CAT007: Perfect Your Pitch
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The document provides a creative toolkit for activists looking to raise funds for social change projects, detailing essential slides for a successful pitch presentation. It emphasizes the importance of showcasing project details, team qualifications, and the impact intended, while also offering practical tips for engaging funders effectively during presentations. Additionally, it gives guidance on maintaining brevity and passion, addressing challenges, and ending with an inspirational message.
CAT007: Perfect Your Pitch
- 1. Perfect Your PITCH Creative Activist Toolkit 007
- 2. in partnership with Creative Activist Toolkit 007
- 3. If you have to raise funds for your soci al change project, sooner or later, you’ ll have to mak e a formal presentation to a funder. Creative Activist Toolkit 007
- 4. u talking and showing some Usually, that will involve yo slides to a pan el of adults. Creative Activist Toolkit 007
- 5. Creative Activist Toolkit 007
- 6. r not! We’ re here to help! But fea Creative Activist Toolkit 007
- 7. We’ ll walk you through the ess ential slides you need to have... Creative Activist Toolkit 007
- 8. We’ ll walk you through the ess ential slides you need to have... provide you with a templa te to work with... Creative Activist Toolkit 007
- 9. We’ ll walk you through the ess ential slides you need to have... provide you with a templa te to work with... and offer tips on how to perfect your pitch! Creative Activist Toolkit 007
- 10. Before we begin, download the template (in either PowerPoint or Keynote formats) and follow along.... Microsoft PowerPoint Apple Keynote Creative Activist Toolkit 007
- 11. First, youʼll need a cover page. Use the best photograph you have. It should be captivating, or at least interesting. Creative Activist Toolkit 007
- 12. Add your project name and motto or slogan. For example… Everyone a Changemaker World Change Starts with Educated Children Creative Activist Toolkit 007
- 13. There should be eight main sections to your presentation. You can use this slide unchanged. Creative Activist Toolkit 007
- 14. Many funders will tell you what they care about most are the people theyʼre funding. So talk about your team first. Who are you and why do you make a good team? Creative Activist Toolkit 007
- 15. Provide a one sentence summary of your project. It should be short and simple enough that someone can easily repeat to someone else. Project X is the first and only youth-run tutoring program in Town A. Tip: If you can use “first” or “only,” do so. Creative Activist Toolkit 007
- 16. Include your mission statement. It should address what you plan to do and why. To offer an after-school tutoring program for teenagers in Town A so they can improve their grades and complete their secondary school education. Creative Activist Toolkit 007
- 17. Include your vision. What will the world be like if you are successful? Everyone in Town A completes a secondary school education. Creative Activist Toolkit 007
- 18. Tell us about the problem youʼre addressing. What are three or four facts or statistics that can help us understand the scope of the problem. Include what you think is the “root cause” if you can. Use Chapter 1 to figure out your problem’s root cause. Creative Activist Toolkit 007
- 19. OPTIONAL: At this point, you may choose to add images (not more text) to help us understand the problem better. Creative Activist Toolkit 007
- 20. Now, write one sentence that describes your solution and answer the essential questions: who, what, how, when, where, why. Tip: You can also present this in bullet form. Creative Activist Toolkit 007
- 21. Now, add a second sentence that talks about how your approach is innovative or unique. Creative Activist Toolkit 007
- 22. Again, you may wish to include images (but not much more text) to show us your solution and the who, what, when, where, how, why. Creative Activist Toolkit 007
- 23. Give numbers that show how many people can potentially use your service or product. For example, in your town, you find there are… 2000: homeless people 15%: percent of youth say they need tutoring 300: businesses that need their used vegetable oil recycled Creative Activist Toolkit 007
- 24. Tell us about your potential revenue. How much money does your project hope to have in the coming year? Tip: Be realistic. If youʼre just starting out, keep your revenue total small. One line should include the amount youʼre trying to raise from the funder youʼre pitching to. Creative Activist Toolkit 007
- 25. Tell us why you need the money? What do you plan to spend it on? Tip: Try not to spend money on things that can easily be donated. Creative Activist Toolkit 007
