“What Does Your Organization Do?”
Tom Ahern, master communicator, just emailed a great riff against ‘elevator speeches’. I trust it will show up here.
Hasn’t everybody been telling you you need one? For that rare moment someone notices the logo on your handbag, or asks you what you do in the passenger lounge?
But Tom says, if your objective is to engage a prospective donor, then the elevator speech is the wrong approach. Because that speech tends to be about you … and not the donor.
If someone asks, “What do you folks do?”, says Tom, “What they’re actually asking is something more like, ‘Will your organization be of any interest to me personally, because of my values, beliefs, and life experience?'”
Tom advises: “In order to find out the answer to that underlying question, you need to engage in a real conversation, a conversation that is as much about the person as it is about your organization.”
In fundraising, it’s always about the donor.
Tom
One response to ““What Does Your Organization Do?””
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Thank you, guys! I haven’t posted the article on my website yet, but I will ASAP.