Obituary? Elevator Pitch? Same thing.

Lately I have become an avid reader of the obituary column. I am fascinated by the scope of people's lives and by their accomplishments. What makes obituaries so readable and engaging is that they follow a progressive format that combines basic facts about the person with personal stories and is followed by a call to action. 

We can benefit from this structure when communicating the value of their organization to potential stakeholders and donors. At its essence, a successful elevator pitch has all of the components of a well-written obituary.

Obituaries begin with facts about the person- who, what, when, where and why. The middle section highlights personal and professional accomplishments and the value the person brought to their community. The last section provides a call to action – where, when, and how those reading the obituary can interact with the family or make a donation.

Let’s consider this three-step format to craft a successful elevator pitch.

1-    The Facts: Lead with Core Purpose, NOT your job description.

When asked ‘So, what do you do?’ most people answer with their job description ‘I am the Development Director at XYZ.’ Unfortunately, answering with your job description does not give your listener the opportunity to ask questions or for you to offer more information. Instead, consider leading with the Core Purpose of the organization. (A bit more about Core Purpose at the end of this post)

  

When speaking about your organization pique the curiosity of your listener by speaking first about your organization’s core purpose. This open-ended statement makes it easier for the listener to ask questions and to begin a dialogue about the facts of your organization (who, what, when, where, and why). Beginning a conversation with core purpose will engage your listener and permit them to lead the discussion.

Here is what it sounds like: 

Listener: ‘So, what do you do?’

You: ‘ I work with the ASPCA. We promote compassion through interaction with animals.’

Listener: ‘ I thought that the ASPCA just saved stray animals’.

You: ‘That is only one of the many things we do. We were founded in 1866 and now run 20 different nationwide programs in Community Outreach, Animal Health Services and Anti-Cruelty Initiatives’.

What Happened: With this approach you have created two pathways: One path to discuss facts about the organization, and another that opens the door for the listener to connect with the area that is most interesting for him.

2-    The Stories: Talk about Accomplishments and Future Plans.

This middle section gives you an opportunity to integrate what your organization has done in the past, how it has benefited the community, and talk about plans for the future. For the listener, this section provides education and opens the door to becoming involved.

Here is what it sounds like:

Listener: ‘I had no idea that the ASPCA ran that many programs.’

You: ‘As a matter of fact, we just expanded the animal therapy unit and this year gave out $100,000 in grants to new animal welfare organizations all over the country.’

Listener: ‘Really? Tell me more about the animal therapy unit.’

What Happened: The speaker has uncovered the listener’s area of interest and can target the conversation.

3-    The Call to Action. The First Step toward Creating a Supporter.

When you begin a dialogue about your accomplishments it opens the door to follow up. Follow-up can take a number of forms. You can follow up by phone, offer to put the listener on a mailing list, invite the listener to a site visit or an event, or arrange a meeting with another stakeholder in your organization. The action step ensures subsequent conversations and further interaction with the listener.

Here is what it sounds like:

You: ‘We have therapy dogs right here in town that go to the Senior Center and the hospital. They interact with patients and are a calming influence.’

Listener: ‘I had no idea.’

You: I would be happy to meet you at the Senior Center so that you can see what an amazing resource the therapy dogs are for the patients.’

Listener: I would love to see the therapy dogs work.’

What Happened: The speaker has engaged the listener and can now continue to educate him to become an advocate for and/or donor to the organization.

Some Important Elements to Remember when Crafting your Elevator Pitch:

1-Know the Facts about Your Organization-history, programs and future plans

2-Be nimble-listen to the conversation and tailor it to the emerging interests

3-Practice! Practice! Practice! Write down your opening and practice talking about the individual programs.

Following this format will help you craft an effective elevator pitch. An effective pitch should be written down and practiced. It is very important to sound conversational and passionate and not like you are delivering a canned speech to your listener. Your pitch should be no longer than 15 to 20 seconds. Leave plenty of opportunity for your listener to ask questions and become engaged in what you are saying.

Counseling your stakeholders to follow this format will help create a clear and consistent profile of your organization within your community. Developing clear and consistent verbal messaging is a crucial part of any community engagement strategy.

     Read some obituaries- you’ll be captivated!

A bit more about Core Purpose:

(A word about Core Purpose: Core Purpose is the essence of your organization’s work. It is not a reiteration of the mission statement. A mission statement is an action plan, a description of actions that will be taken to fulfill goals. 

Core Purpose answers the larger inquiry ‘Why do we exist’?

Example: The mission statement of the ASPCA is "to provide effective means for the prevention of cruelty to animals throughout the United States.” The core purpose of the ASPCA could be defined as ‘promoting compassion’.)