Form a Team to Start a Conversation in Your Community

Thank you for registering to be part of the South African Conversations Community Conversations initiative. This page explains everything you need to know to form a team, prepare for your first event, and understand how payments and participation work.

Please note: This is not a job offer. It’s a limited-hours social-entrepreneurial opportunity to bring vital information and income to individuals and NPOs in disadvantaged communities across South Africa.

Everything You Need to Know to Get Started

Here's What’s Required to Host a Community Conversation

To host a Community Conversation, a complete team must be in place and at least one advertising partner must be secured – either by South African Conversations or by the local team. South African Conversations will only release the conversation content, marketing materials, electronic attendance register and feedback forms for the upcoming event once both requirements are met.

Your Team Must Include:

A Facilitator – to lead the discussions. Usually also leads the team.
A Videographer – to film the events.
A Venue – a safe space where the Conversations can take place. Must be able to accommodate at least 60 people.
Security guard/s – one or two, if required by the venue and location.
A Caterer – to provide simple, healthy food.
An Advertising salesperson – to secure an advertising partner. This could be one of the team members or someone unrelated to a particular team.

Every Team Member Must Join Our WhatsApp Community

Everyone who wants to take part must choose their role on the Start a Conversation page. When they do this, a form will automatically be sent to them to register for that role. After they complete and submit the registration form, they will get an invitation to join the correct WhatsApp group. They cannot participate in a Community Conversation until they have joined the WhatsApp group and downloaded their Role Guide. Joining the WhatsApp group confirms they can follow instructions and have properly entered our system.

If they don’t reach this point:

They won’t know what’s required of them, because they can’t get their Role Guide in any other way.
We won’t know that a team in your community is complete.
We can’t secure an advertiser for an incomplete team.
We won’t be able to pay them, because we won’t have their details.

Everyone Must Read Their Role Guide and Pass a Simple Test

Reading the Role Guide is not optional. We cannot work with people who have not read the Guide for the role they need to play in our Community Conversation events.

To confirm that each participant has read and understood it, they must complete a short online test specific to their role. This test is simple but essential, and must be submitted well before the Final Preparation Meeting (held the Sunday before the Community Conversation). Anyone who fails to submit the test – or clearly hasn’t read the guide – will not be permitted to take part, which could jeopardise the entire team’s ability to host the Conversation and earn an income.

Every Team Must Have at Least One Advertising Partner

South African Conversations aims to secure an advertiser for every community, but we strongly recommend that teams also find a local advertiser to avoid delays and increase everyone’s earnings. More than one advertiser is allowed.

The more popular your Conversations events become, the more people will attend and the easier it will become to sell Advertising Partnerships to local advertisers.

What You Must Do After You’ve Registered

Step 1: Read Your Role Guide and Do the Test
Complete the short online test to confirm you’ve read and understood your Guide.

Step 2: Form Your Team
Ask in the General WhatsApp group for contacts in your area or connect with others using the admin-shared list. Facilitators lead the team, but any role-player can help form it.

Step 3: Secure an Advertiser
You cannot hold a Community Conversation without an Advertising Partner. South African Conversations will try to help secure one for your community, but can’t guarantee it. That’s why teams should actively find at least one local advertiser to keep things moving and increase earnings. Any team member can register as an Advertising Salesperson.

Step 4: Attend Monthly Meetings
Meeting details will be shared in the WhatsApp group. Attend the meetings relevant to your role –and any others that help you get the hang of things.

Step 5: Before You Can Host a Conversation

All team members must be registered, have joined our WhatsApp community, have read their Role Guide, and submitted their test to prove this.
An advertiser must have signed an Advertising Partnership with your community.
The Facilitator must attend the final preparatory meeting on the last Sunday of the month. Other team members are encouraged to attend, especially if they haven’t yet participated in a Conversation.

Step 6: Final Checklist

On the Monday following the final prep meeting, the Facilitator will receive the conversation content, marketing materials, electronic attendance register and feedback form specific to their event.
The Facilitator must read the conversation content and prepare to present it clearly to attendees. Visuals should be displayed – via laptop or by sharing images with team members via WhatsApp, to show among attendees.
With the team’s help, the Facilitator must:
- Send the press release and event poster to local media, influencers, community Facebook pages, and other relevant channels.
- Share the event poster via WhatsApp with all team members, who should distribute it to their networks and post on social media.
- If possible, arrange for local printing of large event posters to benefit the community.
- If possible, arrange for local printing of large event posters to benefit the community.
- Confirm that the Advertising Partner delivers their marketing materials by 10 am on the Friday before the event, and ensure safe storage at the venue or a team member’s home.

