Can you clearly explain your organization’s mission in 30-seconds or less? Why is this even important?

You often have a short window of opportunity to get your point across to a potential institutional funder or individual donor — don’t waste it fumbling for the right words on the spot — be prepared!

There are several key components of an effective “elevator pitch” however, there is often quite a bit of homework and research that goes into that 30-second spot. The bottom line is you must know who you are, because the elevator speech is just the tip of the iceberg. Example:

(1) Mission: Our mission is to help kids transition out of the foster care system to their adult lives.

(2) Demographic: We serve kids aging out of the foster care system.

(3) Problem Statement: Nearly xx% of all children in foster care are never adopted or placed back with their birth parents. These kids have a unique set of needs that is not being adequately addressed by the state or non-profit sector. One of the biggest problems these young adults have is a lack of support systems, both financially and emotionally. Studies show that xx% of youth aging out of foster care do so at a poverty level and xx% of these individuals continue to live in poverty into their thirties.

(4) Our Goals: We aim to help these individuals lead more safe, comfortable and productive lives by delivering wrap around services that include: academic counseling, job training and support and financial literacy training. We also organize regular social events to help these young people transition more effectively to the community.

(5) And of Course, The Pitch

The implication of the components listed above is you have to have a clear, focused and well articulated mission. You must know who your target demographic is. You must define and understand the problem you are working to solve. And you must know what you want to achieve and how you will achieve it.

These things — mission, demographic, problem statement (or statement of need), market analysis and goals — are the foundation for every grant proposal. And the framework for this information is very similar to what you see in most business plans.

Practice your pitch.  And be critical — don’t get so comfortable with your chosen words that you fail to see a disconnect between your words and what you actually do or the problem you are working to solve.

If after reading this you think — ‘I get it, but I just don’t have the information to formulate a great pitch,” then you may benefit from my startup consultation package.  This package includes 3 phone sessions over a 4-week period, during which Aaron will work with you to develop your business model.  Think of this as a mini-strategic planning process. If your nonprofit is just getting off the ground, this is an important place to start — try to seek grant funding before your organization is ready can lead to a lot of wasted time, money and heartache. So give youself some time and do it right! Contact Aaron today for a quick  consult (no charge) to see if this service, or others, is right for you.