You’ve got 5 minutes to MAKE YOUR PITCH so make it COUNT!
Everyone has a different reason for why a charity touches them. You may be a volunteer with them, sit on their board, work for them, and/or have been affected by them in a personal way. Whatever your level of involvement or reason, you want to make sure that if your form is selected, you give your charity the best chance to win. And your presentation is key! So 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 Victoria listening to you and learning about your charity...use it wisely.

1) Know the facts!

Practice your elevator speech. This is your first minute of your presentation. 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. Don’t lose out on this opportunity for your charity as you don’t know when they will be drawn again.

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 hopefully a connection to that work. As you prepare, write down WHY you are involved or passionate about this charity? Why does it matter 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 their hard earned money will go once they write that cheque will find it hard to vote for that charity. We’re not talking about detailed financial statements but rather 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.

Above all, remember that we are a group of committed and supportive women who want to see you and your nominated charity succeed. Speak from the heart.

[Adapted from 100 Women Who Care Chicago website]