A Well-Crafted ‘Elevator Speech’ Can Sell a Mission Succinctly

Brenda Eheart’s charitable mission wouldn’t seem to lend itself to a two-minute “elevator speech.” In 1994, Ms. Eheart founded Hope Meadows, an intergenerational community located on a decommissioned military base that recruits older people to help raise foster children in exchange for reduced housing costs.

But what could sound like an abstract sociological concept comes to life in Ms. Eheart’s account.

What’s her secret?

“I really try to personalize the story,” says Ms. Eheart, executive director of Generations of Hope Development Corporation, which is expanding the Hope Meadows concept beyond its original program in Rantoul, Ill., to other sites across the country. When trying to interest people in the charity, she often tells them about a foster child whose parents could no longer care for him, or an older person who, before she arrived at Hope Meadows, felt that her life was over.

“Stories like this help listeners understand our work in terms of their own lives,” says Ms. Eheart. “They think of their own children or of their elderly parents and they want to get involved.”

Done well, a nonprofit elevator speech is a concise, compelling narrative that can at least begin to make the case for supporting a charity’s work. But crafting the perfect short story is an art. Following are some tips from nonprofit experts and leaders on how to tell a charity’s story quickly and effectively.

Explain the name. Kate Danna is prepared for the inevitable questions as soon as she names the organization on whose board she serves. “When people hear ‘Friends of the Children’s Eternal Rainforest’ they have to know more,” says Ms. Danna, of the St. Louis charity, which supports a 55,000-acre private reserve in Monteverde, Costa Rica.

After Ms. Danna gives a quick overview of the story behind the name—in 1987, Swedish school children began a campaign to protect 25 acres of endangered rainforest and ultimately helped raise millions of dollars—she cuts to the relevant lesson of the tale. “This is a story about hope and individual direct action,” says Ms. Danna. “When I tell the story well, people are inspired.”

Know when to stop talking. Katya Anderson has an easy tip for charity leaders who are struggling with their elevator pitches: Stop talking.

“Sometimes we’re so close to our causes that we try to say too much,” says Ms. Anderson, chief strategy officer at Network for Good, a nonprofit that helps charities raise money online. Much more important is to provide what she calls “a glowing glimpse” into a nonprofit’s work. “Your goal is to capture someone’s interest on the elevator, not explain everything you do,” she says.

Board members often feel particular pressure to have a polished pitch at the ready for potential donors. But that approach is a mistake, says Gail Perry, a fund-raising consultant. “An elevator speech is really an opportunity to get somebody in a conversation about your cause,” says Ms. Perry. “If you do all of the talking, nothing will happen. Or worse yet, you’ll be boring.”

Practice—and solicit feedback. When Bruce Trachtenberg led a recent training on elevator speeches for the Council on Foundations, he couldn’t help but notice just how much his trainees improved with a little practice.

“The more times they rehearsed, the stronger their messages and their delivery were,” says Mr. Trachtenberg, executive director of the Communications Network, a nonprofit that advises foundations and other charitable organizations on how to get their message out.

He recommends that charity leaders make sure to practice their pitches before a live audience of friends and colleagues. “The more you can ask for feedback the better.”

He also encourages would-be spokesmen to seek out examples of great pitches on the Internet. “Look at what works and borrow from it,” says Mr. Trachtenberg.

Drop the data. At the heart of any great elevator pitch is a story. But in this data-driven age, the art of storytelling has largely been forgotten, says Andy Goodman, a communications consultant. “Sharing data has taken the place of good story,” he says. “But without a story, the data have no power.”

He advises charity and foundation staff members to forgo jargon and numbers in favor of compelling narratives—no matter the cause.

“When you tell a real story about what you do, people understand that very easily,” he says. “The story is the fundamental unit of human communication, not the fact, the number, or the nonprofit buzzword.”

Show what you know. As communications director at the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, Eric Brown regularly finds himself on the receiving end of elevator pitches from charities. Mr. Brown says that the most effective pitches demonstrate that the speaker knows exactly whom he or she is approaching.

“When someone tells me that their organization is working on something that’s exactly in line with what Hewlett funds, my ears instantly perk up,” says Mr. Brown. “In a few words you’ve managed to convey that you’re smart and thoughtful and that you have an understanding of what it is we do.”

And even pitches that don’t quite align with a foundation’s mission can still produce fruitful results, says Mr. Brown. “That’s when you follow up with a question: ‘Do you know who else I should talk to?’”

Use social media. Social media, with their emphasis on maximum expression in limited words, have become a sort of virtual elevator, argues Vanessa Boynton, digital engagement manager at Woodbine, an advertising agency in Winston-Salem, N.C. “The medium really forces individuals and organizations alike to communicate in a brief, conversational style,” says Ms. Boynton, who advises charities on social-media strategy.

And while Twitter lends itself to sharing headlines, she believes that Facebook, with its 420-character limit, is the ideal venue in which to practice an elevator pitch.

“The format gives you room for providing context and enlightening detail, while still demanding that you hurry up and get to the point,” says Ms. Boynton.

Be prepared for follow-up questions. Kenneth Alexo, director of corporate, foundation, and government relations at Drew University, has spent years distilling his elevator pitch down to a few key ingredients. He starts with a catchy introduction, meant to grab attention; moves to a pithy, memorable summary of a specific project he hopes will interest a prospective donor; and wraps up with a succinct statement about the level of support that’s required to see the project to fruition.

But perhaps the most essential element of the entire exchange, says Mr. Alexo, is anticipating the inevitable follow-up question from a potential donor: Why should I support your group, rather than some other place? “I know it’s coming,” he says, “and the more I know about the person I’m talking to and their interests, the better I’m able to answer that question.”

Examples of elevator speeches

In the video gallery, below, see more than 25 examples of “elevator speeches” from fundraisers, nonprofit leaders, and others. Which speeches do you think are most effective? Why? Post your thoughts in the comments section below.