Giving WordPress Presentation to Group of Non-Profits, Looking for Feedback

  • clwarren

    (@clwarren)


    12 years ago

    I am planning on giving a presentation to a group of non-profits about what WordPress is, the benefits of using WordPress, and a brief demonstration on how easy it is to use. I’m looking for some feedback as to what you guys would consider the key benefits, important details to mention, etc.

    Currently my outline for the presentation looks like this:

    Part I: What is WordPress — history of, statistics of use

    Part II: Benefits of Using WordPress
    * It’s Free
    * Ease of use
    * SEO-Friendly
    * Plugins and Themes to easily extend aesthetics and functionality
    * Huge support community both online and in person

    Part III: Brief Demonstration For this part, I plan on showing a quick WordPress installation and configuring a basic theme. Then I will show how to add a page with an image as an example of how easy WordPress can be to use.

    Really the goal of this presentation is to position myself as an expert in the field. I regularly speak at Meetup groups on more advanced topics such as site security and benefits of custom post types. I’m a freelance WordPress designer/developer, so I hope that I can meet some people interested in my services also at this event.
    What would you include in the presentation or what information would you find useful if you weren’t familiar with WordPress. Any help or advice is greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Viewing 3 replies - 1 through 3 (of 3 total)
  • iamrohan

    (@rohan-k)

    12 years ago

    I think better way to start will be describing wat CMS is, and how it differs from RAW html/php coding. You can then name few CMS’s and describe how WP differ from rest in terms of use, admin panel, etc. Instead of starting with WP history (which will be of lesser importance to them). Hope this helps.

    Gabe Young

    (@gabeyoung)

    12 years ago

    I respectfully disagree. If the audience is essentially business personnel in non-profit, not only do I not think there’s any value in providing technical details but it may also turn some people off.

    As for the brief demo, one suggestion is to focus on adding and updating content, which is what they would be doing the most. After all, they’re potentially hiring you to be the one assisting with the install and theme, right?

    WPyogi

    (@wpyogi)

    12 years ago

    As someone who is involved with several non-profits, including dealing with this very issue, I think you have to start with what the specific needs of the non-profits are and what you are trying to accomplish with the presentation (i.e. as Gabe said, are you looking for contract work with them or is this a pitch for a DIY approach). Non-profits have a VERY large range of resources and skills, so what you talk about depends on those specifics…

    But, in general, I agree that too much technical detail is not useful for most non-techie people and can be negative.

    Part of the challenge is that the information and choices are overwhelming to pretty much everyone these days — especially with social media which basically requires a large investment of time if an organization really wants to use it. So you really need to find out how much time they have to invest and how technically skilled that person is (or can become) before you do much further talking…

Viewing 3 replies - 1 through 3 (of 3 total)
  • The topic ‘Giving WordPress Presentation to Group of Non-Profits, Looking for Feedback’ is closed to new replies.