Step 7: Host your Community Conversation on the first Sunday of the month

All team members must arrive at least 30 minutes early to open and prepare the venue, arranging chairs in a horseshoe shape.
The Facilitator must share the electronic registration and feedback forms with all team members. Team members are responsible for helping attendees complete these forms by either showing the forms on their own phones or sending the forms via WhatsApp so attendees can fill them in on their own devices.
Have a manual, pen-and-paper registration backup ready in case there is no wi-fi or attendees do not have smartphones and cannot access the electronic registration form.
Explain to attendees to sit outside the horseshoe shape if they do not want to be filmed, but still want to participate in the conversation.

Step 8: After the event

Ensure the video – or video snippets and photos – is submitted within 48 hours. South African Conversations will not invoice the Advertising Partner without this evidence.
Call attendees who did not submit electronic feedback, ask the feedback form questions, and record and submit their responses.
Receive payment after the advertiser’s payment is cleared.
Repeat the above process for the next Community Conversation.

Meeting Schedule & Time Commitment

Important notes:

We hold four important meetings every month – not every meeting is for every team member, but newcomers will learn a lot from attending as many as possible.
Meetings are always on Sunday afternoons when most people are available.
All meetings start at 14:00. Please plan for two hours, though they often finish earlier.
Meeting reminders are sent via WhatsApp before a meeting on Friday, Saturday and Sunday mornings. Please make a note in your diary or set an alarm to make sure you don’t miss the meetings that apply to you.

Here’s the timeline:

Community Conversations – First Sunday of every month (14:00–16:00)
All team members who play active roles at events must be present to qualify for payment. They must arrive by 13:30 and be prepared to stay until 16:30 to help with set up, attendee registration and feedback, and clean up after the event.
Assessment & Planning Meeting – Second Sunday of every month (14:00–16:00)
We review the previous week’s Community Conversation, discuss what worked and what didn’t, and explore the topic for the next month’s Community Conversation. This meeting is important for Facilitators, although all team members will benefit from attending.
Advertising Sales Meeting – Third Sunday of every month (14:00–16:00)
We explore potential advertisers and discuss targeted sales strategies. This is incredibly useful for Advertising Salespeople, although any registered team members interested in sales are welcome to attend.
Final Preparation Meeting – Last Sunday of every month (14:00–16:00)
This meeting is exclusively for fully registered teams with a confirmed Advertising Partner. While the entire team is encouraged to attend this meeting, the Facilitator MUST attend. It is an opportunity for the team to review what will be required of them at the Community Conversation, to ask questions, and to become familiar with the presentation materials, electronic forms, and marketing materials. Event materials will be provided to the Facilitator or team leader only after this meeting. If you do not attend, you may not receive the materials, and your event may be cancelled.

Are you worried this will take too much of your time?

Don’t be. Once your team is up and running, it’s about one day of work per month.

Most role-players only attend one or two meetings, plus the Conversation event.

Videographers should attend a few meetings in the beginning, after which they just show up, shoot, do a light edit and upload.

Security guards don’t need to attend meetings unless they want to; they just coordinate with the Facilitator and arrive early on event day.

Advertising Salespeople may feel busy at first, but their job eases once they secure an advertiser – though they’ll keep getting paid for the duration of the contract.

Facilitators will find their workload eases over time to one meeting plus the event each month.

How the Money Works

Advertising Partners pay R6,000 (excl. VAT) per event. (Minimum number of attendees: 50 – excluding team members.)

Here’s how the money is shared:
(Updated 24 June 2025)

Fixed costs:

Advertising Salesperson: 12% of the monthly ex-VAT contract value = R720
Remaining balance: R5,280

Venue: R500 flat fee per event.
Remaining balance: R4,780.

The remaining balance is shared among team members, as follows:

Facilitator: 26.778% of R4,780 = R1,280 (rounded)
Remaining balance: R3,500.00

Videographer: 20.92% of R4,780 = R1,000.00 (rounded)
Remaining balance: R2,500

Caterer: 20.92% of R4,780 = R1,000.00 (rounded)
Remaining balance: R1,500

Security guard/s: 4.184% of R4,780 = R200.00 (rounded)
Remaining balance: R1,300

South African Conversations: 27.196% of R4,780 = R1,300.00 (rounded)
All funds allocated.

