Medical Nonprofit Event Case Study

How can a nonprofit include members who don't speak English without a big budget?

For a small, budget-conscious nonprofit, the answer has to be affordable, easy to run, and accurate across many languages. The International Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva Association (IFOPA), a medical nonprofit supporting families affected by the rare genetic condition Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva (FOP), faced exactly that need. Around 40% of its audience does not speak or understand English, a gap that limited its mission to provide support and a sense of belonging to every family facing FOP.

IFOPA hosts a range of virtual sessions each year, including its Annual FOP Family Gatherings, which draw 450 to 500 participants, along with Ongoing Education Programs and smaller Family Welcome Calls of roughly 5 to 15 people. As a nonprofit, IFOPA could not afford a costly translation tool or human interpreters, so it needed a solution that was affordable, easy to set up and use, and able to provide accurate audio and written translation in many languages.

How can a nonprofit provide live translation for virtual meetings of any size?

With Wordly, IFOPA delivers live translation and captions in dozens of languages across everything from its largest Family Gatherings to one-on-one support calls. Attendees select their preferred language and view translated audio or captions in real time on desktop or mobile. So far IFOPA has used 17 languages, including Chinese, Dutch, English, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, Tamil, and Turkish.

At the Annual Family Gatherings, around 200 of the 450 to 500 attendees use Wordly, and since 2022 those events have used Wordly's integration with Cvent Attendee Hub, where attendees access translation in one click from the Translation Tab, then choose a language and read subtitles or listen to live audio. Wordly is also used for webinars and meetings on advocacy, mental health, and symptom management, and for translated one-on-one Zoom meetings, including translating a non-English language back to English, so newly diagnosed families can communicate directly with support staff. Over five years, IFOPA has used Wordly for more than 200 sessions and 3,500 hours of translation services.

"In partnering with Cvent to host our third virtual Family Gathering since COVID, we were able to provide a stress-free viewing experience for our non-English-speaking attendees. The streamlined process makes it easy and convenient for me as the planner to ensure everyone can easily see and access this support." – Hope Newport, Family Services Manager, IFOPA

"The ease of use, affordable pricing, and opportunity Wordly offers is unparalleled and greatly appreciated by our small nonprofit." – Hope Newport, Family Services Manager, IFOPA

Can AI translation help a nonprofit engage more of its community?

IFOPA now conducts virtual meetings without worrying about how to break language barriers. The nonprofit can efficiently support its members and foster better communication within their community. Below are some of the key benefits IFOPA achieved with Wordly.

• 40% More Engaged Audience: Nearly half of IFOPA’s community, which doesn’t speak English, can better comprehend content and communicate in their language knowing that they are being understood
• Less Stress for Event Planners: Staff can focus on other aspects of virtual event planning without having to worry about translation‍
• Accurate Translations: The custom glossary helps ensure names and other important terms are transcribed correctly‍
• Easy Cvent Integration: Attendees can access real-time translation in numerous languages in just one click‍
• Easy Implementation: No special onsite hardware requirements and only takes a few minutes to set up for each meeting‍
• Out of the Box Integration: Pre-configured Zoom integration for virtual sessions‍
• Broad Inclusivity: Select from dozens of languages with both audio and caption options‍
• Affordable Pricing: One price for captions, subtitles, audio translation, and transcripts

About The International Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva Association (IFOPA)

The International Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva Association (IFOPA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization supporting medical research, education, and communication for those afflicted by the rare genetic condition Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva (FOP), which causes bone to form in muscles, tendons, ligaments, and other connective tissues.

Their mission is to fund research to find a cure for FOP, while supporting individuals and their families through education, public awareness, and advocacy. Primary funding sources include FOP family fundraising, public contributions, special events, and private foundations.

Founded in 1988 by Jeannie Peeper, a woman with FOP, the IFOPA was originally established because Peeper wanted to bring people with FOP together. Today, the organization has grown to include members across the globe.

About Wordly

Wordly is the pioneer and leader in live interpretation, providing a high-quality, secure, easy-to-use, and affordable live AI translation and caption solution for communicating across multiple languages. Wordly translates dozens of languages in real time, making in-person and virtual meetings and events more inclusive, accessible, and engaging.

Its SaaS platform meets enterprise-grade security and privacy standards and eliminates the need for human interpreters or special equipment. Millions of users across thousands of organizations rely on Wordly to make their events and meetings accessible to everyone.

See it in action – book a personalized demo.