, thank them for their time, tell them if this fits your
purposes-to be muted to reduce unintentional noise from coughing, children, pets, etc.-then Go… making sure to finish at the pre-scheduled time.
Well-presented Zoom meetings can create as big an impact or even more than in-person meetings. Get ready and practice. Make your Zoom meeting like the Oscars.
© Dr. Rex M. Rogers – All Rights Reserved, 2020