Nonprofit Board of Directors Elevator Speech: 4 Easy Steps to Promote Your Organization

One indicator of a well-run nonprofit is whether board members, staff, and volunteers consistently and personally promote the organization throughout the community. In part, this is accomplished through dozens of informal conversations (elevator pitches) that are delivered by people involved with the organization to help raise awareness of the value of the organization.

The outline below lists and describes each of the four steps and provides some optional statements that can be used to construct an elevator pitch. Of course, you can customize these statements or add others that you feel more comfortable with. During orientation, each board member, staff, and volunteer should be encouraged to develop their own elevator pitch and incorporate it into everyday conversations with family, friends, and business colleagues.

Step 1: Opener – Start the conversation/State the need.

1. Have I mentioned that I am involved with/on the board of directors of organization xyz?
2. Are you familiar with the xyz organization?
3. Have you heard of the xyz organization?
4. Did you realize that (local need definition) right here in our city/county/state?

Step 2: Mission – Explain what the organization does/how it meets the “need”.

1. The mission of organization xyz is…
2. We focus on…
3. Our main work includes…..
4. You may have seen the newspaper article about our project/fundraiser/volunteer campaign…
5. We serve x (#) clients and provide them with ___________

Step 3: Personal Participation – Binds the speaker to the organization.

1. I have been involved with xyz since ______ (year)
2. I enjoy being part of the xyz organization because…
3. I am proud of our work because…
4. I am especially excited about our recent project/accomplishments…
5. I first became involved with organization xyz when…

Step 4: Learn More – How can the listener learn more about the organization?

1. We have an excellent website (———.org) where you can get more information about our projects and programs.
2. If you are interested in learning more about xyz, I will be happy to tell you more about our accomplishments/accomplishments.
3. Xyz has a monthly information session and I would love for you to be my guest and attend one of these sessions. 4. Can I leave you a written brochure or mail one to you?
5. We are always looking for volunteers/board members to help us with…
6. Would you be interested in learning more about organization xyz?

All board members, staff, and volunteers should be encouraged to construct an elevator speech that they can personally feel comfortable delivering to the entire community.