Speaker's Kit

This presentation checklist will help you plan and implement a presentation on nonprofit careers during Nonprofit Career Month.

For your convenience, you can also download the Speaker's Kit as a PDF using the link at the bottom of the page.

Download the Speaker's Kit (PDF)

Schedule a speaking engagement

• Find a place to speak—you may already have in mind a class, a youth group, civic club, or community group that's looking for or open to guest speakers. If not, list yourself as a speaker in our Nonprofit Career Month speakers database to let people know of your expertise and availability. Also consider reaching out to groups where you may or may not have contacts, for example local college career centers, classroom teachers, civic clubs for all ages, and/or faith-based groups. Keep in mind that people transition to nonprofit careers at any age, and from every background.
• Together with your host, select a location, time, and date.
• Find out how much time you have to share your message. You might arrange to speak for a short period of time during a regularly scheduled meeting, or to be the featured speaker for the entire time period. If you are scheduled to speak for longer than 15 minutes, remember to allow time for questions.
• Write down the exact address (including building name and room number) for the presentation, and the exact times you'll be speaking. If you are speaking as part of a larger event, also make a note about what time that event starts and ends. You'll need this information so you can show up at the right time and place, and also so you can promote the event (see below).
• Let your host know of your audio/visual and other presentation equipment needs (projector, computer, flip chart, markers, etc.) As a rule, the less you require from them the easier it will be for your host and the more likely they will be to allow you to speak.

Spread the word

• Find out from your host what kind of publicity is appropriate—is the event open to the public? Or is it limited to the host's community (i.e. college campus, church), or by invitation only?
• If the event is open to the public, coordinate with your host to post the information on a community calendar, bulletin board, newspaper, and online through relevant blogs, event websites, social networking sites (Facebook, MySpace, Peace Corps Connected).
• Invite your own networks (friends, family, professional connections, etc.) to attend.
• If it is a closed event, ask how they plan to promote it to their constituency and what you can do to support promotion. Do they need descriptive text from you such as a short bio or paragraph describing your presentation?
• We'd love to hear about your talk! Email amy [at] nonprofitcareermonth [dot] org (amy [at] nonprofitcareermonth.org) or Tweet us @NPCareerMonth.

Design your talk

• Consider your audience—research if necessary. What are their pressing questions about the topic? Do they already have significant experience volunteering for service projects or on nonprofit boards—settings that might give them insight into the nonprofit sector? Or are they entirely unfamiliar with the nonprofit sector? Are they emerging professionals, or experienced professionals who are giving thought to a new career? Will your audience be a mixture of different ages and experiences? (To satisfy all audiences, be sure to offer participants a chance to share what they know.)
• What are your goals for the session? Consider three main points you want your audience to walk away remembering.
• Think about the kind of presentation you and your host want to put together.
  • A panel discussion, inviting several nonprofit professionals representing a range of roles or organizations
  • A PowerPoint presentation or a formal lecture
  • An informal chat or group discussion
• If you'd like to put together a panel discussion, email three to five people you want to invite, let them know that you are organizing this event as part of Nonprofit Career Month. In your invitation, include the time and place of the event, and some sample questions you'd like to ask them during the discussion. Inform them about what you know of the audience, including how many people you expect to be there, what their background is generally, and what they want to learn about. Also let your invitee know why you've selected them to speak on the panel. Once your panelists have agreed to speak, write a follow-up email reminding them of the time and place, the list of questions, and introducing the other panelists (name, title, organization name). Offer information about directions to the venue, parking, and anything else they'll need to know to arrive on time. Read more about organizing a panel discussion on The Resource Center.
• Given the presentation type, the amount of time you have, and what your audience hopes to get out of the presentation, brainstorm the elements you'd like to include in a PowerPoint or chat:
  • A snappy opening—could include a brief icebreaker, a guessing game, or a tap dance
    • An introduction of yourself—what you do, how you've come to this work, something about your organization. Depending on your goals, this could be the main topic of your talk. As a nonprofit leader, you are the perfect resource for this topic.
    • Several slides or a handout introducing your local nonprofit sector. If you live in MN, NJ, NM, OR, or SC, you can download this information from this site.
  • A few tips about how to get started with nonprofit career exploration—networking, self-assessment, volunteering, places to search for a nonprofit job locally.
    • Here is a link to Chapter Three of the Idealist Guides to Nonprofit Careers with great self-assessment activities: for first-time job seekers and for sector switchers.
    • A chance for your participants to share their knowledge and experiences
    • Time for questions and answers. Be sure to have a few prepared in case no one has any questions right away
    • A way to share further resources (provide a handout, or gather email addresses so you can email participants after the event)
  • Once you have a sense of the things you'd like to include, organize the elements in a logical order. Type it up as a detailed outline or a brief agenda, design it as a PowerPoint, or write it out on note cards or flip chart paper depending on your personal preference. Some audience members like to refer to an agenda, so consider how you'll share the main topics with them at the event.
  • Make a note of all the materials you'll need, including business cards, handouts, your own organization's promotional materials, audio/visual equipment, and flip chart paper, and coordinate with the host to make sure you'll have what you need at the event.
  • If you have specific room set-up needs, communicate these to your host ahead of time.

  Rehearse

  • Using your agenda or outline, practice the presentation for a friend, family member, partner, or roommate—or offer colleagues a chance to see a practice run at the office. Ask for their feedback about how to make the presentation stronger.
  • Time your practice! Remember to leave time for questions.
  • Tweak your agenda or outline soon after the practice run, before you forget your own and others' impressions.
  • If you are using technology, keep in mind a back-up plan in case something goes awry. For example, if you are offering a PowerPoint presentation, bring a print-out of the slides so you can use them as notes in case the computer doesn't cooperate with the projector on the day of your event.
  • Pack your materials the day before the presentation, when you are not in a hurry. Remember to bring business cards, materials about your organization, computer cords, and anything else you may need.

  Speak

  • Arrive early and look over the room set-up and technology. Is the audio/visual equipment working? Do you have the proper cords, is everything plugged in, is volume adjusted adequately (if needed)?
  • As participants arrive, chat with them and introduce yourself. Consider greeting people at the door, or circulating to different sections of the room. If possible, get a feel for why they've come and what they already know about your topic.
  • Determine how you want to share your handouts—on seats before you begin, in piles in the front or back of the room, given out as necessary during the presentation by you or a helper, or shared as people prepare to leave.
  • Relax, smile, and follow your agenda!
  • Decide if and how you want them to reach you. You can offer your contact information on the handouts or write it where everyone in the room can see it. You can also choose to have a sign-up list so you can email everyone your notes and other useful sources of information. (Leave information with the host and the audience.)

  Wrap up

  • After the event, thank your host for the opportunity to speak and ask for feedback.
  • Email participants individually or as a group to answer questions you didn't get to answer during the presentation, to offer follow-up resources, and to thank them for coming.