CHARITIES:
Presentation Guidelines
You’ve got 5 minutes to MAKE YOUR PITCH so make it COUNT!:
Whether you are the founder, a volunteer or a donor that is hands off, if you are going to be the representative to pitch the group for funding your organization/group, you need to know what it does and how it does it. In a matter of five minutes you’ve got to be able to tell what they do, what kind of impact they make and what specifically they would do with the award money. The women sitting in this room have come and are committed to 100 Women Who Care BECAUSE of the simplicity, the quick decisiveness and the camaraderie of seeing all the great work in our community. Use the time you have given to make a huge impact. Even if you aren’t chosen as the benefactor for the night, you have had the audience of change makers in Chicago.....use it wisely.
1) Know the facts!
Practice your elevator speech. You need to be able to tell the story of the work your organization does in under one minute. Drawn out explanations lose people easily. Write down what they do, how they do it and who is affected. Then wrap that around a few sentences and voila! You’ve got your pitch. If an organization is drawn that you are a part of and you don’t feel confident to be able to clearly and concisely convey the message, pass this time and brush up on the organizations you are involved in so you can make a solid pitch. Sometimes if there isn’t clarity it can do more to hurt the organization you are trying to help by confusing those that are hearing about it for the first time.
2) Tell the HEART story!
Be sure to think of a way to tie in a personal story of those you impact with the work you do so that the group has a very clear understanding and then connection to that work. As you prepare, write down WHY you are involved? Why does it matter to you and who/what have you seen change in the times you have been involved that have mattered to you? If it matters to you, it will probably matter to someone else. Write down a short story of how the work of the organization directly made a change and time it...get it under one minute and PRACTICE it.
3) Show them the MONEY!
Where will the money go! The people in the room are ready to make a wise choice about where they donate. Those that struggle to define where the folks' hard earned money will go once they write that check will find they struggle to get those checks written at all. I’m not talking about detailed financial statements here, what I am talking about is a strong description of what the funds will be supporting. It could be general operating budget to help grow a new local organization; it could be for materials to distribute as a part of the program’s work. Taking the time to find out where the money will go pays off in the long run and will give you the confidence to stand up and make your pitch to the group. If you don’t explain in your allotted time to give your pitch, they will ask in the Q & A, and you will still have to have an answer :)
Whether you are the founder, a volunteer or a donor that is hands off, if you are going to be the representative to pitch the group for funding your organization/group, you need to know what it does and how it does it. In a matter of five minutes you’ve got to be able to tell what they do, what kind of impact they make and what specifically they would do with the award money. The women sitting in this room have come and are committed to 100 Women Who Care BECAUSE of the simplicity, the quick decisiveness and the camaraderie of seeing all the great work in our community. Use the time you have given to make a huge impact. Even if you aren’t chosen as the benefactor for the night, you have had the audience of change makers in Chicago.....use it wisely.
1) Know the facts!
Practice your elevator speech. You need to be able to tell the story of the work your organization does in under one minute. Drawn out explanations lose people easily. Write down what they do, how they do it and who is affected. Then wrap that around a few sentences and voila! You’ve got your pitch. If an organization is drawn that you are a part of and you don’t feel confident to be able to clearly and concisely convey the message, pass this time and brush up on the organizations you are involved in so you can make a solid pitch. Sometimes if there isn’t clarity it can do more to hurt the organization you are trying to help by confusing those that are hearing about it for the first time.
2) Tell the HEART story!
Be sure to think of a way to tie in a personal story of those you impact with the work you do so that the group has a very clear understanding and then connection to that work. As you prepare, write down WHY you are involved? Why does it matter to you and who/what have you seen change in the times you have been involved that have mattered to you? If it matters to you, it will probably matter to someone else. Write down a short story of how the work of the organization directly made a change and time it...get it under one minute and PRACTICE it.
3) Show them the MONEY!
Where will the money go! The people in the room are ready to make a wise choice about where they donate. Those that struggle to define where the folks' hard earned money will go once they write that check will find they struggle to get those checks written at all. I’m not talking about detailed financial statements here, what I am talking about is a strong description of what the funds will be supporting. It could be general operating budget to help grow a new local organization; it could be for materials to distribute as a part of the program’s work. Taking the time to find out where the money will go pays off in the long run and will give you the confidence to stand up and make your pitch to the group. If you don’t explain in your allotted time to give your pitch, they will ask in the Q & A, and you will still have to have an answer :)
Use the form below to help
If your name and nominated charity are selected at the meeting, you will need to make a five-minute presentation to the group. Come prepared! Making your case for support in the short time allowed takes some planning. Your presentation should be simple and not overly formal, but should give members enough information to make a decision.
Use this form as a guide for suggestions to prepare you for your presentation (you can print it by clicking on "print" in the horizontal band above the document below). It is also helpful to think about what YOU would want to hear to make a decision about other nominated charities.
Use this form as a guide for suggestions to prepare you for your presentation (you can print it by clicking on "print" in the horizontal band above the document below). It is also helpful to think about what YOU would want to hear to make a decision about other nominated charities.
