Wouldn’t we all love to have the time to explain our nonprofit and its mission in detail to every potential donor, volunteer, board member, or other supporter? Unfortunately, that’s not always the case. In this article, we share the why and how behind crafting a nonprofit elevator pitch for your organization.
When you’re speaking to potential supporters, you often only have a short amount of time to share details about your mission in a way that leaves a lasting impression. That’s where the nonprofit elevator pitch comes in.
An elevator pitch is a short yet impactful overview of your nonprofit. Typically lasting around 30 seconds – the length of an elevator ride – these pitches include the most important information about an organization in hopes that the listener will want to take action after hearing them.
Having an effective nonprofit elevator pitch prepared can be a game-changer for many organizations. Let’s dive into crafting one of your own!
Everyone is busy. We’re surrounded by distractions, making it difficult to focus on any one thing for too long. In fact, at just 8.25 seconds, the average human attention span is shorter than a goldfish’s these days!
Today’s nonprofit organizations have less time than ever to grab a potential supporter’s attention, much less keep it. Plus, you are busy yourself! You don’t have time to prepare and present a detailed appeal to everyone you meet.
A nonprofit elevator pitch addresses these challenges. Not only are these pitches short and to the point, but they help you present all of the critical details about your nonprofit in a neat, easily understandable package.
Plus, you have the opportunity to draft up your elevator pitch in advance. This makes it possible for you to share it with everyone representing your organization as part of your toolkit, encouraging them to use the same messaging when speaking about your mission.
Bonus: Find more help with short donation messages in this blog.
Short answer? Anywhere and anytime!
But – really – one of the best things about a nonprofit elevator pitch is that it can be used and adjusted for just about any situation. Here are some examples –
This isn’t to say that your nonprofit elevator pitch should be the exact same for every situation or even every person who hears it. Next, we’ll cover how to write your own elevator pitch and evolve it for different scenarios.
First things first, you need to craft your standard nonprofit elevator pitch. This will be the go-to pitch that can be memorized and applied to any situation.
Here’s how to write an elevator pitch that will get results!
Before you write a word of your elevator pitch, you need to be sure that you fully understand your nonprofit and what it aims to accomplish. A great place to start is by reviewing your organization’s mission and vision statements, or by developing a case statement.
Learn more about case statements in this episode of The Nonprofit Podcast:
Also, consider interviewing different members of your organization. What first comes to their minds when they think about the nonprofit? What are some talking points they feel should be included about your programs and mission?
Pro tip: New organization? Need a refresh? It’s vital that you establish a mission and vision statement before coming up with your elevator pitch. Use our free guide to help!
Remember that statistic about the human attention span being about 8.25 seconds long? That’s about how long the intro to your pitch should be. Also known as a hook, you want the first sentence or two to tell the listener who you are as well as what your organization does.
Provide enough information to keep your audience listening. Give them a quick overview of your mission – in fact, you can edit your mission statement to fit your introduction. Have a great stat about the impact your nonprofit has made? This is a great place to include it!
Here’s an example of a nonprofit elevator pitch introduction:
I’m the Development Director at Animal Care Center. We’ve helped 5,000 abandoned pets in the area receive urgent care and find their fur-ever homes.
In the middle of your pitch, share more details about the impact your organization has in the community or with those you serve. You can spend a little more time here – about 15-20 seconds.
It’s best to use specific details if you have them. Include a compelling beneficiary story, share how your organization differentiates itself, or talk about how you plan to grow in the future.
For example:
Just recently, Nugget – the sweetest puppy – was brought to us with frostbite and a broken leg. We were so worried she wouldn’t make it. Thanks to support from our volunteers and donors, we were able to quickly treat her and she has already found a loving family.
And another option:
Our caring veterinarians and volunteers literally save the lives of these animals every day. Thanks to our donors, we also have the best medical equipment available. We’re hoping to soon move into a bigger facility that will allow us to care for even more cats and dogs!
Just like with any other outreach or appeal, you must tell your audience what you want them to do with a call to action (CTA). Are you asking for donations? Do you need more volunteers? Even the most compelled listener won’t take action if they don’t understand what you’re looking for!
If asking for donations, be sure to share how your audience can complete a gift, whether online, through text-to-give, at a giving kiosk, or another option.
Your CTA is what will likely change the most from situation to situation. But it should always be clear and concise – you only have about 5-10 seconds left in your pitch, after all.
Here’s how we would wrap up our example pitch for Animal Care Center:
You can help us build a larger shelter with space for 100 animals at a time. Will you make a gift?
