There’s something powerful about putting 17 NGOs in a room and asking: “What would a WhatsApp chatbot enable for you?” The ideas are countless, but the real journey was to drill down and turn one idea into a working chatbot, and that’s exactly what all NGOs explored together at the two-day Glific Accelerator workshop held on 19-20th June in Bengaluru.

Who Was in the Room 

The Glific Accelerator program started with a two day in-person program that brought together 17 NGOs from across India, each working in areas such as education, health, livelihoods, gender equity, agriculture, and civic engagement. Over the two days, participants explored the potential of WhatsApp chatbots to support their program goals—whether by sharing learning content, collecting feedback, supporting field teams, or streamlining program operations. Each organization worked on a specific use case, taking the first steps toward designing and testing their own chatbot, with continued support planned in the months ahead. Find the details about the cohort here.

Day 1: Started with connections to building first flows on Glific 

Agenda for both the days: Link

We started our day with a quick team huddle, and went straight into our first session of the day which was an ice-breaker. ‘Never have I ever‘ activity totally helped people ease out and learn more about each other. Next, NGOs were introduced to real chatbot use cases built on Glific. We showcased four examples and invited participants to reflect, discuss, and critique them—helping them understand what’s possible and how to structure their own flows. This set the stage for the next segment, where each NGO began ideating their chatbot use case and mapping it out on paper.

Glific platform fundamentals were split between Day 1 and Day 2 for people to absorb things at their own pace. The second half of the day was all about building the first chatbot flow on the Glific platform—and that’s when the energy in the room really shifted. There was a genuine wow moment for many participants as they created their first flow and tested it live on WhatsApp.

You could see the excitement as people saw their messages land automatically on their phones—some even shared the bot with teammates, friends, and family to try it out. For many, this was the first time they saw a tech idea come to life so quickly, and it sparked a real sense of possibility. 

Day 2: Building, Learning and creating pilot plans

Started the day with an optional space for people to complete their GCS set up and connect with other NGOs. 

We had Sreechand, Technology Manager at Arghyam, who spoke about how they are using WhatsApp chatbot, JalSarathi, to support Jal Mitras in recording the bulk flow meter reading daily via simple WhatsApp nudges. The chatbot is being scaled to 27000+ Piped Water Supply Schemes in Assam. Arghyam was part of the previous accelerator, and seeing their journey from pilot to scale helped participants visualise their own path forward.

Based on the feedback from Day 1, we modified the agenda a bit and had a session on basics of flow creation which was helpful in understanding the basics before the work time. This got NGOs to think about the basics- 

• “First keyword kya hoga?” (What should the first keyword be?) 
• “Will the users be able to type the test to start the chatbot?”
• “Can I use a voice based welcome message to build trust and credibility of the chatbot?” 

NGOs then worked on their chatbots and post lunch we moved into peer demos-some rough, some polished but all filled with learning. All organisations planned for their first chatbot pilot and wrapped up the day with bonding over chai!

Glimpse into a few usecases

The Nature Conservation Foundation, through its Early Bird program, works to connect children with nature through birdwatching education. As part of this effort, they are partnering with over 6,000 libraries in Karnataka to train librarians as nature educators. Their AI enabled WhatsApp chatbot will support this scale by handling common questions related to their Wonder of Birds course—especially in Kannada—reducing the manual load on their small team and enabling more effective content dissemination and learner support.

Bindi International, a social enterprise working across 19 Indian states to empower rural women through technology, training, and entrepreneurship. The organisation is building a WhatsApp chatbot to provide access to SRHR (Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights) information, best practices, and consultations for adolescent girls in rural Rajasthan. Their goal is to create a safe, anonymous space for girls to engage with reliable SRHR content and support.

Pleqsus India Foundation empowers marginalized communities—including transgender, gender-diverse, and economically disadvantaged groups by connecting them to the right job and skilling opportunities. Their chatbot will directly trans and gender-diverse individuals in West Bengal to right skilling opportunities.

Learn about the usecases of all participating NGOs here.

The community Bit

Community is at the heart of the work we do. The two days of the accelerator gave people a good opportunity to learn about each other’s work and network. A bunch of people over WhatsApp group, introduced about their work through pictures. People networked, learnt from each other, and experienced each other’s chatbot through the showcase on day 2. There were spaces to share feedback, learn more about the product and connect with our existing Glific NGOs. 

“It’s been amazing over the last two days. In most workshops, you often have a lot going on in parallel—but this felt very hands-on and focused. The team has been really supportive, and it never felt overwhelming.”

— Monika, Durga (I’m Every Woman)

“I always thought tech wasn’t for me—I’m a program lead, not a tech person. But once we started using the platform, I realized that with a little logical thinking, it’s completely doable. Many people see tech as a barrier, but they just need to try it out. The first step is using it—and being open to change.”

— Aarthi, YouCan (Trust for Environmental Education)

What’s Next 

The NGOs will be given 1:1 support by product managers for the next two months. There are 4 group webinars scheduled for building deeper knowledge and it ends with a group showcase/demo day. The NGOs will run pilots on ground and iterate their chatbot strategy with their teams. If you’d like to attend the demo day and/or see how chatbots can work for your organisation, reach out to sneha.trivedi@glific.org.

We’re excited to see these ideas take shape—and how WhatsApp chatbots can enable meaningful change on the ground.

A big shoutout to the Glific Accelerator team—Krishna, Sangeeta, Aishwarya, Gautam, and Tejas—for holding space, guiding sessions, and making the entire experience smooth, supportive, and impactful for all the participating NGOs.