From Pilots to Scale: Lessons from NGOs Scaling with WhatsApp
Overview
Many NGOs start using WhatsApp with a single program or pilot. As that grows, new questions come up: How do you reach more people? What should you automate? How do you manage conversations without adding more manual work?
Join NGOs as they share how they've answered these questions in their own programs. They'll talk about what helped them scale, the challenges they faced, and the lessons they learned along the way. Whether you're exploring WhatsApp for the first time or looking to expand an existing program, this session will offer insights from organizations that have been there.
What You'll Learn
Why do NGOs move to a WhatsApp chatbot in the first place, and how to know if you are ready to
What it takes to move from a pilot to a larger implementation.
How organizations balance automation with human support as they grow.
Common challenges in scaling and how different teams have approached them.
Who Should Attend
NGO program leads, comms leads, and MEL staff who are either running manual outreach today and considering a chatbot, or already piloting WhatsApp and unsure how to scale it responsibly.
Speaker Lineup
Shashanka Kundu, Director-Product, Udhyam Learning Foundation – Sharing lessons from scaling WhatsApp engagement across large beneficiary programs.
Ayush Prabhat, Program Manager, Central Square Foundation – Sharing how WhatsApp supports program communication and engagement across initiatives.
Learning Links Foundation – Reflecting on their journey from an initial implementation to expanding WhatsApp across programs.