RIP to the Elevator Pitch

I have written my fair share of elevator pitches. Something short, memorable, and capable of expressing the impact and mission of an organization.

I've helped board members practice their elevator pitch. A message that can inspire curiosity, generosity, and support.

Now, I'd like to retire the elevator pitch. We had a good run. But now, it's time to move on.

Because an elevator pitch is based on some faulty assumptions:

It centers facts, not feelings: the pitch is about the organization, not the speaker. It's usually about the facts & figures of the nonprofit, not about how the speaker is connected to the mission.

It assumes that the right words alone can convince someone to support. The right pitch can convince someone, so we should give the pitch to as many people as possible.

It's a monologue, not a dialogue. There's no opening in a pitch meeting for conversation or learning. Just a captive audience and a forced recitation.

While I agree that board members should have a shared understanding of the mission and impact of your organization, I don't think rote is the way to get there.

Instead, we need to help our board members and supporters to understand the mission and impact -- and to explain it in their own words.

And beyond that explanation, they should be able to share what the mission means to them.

Until we do that, we're treating board fundraising like a pop quiz or a trivia contest. And we're showing our board volunteers that their contribution to fundraising is a matter of memorization and recitation.

Ready for a better way? Reply to this post and I'll help you and your board members align and accelerate their fundraising support for your mission.

PPS - Washington folks, I'll be talking about board fundraising at the Nonprofit Leaders Conference in Ocean Shores on April 16 & 17. Hope to see you there! https://www.nonprofitleaders.info/

I'll also be presenting as part of the Washington State Nonprofit Conference on May 7. Register today: https://nonprofitwa.org/washington-state-nonprofit-conference/