WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION
This workshop empowers NGO staff, volunteers, and communicators to create compelling, professional-quality photos and videos using only a smartphone and a
curated set of free, accessible apps. Participants will learn how to transform everyday mobile devices into powerful storytelling tools that can elevate fundraising
campaigns, social media presence, donor reports, and advocacy efforts — without needing expensive cameras, paid subscriptions, or prior design experience.
Through practical, hands-on demonstrations, the session covers composition and capture fundamentals, photo editing and enhancement, short-form video
recording and editing, branded graphics and captions, and export formats optimized for different channels. All apps featured are free and available on both Android
and iOS. By the end of the workshop, participants will leave with a ready-to-use mobile content toolkit and the confidence to produce visuals that strengthen their
NGO’s mission, credibility, and reach.
LEARNING OUTCOMES (competencies)
At the end of this course, participants will be able to:
● Apply core principles of mobile photography and videography — composition, lighting, framing, and visual storytelling — to capture impactful images and
video in the field.
● Use free, cross-platform apps (Android and iOS) such as Snapseed and Lightroom Mobile to edit, enhance, and format photos for social media, reports,
and fundraising materials.
● Record, stabilize, trim, and edit short-form videos using free mobile apps such as CapCut and VN Video Editor to produce professional-looking results.
● Create branded visuals, captions, quote cards, and simple graphics for NGO communications using free design apps such as Canva.
● Optimize mobile visual content for different channels (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, newsletters, donor reports) while applying ethical practices —
dignity, consent, and privacy — when photographing beneficiaries and communities.
● Build a fast, repeatable mobile content workflow that NGO teams can sustain with limited staff, time, and budget.
LEVEL OF THE WORKSHOP AND FURTHER EXPLANATION ON TARGET GROUP
This workshop is for persons who work with or volunteer for NGOs, non-profits, or community-based organizations and are responsible — formally or informally —
for creating visual content (photos, videos, social media posts) for their organization. This includes communications officers, program staff, fundraisers, field
workers, and volunteers who want to strengthen their organization’s storytelling and visibility. No prior photography, videography, or design experience is required.
The session is pitched at a beginner-to-intermediate level; seasoned photographers may still benefit from the mobile-specific workflows and free app ecosystem
covered. Participants should have a working smartphone (Android or iOS) with a reasonably recent operating system and basic comfort navigating their device.
ADDITONAL INFORMATION:
● A smartphone (Android or iOS), fully charged, with at least 2–3 GB of free storage. A charger or power bank is strongly recommended.
● Headphones or earbuds for the video/audio segments of the session.
● A small selection of your own photos and short videos (from NGO activities, events, or fieldwork) already saved on the phone, so you can practice editing
on real content.
● Your NGO’s logo (ideally as a PNG with transparent background) saved to your phone, for the branding and graphics exercises.
● A notebook and pen for quick notes.
● Recommended to install in advance (all free on Android and iOS) to save workshop time: Snapseed, Lightroom Mobile, CapCut, VN Video Editor, and
Canva.
