How’s your elevator pitch? |
May 18, 2010 |
I recently came across Elevator Pitches For Good Causes, featured in the April 16 edition of the Chronicle of Philanthropy, and it struck a chord. The article features eight charity veterans sharing their pitches on video. According to the article:
“Most nonprofit executives have an elevator pitch—a short speech that explains their organzations' work to people they meet on an elevator, at a social event, or at a conference. But even the most seasoned pro is usually looking to refine his or her pitch.”
Watch a few or all of them and see what you think. My opinion is that the majority of these pitches represents a boring, traditional marketing brochure that has been memorized and regurgitated. Most of these pitches, like ineffective marketing brochures, are:
- Organization-focused, clogged with seemingly unimportant details such as staff size, client base, and years in existence
- Mission-focused, meaning the emphasis is placed on services currently provided by the organization
- Filled with jargon, academic language, or insider phrases that the average listener will not easily comprehend
- Drawing a line between the expert staff who do the work and the listener who is relegated to the role of bystander
How would your pitch size up to the features listed above? Assuming you are inspired to spend some time refining yours (you are inspired, aren’t you??), below are some thoughts on how to strengthen your elevator speech. It should be:
- Cause focused. Listeners care about problems and issues in their communities. Help them connect directly to the cause of teen pregnancy, drug use, homelessness, the persecuted church, etc. Leave out the unnecessary details about your organization until you are asked about it.
- Vision-focused. Help your listener catch the dream of where you are headed and what you aim to accomplish in the future with respect to your cause; help them clearly see that you need their help – working alongside you - to impact the cause and get to this future place.
- Simple to understand. The fifth grader next door should be able to understand your language and generally repeat back to you the same pitch
If you want an excellent, in-depth look at how to effectively communicate about your work, check out the book, Made To Stick, by Chip and Dan Heath.
Take some time to refine your elevator pitch! And remember that the tips above apply equally to other communications like newsletters, appeals, and websites!
May 19, 2010 at 7:01 AM Very interesting. I've always heard of the elevator pitch as it pertains to business, I just never really thought about using it for our cause as well! Funny because when people ask me what I do in my volunteer work, I fumble to explain it. Thanks for making me think of this concept in a different light!