Create the Perfect Fundraising Pitch with this Easy Template

Pitch perfectly & avoid common mistakes with our Mad Libs inspired fill-in-the-blank template.

Compressing your important and complicated work into a few key points can be tough when you’re introducing your nonprofit to somebody for the first time. It can be especially difficult not to go into details when you’ve worked so hard and are so passionate about your mission.

As a result, many experts, scientists, and advocates tend to suffer from the curse of knowledge — a presumption that your listener is inside your head, your sector, your organization — when giving an elevator pitch to potential donors and tend to divulge too much information about what they’re working on. Not to mention there are an array of other possible detriments that can arise when giving your pitch such as the jargon you use or how natural you come off.

Don’t let these factors sour a relationship with any potential donor. In this post we’ll walk you through constructing your perfect elevator pitch and help you avoid common mistakes organizations often make. You’ll also find our Nonprofit Mad Libs template to start you off in the right direction.

Let’s start with the basics.

What is an elevator pitch? An elevator pitch is a brief explanation that describes your organization, what it does, and why it’s important. It’s a great way to start a discussion with anybody about your nonprofit.

Why is an elevator pitch important? It allows your audience to understand your nonprofit and its importance in a way that is interesting, memorable, and clear in a few short sentences. You should think of it as the expedited start to a good first-impression.

Now let’s take a look at the information you need to include in your elevator pitch. Your key points should answer the following questions:

1. What does your organization do? Take your mission statement for starters and then simplify it. Make it short by cutting out any words without distorting its meaning. Identify the most important parts your audience must know about your nonprofit and make sure it is as clear and simple as possible.
2. Why is your organization important? Clearly state the problem your nonprofit is trying to solve. We suggest including the geographies you’re focused on helping with your solutions.
3. What is unique about your organization? Identify what makes your nonprofit different from the rest. Be able to point to what you do or what you have that separates you from the others.

After you give your pitch, follow-up with an open-ended question to engage conversation with your audience. Perhaps you can provide some general statistics that is interesting or build off what your audience might share with you during your encounter. You can also opt to share a short success story your organization recently had.

You want to intrigue them with your pitch and hope they’re interested enough to ask more about you and your nonprofit. When you feel the conversation is coming to an end, remember to include a call-to-action. This can be jumping on call or setting a meeting for the future.

Pro Tip: Be prepared and provide your audience with a take away. This can be a business card, brochure, or article about your nonprofit. You want them to have something to remember you by after this brief interaction.

Now that you have everything you need to know about an elevator pitch, let’s go ahead and create one for your nonprofit.

Use the Nonprofit Mad Libs template below and start filling in the blanks with information pertaining to your organization.

Your Perfect Pitch — Nonprofit Mad Libs

As I mentioned at the beginning of the post, there are common mistakes many make with their elevator pitch. So without further ado, avoid acting out these blunders.

1. Ensure your pitch lasts no longer than 30–60 seconds. Your pitch should be as long as the amount of time it would take you to ride up an elevator. (hence the name!)
2. Practice and time your pitch, and it should come off naturally. It’ll be a much more comfortable discussion if you don’t sound like a robot. Be comfortable enough to tweak words and/or phrases you have written down when you actually practice saying your pitch out loud.
3. Steer clear of using technical jargon. Don’t assume your audience is an expert in your field. Keep it light and simple to understand.
4. Don’t overload your audience with information. The purpose of the pitch is to capture your audience’s interest and not tell them everything there is to know.
5. In contrast, don’t leave them with too vague of a description. Your audience should have a firm understanding of your organization and what you do by the end of your pitch.

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