Webinars

The Sister Cities International Webinar Series presents important information and resources to strengthen your sister city program. Here, you can review our most recent sessions on topics like grant writing, incorporating alumni, and much more! For more information, contact [email protected].

How to Set Up and Promote a Successful Community Event

This webinar hosted by 15-year PR veteran Tawnya Lancaster and VP of Community Outreach for Tech CU Janikke Klem, goes into the basics of planning a successful community event, including: what you need think about before you start, how to create a realistic budget, how to promote and publicize your event, what planning will make it run smoothly, and all the “little” things you may not think about until it’s too late.

How to Set Up and Promote a Successful Community Event [MP4 19.4 MB, Runtime: 55 minutes 34 seconds]

Background Checks and Volunteer Screening Webinar

In this webinar, we discuss the importance of background checks as it relates to hiring decisions. We also talk about what services are available to help members choose the resources that best fit their needs.

Background Checks and Volunteer Screening Webinar [MP4 7.63 MB, Runtime: 24 minutes 23 seconds]

Generating Revenue from Local Membership

Many sister city organizations today are looking to create a steady base of support for their local activities. One way some sister city programs achieve this goal is through local member dues. This webinar gives an overview of different models for local membership structures and investigate what questions to answer in determining which model is right for your program!

Generating Revenue from Local Membership [MP4 18 MB, Runtime: 40 minutes 18 seconds]

Cities Seeking Cities Webinar

Sister Cities International’s Cities Seeking Cities program offers support services to help U.S. member cities find new sister city partners abroad. Our Membership Department works closely with members and utilizes a wide range of channels, including foreign and U.S. embassies, federal agencies, municipal associations, twinning organizations, among others, to find potential matches.

The “Cities Seeking Cities” webinar gives an overview of this exclusive member service. In this webinar, Membership Coordinator, Taylor Woodruff, provides a step-by-step guide on how Sister Cities International can assist you in finding a partner city!

Cities Seeking Cities Webinar [MP4 8.3 MB, Runtime: 23 minutes 30 seconds]

How to Run for the SCI Board of Directors

Interested in knowing more about how to run for open positions or are planning to run for a position? Watch a recording of the webinar we hosted on April 8, 2014 on “How to run for the SCI Board of Directors.”

How to the Run for the SCI Board of Directors (2014 Elections) [MP4 7.4 MB, Runtime: 18 minutes 22 seconds]

Creating Sister City Partnership Profiles Online

Sister Cities International has added an exciting new feature to its website—Partnership Profiles. Now, in addition to each member’s community profile, members can provide Sister Cities International and the public with more specific information about each of their partnerships.

In this webinar, Membership Director Adam Kaplan explains how you can expand your web presence by adding information about the establishment, history, recent activities, contacts for each of your sister city relationships. This webinar will be of particular interest to committee heads and members whose partnerships don’t have their own websites.

Creating Sister City Partnership Profiles Online [SWF 38.3 MB, Runtime: 39 minutes 40 seconds]

This file consists both audio and video. To play this webinar, please download and install Adobe Flash Player. Alternatively, please right click on the downloaded webinar file and under the “Open with” option, please select Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, or any other web browser.

Innovative Exchanges: Incorporating Environmental & Economic Innovations Into Your Program

The webinar gives an overview on how to find and apply environmental and economic policy and technical innovations into your programming. Dale Medearis, PhD, senior environmental planner for the Northern Virginia Regional Commission (NVRC), a small regional council of governments outside Washington, DC, leads this webinar. NVRC has transformed their international work at the sub-national level by incorporating these innovations. Since 2004, in tandem with its partners in Europe, NVRC has developed two comprehensive energy and climate mitigation plans now recognized as national models and developed a comprehensive watershed restoration program.

Innovative Exchanges [SWF 4.9MB, Runtime: 27 minutes 20 seconds]

Recruiting Volunteers

Sister Cities International Membership Director Adam Kaplan gives an overview on how to successfully recruit, train, and sustain volunteers for your sister city program. Learn more about how to pitch your volunteering opportunities, structure a volunteer program, provide training, and continue engaging a talented volunteer base.

Recruiting Volunteers [SWF 6.7MB, Runtime: 46 minutes 52 seconds]

Fundraising and Grant Seeking 101 and End of Year Appeal

Deciding who to target and how to choose where development resources are best spent is a difficult process that requires years of experience. Learn the various ways to raise funds locally and pick up some tips and tricks from professionals and strengthen your grant applications and stand out from the pile as we come to the end of 2013.

Fundraising and Grant Seeking 101 and End of Year Appeal Webinar [SWF 7.6 MB]

Sister Schools

Sister School partnerships are between individual classes, entire schools, or even school districts. This program is a excellent way for schools to introduce an international curriculum and cultural exchange program to their students. This webinar provides an overview of how your sister city organization can help start and sustain an interactive and collaborative sister school program, providing students in your community an opportunity to learn and work with fellow youth from across borders.

Sister Schools Webinar [SWF 4 MB]

The webinar also featured a representative from the Royal Thai Embassy in Washington DC, who provided a brief overview of the “American-Thai Sister Schools Program.” For more information on the this program (recording currently unavailable), please visit: www.americanthaisisterschool.org. The Embassy-supported Program is an excellent opportunity for sister city organizations to expand on their youth programming as well as explore broader partnerships in Thailand.

J1 and B Visa Processes & Member Visa Resources

J1 and B Visa Process & Member Visa Resources [SWF 12.9 MB]

Economic Development: Accessing Resources and Gathering Partners

This webinar, presented in conjunction with a new toolkit for members, will walk through the first steps of building economic development programming: identifying resources and gathering partners in your community. With some basic internet research and phone work you can begin to build the network and knowledge you’ll need to get started.

Economic Development: Accessing Resources and Gathering Partners [SWF 14.8 MB]

How to run for the Board of Directors

Sister Cities International welcomes all qualified applicants to run for open positions on the Board of Directors. Elections to the Board of Directors are held each year during the Annual Conference. This informational webinar features a step-by-step run through of the application policies and procedures for those who plan to run for a position at the 2013 Annual Conference in San Antonio, TX July 12-13, 2013.

How to run for the Board of Directors [SWF 4.4 MB]

How to Nominate Your Program for the Sister Cities International Annual Awards

The Annual Awards highlight your sister city program’s achievements in 2012 and brings international recognition to your community’s contributions to the citizen diplomacy movement. This webinar provides step-by-step instructions on how to complete the entry form for each category as well as details on eligibility, rules and regulations, entry evaluation, and submission requirements.

How to Nominate Your Program for the Sister Cities International Annual Awards [SWF 14.8 MB]

After the Exchange: Incorporating Alumni Into Your Program

Alumni who have benefitted from an exchange program can be a great resource for your organization. Learn how to effectively engage and retain them with Lisa Barton and Sophia Stergiou of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Cultural and Educations Affairs who will share their expertise on alumni relations.

After the Exchange: Incorporating Alumni Into Your Program [WMV 58.1 MB]