Posted 12/3/25
When I graduated college, my first job was a sales position at a small, entrepreneurial business, and the first thing I learned was the “Elevator Speech.” After so many years in both sales and fundraising, I began to realize the value of an effective and concise message. The Elevator Speech was named for the travel time from when you enter the lift until you arrive on the chosen floor. It is most often a relatively short time. The need for your message usually follows a question like “What do you do?” or “What is that organization logo on your jacket?” When you receive the question, the clock starts ticking for you to respond. I thought I could “wing it” at first, but sometimes I either spoke too long resulting in boredom, or stumbling over words and not sounding professional. I quickly learned a lesson.
The reason I bring this up is that I cannot tell you how many times I have been approached with questions regarding the organization or product that I had been representing. I have received inquiries while standing in the deli line at the grocery store, walking the dog, or most often after giving presentations. Without prior preparation, the pitfalls might include talking too long, pushing too much, or not describing your organization clearly enough within the time allowed. I had a gentleman walk up after a presentation who said “That was a good presentation, you moved me.” If I did not have an elevator speech or plan ready, such as an invitation to take a tour of the organization, asking for a business card to follow-up, or an invite to an event or volunteer activity, a connection would be difficult. Each question can be different and if you are not prepared, “winging it” may result in losing a potential volunteer or long-term supporter of the organization.
Not only that, but a prior discussion or meeting to decide on the most effective elevator speech message can be helpful to your Board Members. Having those connected to the organization, Board members, leadership, staff and even volunteers, involved in the elevator speech development and what to do next, keeps the message consistent, and makes it easier to connect. It would help if everyone had exposure and understanding of the message in case they are approached. Remember, the elevator speech is not the mission statement, although it can include parts of it. Taking the time to decide upon a clear message arms stakeholders with the tools to attract others to the organization. Storytelling can be effective but it also can take too long so developing and practicing a concise message of impact can be helpful to anyone in the organization. Once a connection is made, then the prospect can be referred to the fundraising professional(s) who will have more time for storytelling and other engagements.
The best way I have found to create an elevator speech is to put yourself in the shoes of the person expressing interest, and what you would like to hear if you asked a question. For the Board, I have found that using some time in a Board meeting to begin this effort and guiding possible responses to the basic question, helps to create a unified message. In my experience, it is worth the time.
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