Notes:

Any extra revenue, such as additional advertisers or savings from a free venue or no security costs, is shared among team members according to the revenue-sharing percentages above.

Payments are processed only after an event has taken place and within 48 business hours of the Advertising Partner’s payment reflecting in the South African Conversations bank account.

South African Conversations may adjust advertising rates and role-player fees based on participant feedback, financial realities and the ongoing development of the initiative. Any changes will be carefully considered but are final. Team members will be notified via WhatsApp at least 7 days before changes take effect at the next scheduled Community Conversations event. If you do not accept the revised terms and decide to withdraw from the initiative, please give at least 7 days’ written notice before the next scheduled event. This allows us to make arrangements to ensure the continuity of the event.

How national advertisers are allocated

Advertisers secured nationally are prioritised for new or under-resourced teams that do not yet have an advertising partner. Once all teams have at least one advertiser, any remaining national revenue may either be:

Shared among existing teams

Reserved to kickstart new Conversations in other locations

Earning potential with multiple advertisers

A Community Conversation can have more than one Advertising Partner. When additional advertisers join, each percentage-based team member’s payment increases proportionally according to the revenue-sharing percentages above.

YouTube monetisation

In addition to income from advertising partnerships, Facilitators and Videographers may earn money through YouTube monetisation of their Community Conversation videos on their own channels.

Must inform the Facilitator if the video is published and share any revenue generated.

The Videographer and Facilitator may create a shared channel for easier revenue sharing.

Important:

South African Conversations does not manage or oversee video revenue sharing.

Only Facilitators and Videographers are eligible for video-related income.

Salespeople, Security Guards, Caterers and Venue Providers are not part of this revenue stream.

Our Capacity – Why We Cannot Make Individual Exceptions

Community Conversations is designed to operate at scale and reach as many communities as possible across South Africa. To maximise impact, we follow a structured schedule for all training, meetings and events – all held at fixed times. We understand this may not work for everyone, but our focus is on reaching as many people as possible, not customising the process for individuals. Thank you for respecting this approach!

Our Commitment

South African Conversations provides the structure, content, administration, promotion and payment systems that make Community Conversations possible. This includes:

Content

We research and provide structured information for each monthly Community Conversation, ensuring each event stays focused on practical solutions to challenges, not on complaints about what’s not working.

Our materials to support meaningful discussions could include any of the following:

A story to introduce the topic

Background information and key talking points

Guiding questions to spark community responses

Visuals for printing, screen display or sharing via WhatsApp.

After each Community Conversation, we send information about resources, programmes and tools – available online or from government and NPOs – to attendees who shared their WhatsApp number, to empower them to tackle the issues discussed.

Administration

We help connect people from the same or nearby areas who registered to play a role, so they can form a complete team to host a Conversation in their community.

We provide digital documentation, including:

A date- and event-specific electronic attendance register

A date- and event-specific electronic feedback form

Digital contracts for advertising partners

Downloadable, role-specific guides for each team member

Promotion

We provide tools for teams to promote each event in their local community, including:

Electronic posters for each team member to share with their network via WhatsApp, Facebook and email.

A press release for the Facilitator to send to local newspapers, radio or TV stations, and influencers – inviting them to attend or cover the event.

An email template to invite VIPs – the mayor, ward councillor, NPO heads, activists, etc. – to attend the Conversation.

Support for Advertising Sales

We equip those who register as Advertising Salespeople with information and guidance to approach local and other advertisers. This includes:

A detailed guide for Advertising Salespeople

A two-hour training session on the third Sunday of each month, open to any team member interested in sales.

Marketing materials: a video, press release, FAQ for advertisers and an online Advertising Partnership booking form.

Sample proposals.

Support with pitches, proposals and role-playing for any salesperson who needs help securing a local advertising partner.

We aim to secure one national advertising partner per team, per event – but teams shouldn’t wait for us. They should go all out to secure at least one local advertiser themselves. If we land a national advertiser and they’ve also secured a local one, they’ll get double the pay. And if they find two or three local advertisers? Even better – the team’s payment increases with each one.

Monthly Meetings and Support

We host planning, preparation, assessment and sales meetings via WhatsApp on three Sunday afternoons each month.

Financial Administration and Payments

We invoice advertising partners only after receiving the event video, attendance register and feedback forms – proof that the event took place.

We pay each team member directly within 48 working hours after the advertising partner’s payment clears in our bank account.