Now, it’s time to perfect your nonprofit elevator pitch! Your first draft likely won’t be your last, and that’s ok. Take your time to read through the pitch. Say it out loud and share it with your staff members or volunteers to get their feedback.
You can also edit your standard pitch as needed to fit different opportunities. The easiest part to change will be your call to action – simply adjust to fit the goal of your event, phone call, or appeal.
The middle of the pitch can also be adjusted to fit the situation. For example, switch out the story or impact details you share to focus on a program or need that will most appeal to your audience.
Your introduction, however, can typically be kept the same, as it introduces your overarching mission. You may choose to change it, however, as your data changes or if you feel a certain situation calls for a hyper-focus on a specific part of your work.
What should you keep in mind while writing and editing your elevator pitch? These six tips will help guide you through the process!
We can’t stress this enough – nonprofit elevator pitches are meant to be short! We recommend sticking to approximately 30 seconds but try not to go any longer than 60 seconds at most.
Use simple language that is both easy to say and understand. Keep it conversational and don’t use industry terms. You don’t want to be stumbling over words while presenting your pitch. Plus, you want to make your message clear to anyone who hears (or sees) it.
Don’t just talk about yourself or your organization. Include how donors and volunteers make a difference! Remember to use donor-centric language and bring your listener into the conversation. They’ll be more likely to act if they know they’ll have an actual impact!
Demonstrating the impact your organization has through data and storytelling will go a long way toward illustrating a point and encouraging your listener to take action.
It’s true that practice makes perfect! Practice your nonprofit elevator pitch until you are comfortable sharing it from memory. Plus, practice helps you find changes that need to be made.
Pay attention to words or phrases that are hard for you to say. Find ways to focus more on the listener. Remember, you can ask a friend or colleague to tell you what they think!
You want your elevator pitch to sound as natural as possible, no matter who is speaking. Encourage anyone who uses your pitch to adjust as needed to fit their style and voice.
Want to make sure you don’t lose the important details? Highlight what must stay in the pitch, then let the speaker get creative with the rest. You can always ask to hear their version before they use it!
Here are a few additional examples of nonprofit elevator pitches you can use to inspire your own.
For fundraising events:
Hi! I’m the Executive Director. I’m so happy you could join us today. At Families Together, we support families of children battling cancer and other illnesses by giving them living spaces, covering expenses, and providing fun outings during treatment. Just recently, we took one child and his family on a behind-the-scenes tour at the zoo! I wish you could’ve seen the smile on his face. Today, you can make more positive memories like this happen for these families with a gift at one of our donation kiosks. Thank you!
To ask for volunteer sign-ups:
I’m volunteering with Vote for Change, where we encourage everyone to register to vote, no matter their background, ideals, or political party. Voting is so important! Every citizen should have their voice heard. For the last presidential election, we were able to get 10,000 people to register to vote for the very first time. How cool is that? This year, we’re looking for volunteers to join us at community events like this one so we can encourage even more people to become voters. Will you sign up?
During media interviews:
I’m the Fundraising Director at Green Earth. We’re taking steps to clean up our planet and ensure a better future for generations to come. Over the past decade, our volunteers have planted nearly 5,000 trees, brought recycling programs into area schools, and cleaned up the local rivers we all love to explore, fish in, and float on. This Earth Day, you can help us keep these waters clean throughout this summer’s floating season. Please donate just $5 today by texting EARTH to the number on your screen. Thank you!
Now, it’s your turn! With these steps and examples, you can craft an effective nonprofit elevator pitch in no time. Just remember our tips to keep it short, avoid jargon, involve the listener, show your impact, practice, and make adjustments as needed.
When you need somewhere to send your audience with your pitch’s call to action, consider Donorbox. Our suite of powerful fundraising tools includes online fundraising forms, text-to-give, peer-to-peer, event ticketing, a donation kiosk app, and more. Plus, every feature is designed to be easy to use for you and your donors! Sign up for free today.
Looking for more nonprofit tips, how-tos, templates, and more? Check out the rest of our Nonprofit Blog and sign up for our newsletter to receive the latest articles and resources in your inbox.
Kara has several years of experience in communications and marketing for nonprofit organizations. Her love for serving others began while fundraising for and attending mission trips. She then worked with multiple local nonprofits through various marketing agencies and volunteer opportunities before becoming a communications manager at Variety the Children's Charity of St. Louis for more than four years. Kara now specializes in writing and enjoys sharing her experiences and knowledge with others on this platform.
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Kara Schmid