The ability to promote your charity clearly and succinctly is crucial, especially in current times. Practising your elevator pitch is a useful tool for fundraisers as it can help us focus on what we do and how we want to present ourselves to an audience. Your elevator pitch needs to be interesting, concise and eloquent and give the best possible impression of who you are and what your organisation does.
It can take some time to get your pitch right, so we have compiled a selection of tips to help you create one that is compelling and memorable. An elevator pitch can be separated into three sections: the opening, the content, and the conclusion. Then, you must bring all the content to life with delivery that sounds both natural and engaging.
The opening
You need to grab the attention of your audience, so avoid long-winded statements and filter any unnecessary jargon. Start off with delivering a punchy introduction that states who you are and what your organisation does. Focus on what problems your organisation tackles and the impact your organisation makes. If you can, add information or a shocking statistic which demonstrates the value in what you do.
The content
Now that you have the attention of your audience, you need to describe things like the impact your organisation has and emphasise the tangible efforts and results of the charity. You can talk about what differentiates you from other nonprofits operating in the same space, how effective your programmes are, maybe share an impact story, what you hope to achieve in the future and how someone can get involved if they want to be a part of this important work.
Stay relevant
Keeping your pitch accessible and digestible is paramount to maintaining interest and maximising engagement. Avoid long-winded statements, and tailoring the amount of jargon present is helpful and can be focused upon during practising. Ideally, your pitch will be no longer than a paragraph.
Wrapping it up
To wrap it all up, a good strategy idea is to end the pitch with a specific ask. Think about what outcome you would want from the pitch. For example, do you want someone to become a potential supporter, a corporate partner or make a donation.
Practise, practise, practise
Testing the pitch and evaluating feedback is vital. By practising the pitch on someone else, you will gain a greater sense of flow and rhetoric, understanding where the pitch sounds best and where the emphasis should be placed. Using the feedback of others will prove invaluable, as they can offer an unbiased opinion and highlight areas that may have been overlooked.
Don’t be afraid to update your pitch; indeed, your pitch should continually adapt and evolve according to the situation. Aquilas can help you stand out in a competitive market. Email kieran@aquilas.co.uk or give us a call on 0775 125 0774.
Aquilas is a UK-based recruitment consultancy specialising in placing high-performing fundraisers and leaders in the charity and not-for-profit sector. We connect purpose-driven organisations with outstanding talent.