South African Conversations’ Rights

We reserve the right to:

Create, market and sell derivative content or products based on any Community Conversations event, now or in the future. This includes but is not limited to content for the South African Conversations magazine, Resource Directory, website, social media platforms, radio programmes, documentaries or future products we may develop. Where possible and at our discretion, we will acknowledge participating teams. No income or royalties will be shared from the use of this content.

Retain full ownership of all titles, interests and assets related to South African Conversations and Community Conversations, including but not limited to names, identities, logos, marks, slogans, social media and marketing materials.

Terminate the collaborative relationship with any team or team member for reasons including non-performance, poor quality work, dishonesty, failure to deliver a Conversation video, or a facilitator’s failure to attend required preparatory meetings. Termination will be confirmed in writing and, where feasible, preceded by a WhatsApp call or video meeting to explore possible solutions.

Appoint new team members after such termination to ensure the continuity of Community Conversations in that geographic location.

Reschedule Community Conversations to avoid national holidays or add additional Conversation events on other days besides the first Sunday of every month.

Protect the structure, format, materials and methods used in Community Conversations. These are the intellectual property of South African Conversations and may not be copied, reproduced, adapted or used to run similar events – including under a different name or organisation – without written permission. This applies whether the individual or group is currently participating in Community Conversations or has done so in the past.

The Team’s Rights & Obligations

Team Members Agree To

Familiarise themselves with all relevant Community Conversations web pages and with guides supplied by South African Conversations.

Approach local businesses for advertising partnerships. While not mandatory, securing a local advertiser ensures that a Community Conversation can take place without waiting for a national advertising partner.

Host a Community Conversation in their community on the first Sunday of every month from 14:00 to 16:00, with an arrival and set-up time of 13:30 and a possible finishing time of 16:30, provided an Advertising Partner has been secured.

Ensure that each attendee, including all team members present, is recorded on the electronic Attendance Register on arrival at the event.

Team members must share the register link with attendees via WhatsApp or assist them in completing it on a team member’s phone. If attendees are unable to complete it themselves, a team member must do it on their behalf.

Ensure that all facilitators attend the monthly Planning & Assessment meetings.

Notify us at least eight days in advance to cancel an event involving an advertising partner. If possible, suggest an alternative plan.

Provide the earliest possible notice of team or venue changes so we can accurately pay relevant individuals and ensure any replacements are properly trained and informed about their event roles.

All cancellation or change notifications must be communicated via phone call to South African Conversations management and confirmed in writing by email or WhatsApp.

Resolve team-related conflicts internally to ensure smooth operations. If the problem is serious or unresolved, report it to South African Conversations for guidance.

Obtain written approval from South African Conversations before using the company’s name or logo in any printed, electronic or online materials that are not supplied by the company.

Share self-made electronic communications, ads or promotional materials with a Community Conversations WhatsApp group administrator for approval before use, and copy conversations@southafricanconversations.co.za in all related emails.

Branding and Acknowledgement Requirements

The South African Conversations circular logo must be displayed in the bottom right corner of every Community Conversations video for the full duration. For clarity and visibility, the logo should be 140 to 150 px in diameter and must remain in a fixed place, positioned 15px from the right edge and 15px from the bottom edge. It should not fade in or out.

If the video is shared anywhere other than with South African Conversations, it must be accompanied by this acknowledgement:

This South African Conversations Community Conversation was held in (location) on (date) and was facilitated by (facilitator name) and filmed by (videographer name). For more information about Community Conversations, visit www.southafricanconversations.co.za

Video Submission and Payment Requirement

The raw video file must be submitted within 48 hours of the event.

If South African Conversations cannot invoice the advertiser (due to missing video or Attendance Register), no one will get paid.

Failure to submit the video without a valid reason will result in termination of the videographer’s role or disbanding of the team.

Team Members May Not

Organise, promote or participate in any competing event on the first Sunday of any month.

Copy, adapt or use the Community Conversations model, format or materials to run similar events under a different name or organisation — now or in the future. All South African Conversations materials and processes are confidential and may not be shared outside this initiative without written permission.

Use Community Conversations videos for financial gain, except for YouTube monetisation of their own team’s videos, as outlined under How the Money Works.

Hold South African Conversations liable for personal income tax obligations. Team members are collaborators, not employees.

The Team’s Rights

Teams have the right to receive payment as outlined under ‘How the Money Works’ within 48 hours of the advertising partner’s payment appearing in South African Conversations’ bank account.

Facilitators and Videographers may showcase their filmed Community Conversations videos on personal or shared YouTube channels, provided the required acknowledgement appears in the video description and any income is shared fairly between them.