- 26. Include your revenue total (from previous page) under your total expenses. Revenue should be about the same as expenses. Creative Activist Toolkit 007
- 27. Tell us what you plan to achieve in the next year or two. What will your project be like or what will it have done by certain dates. Creative Activist Toolkit 007
- 28. Explain what difference you hope to make and what data (indicators) you will use to measure that difference year after year. For example… 20 businesses eliminating plastic bags 50 youth report better grades in school 2000 meals served to homeless Creative Activist Toolkit 007
- 29. Consult Make It Count and The Tao of MacGyver to come up with meaningful and achievable outcomes. Creative Activist Toolkit 007
- 30. Lastly, include your contact information. Creative Activist Toolkit 007
- 31. Creative Activist Toolkit 007
- 32. 1. Keep It Short! Get through the slides in under 10 minutes. It’s hard for anyone these days to listen for longer than that. So keep your speech short and leave more time for Q&A. Creative Activist Toolkit 007
- 33. 2. Show Teamwork There is strength in numbers. Show up with two other team members if you can. That alone will tell funders your project has the support of others. Creative Activist Toolkit 007
- 34. 3. Show Passion It’s your passion that sells, not your idea. Chances are the people you’re pitching to think they know more than you do and have better ideas. So make a good case but don’t count on the idea to sell itself. Impress them with your commitment and authenticity. Creative Activist Toolkit 007
- 35. 4. Show the Real You Don’t try too hard to fit your project into other people’s agenda. The only thing worse than not getting money is getting money from the wrong sources. So be honest about what you want to do and stick to it. If there isn’t a good fit, it’s better to know now. Creative Activist Toolkit 007
- 36. 5. Show Openness At the same time, show that you’re Don’t get willing to learn stuck on your and improve. “brilliant idea.” Creative Activist Toolkit 007
- 37. 6. Commit to Short-term Outcomes You might want to bring about everlasting peace but what are you going to achieve in the next six months? Funders want results and they don’t want to wait three years to see change. Commit to creating some change now with resources you have. Creative Activist Toolkit 007
- 38. 7. Address Your Challenges During the Q&A, talk about the challenges you think you’ll face and how you might overcome them. If you don’t bring it up yourself, you will be asked. So be forewarned. This is a test to see how prepared – or naïve – you are. Creative Activist Toolkit 007
- 39. 8. End with Inspiration At the end of your Q&A, repeat or remind funders what’s inspirational about your project – or what could be. When your group has accomplished your goal, what is the inspirational story you can tell? Tell that story, even if it’s only imaginary at this point. Creative Activist Toolkit 007
- 40. Creative Activist Toolkit 007
- 41. perfect your pitch Check out other chapters... Creative Activist Toolkit 007
- 42. perfect your pitch and the six habits of highly effective social entrepreneurs. Creative Activist Toolkit 007
- 43. about the author Charles Tsai is the founder and Executive Director of Social Creatives. Previously, he worked for Ashoka’s Youth Venture as Director of Virtual Program and at CNN as a reporter and producer. www.charlestsai.com creative activist toolkit thanks The Creative Activist Toolkit is a series of PDF The Creative Visions Foundation booklets designed to help today’s youth The Vancouver Foundation impact the world through creativity and social The Steve Nash Foundation entrepreneurship. Produced by Social Creatives and the Creative Visions Jon and Amy Eldon Turteltaub, Joanne Marien Foundation, the toolkit chapters are offered Elaine Munro, Debbie Riopel, Jaspal Lisa Rai free to download. Email us if you would like Bruce Johnson, Brooke Kuhn, Serge Martin to contribute a chapter. Copyright ©2009 Social Creatives credits Feel free to pass this booklet on but you may Amy Eldon Turteltaub Executive Producer not alter the content or charge for it. You may Charles Tsai Managing Director quote brief sections if you credit Social Creatives and provide a link to Images form Ashoka’s Youth Venture socialcreatives.org Creative Activist Toolkit 007
- 44. Charles Tsai Social Entrepreneurship Educator Charles Tsai is a journalist, writer, speaker and consultant for social entrepreneurs. A former reporter and producer for CNN, Charles ventured into the social sector to help youth design and implement their own solutions for change. He then helped Ashoka launch its first global campaigns to support youth-led social ventures. Now, he has launched SOCIAL Creatives, a new framework to learn, teach and practice social entrepreneurship.