let’s get personal – elevator speeches and personal stories for fundraisers

Let’s Get Personal – Elevator Speeches and Personal Stories for

Fundraisers 3/12/15

1pm Eastern

The presentation will begin shortly.

Before We Get Started3

This presentation is being recorded!

The recording and slides will be emailed to you later this afternoon.

Please chat in any questions for our guest. We will answer them in the formal Q&A session

at the end of the presentation.

3

Our guest presenter »R. Daniel Shephard, CFRE

Dan Shephard has served as a frontline fundraiser in Planned Giving and Major Giving positions for the Florida State University Foundation, Pamplin College of Business at Virginia Tech, The Citadel Foundation, and Chase College of Law at Northern Kentucky University. His 27 years of varied experiences, first in the performing arts, then in higher education, help form the philosophies that guide his workshops and coaching programs.

Let’s Get Personal

Elevator Speeches

and

Personal Stories

Let’s Get Personal Elevator Speeches and Personal Stories

WHY consider a gift --

the emotional heart of the gift

WHAT impact the gift will have --

its designation

HOW the gift will be made --

when, with what assets, etc.

“I've learned that people will forget what you said,

people will forget what you did,

but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

-- Maya Angelou

“Martin Luther King didn’t get up 50 years ago and say

‘I have a budget and a plan! ’ ”

- Alan Clayton



Elevator Speech

is second person

Personal Story

is first person

What is the Elevator Speech?

TIP: Inject enthusiasm, commitment, brevity, focus


An effective Elevator Speech should

Identify a need or opportunity

Offer your solution

Human element

Impact of support

Invitation, call to action

Let’s get personal Elevator Speeches and Personal Stories

Why the Elevator Speech?

Focus your institutional story

Generate interest, excitement

People have short attention spans

You have a short time before interruptions



Who should have an Elevator Speech?

CEO

Department heads, program directors, project leaders

Board leaders

Select individual volunteers, major donors


Where to share your Elevator Speech

Long version for a group briefing

Short version for an individual encounter

TIP: collect examples that represent various programs

and funding priorities, and file them for future reference.

Use that version most pertinent to your audience each

time you share.


How to draft your Elevator Speech

Select a priority program or project.

Identify a need or opportunity.

Individualize.

Explain what you observed or learned, its impact.

Tie the speech to your mission.

Cite several points of pride, maybe pertinent statistics.

Explain why it matters.

Know your audience/listener.

Extend an invitation to your listener(s); seek a next step.


ASSIGNMENT: give the template to each person

in your organization you want to draft an Elevator

Speech. Schedule individual discussions to coach

each as needed. Schedule a meeting at which to

share and practice your Elevator Speeches. Then

identify/create occasions to share your Elevator

Speeches.


When I was a student . . .

I had a patient . . .

I volunteer at . . .


Who should draft a Personal Story?

Key volunteers

Board & key volunteer leaders

Major donors

Development officer, CEO, program directors

TIP: You can draft several for those without their own

personal experiences. Let them share second-hand.

Personal Stories Describe an experience or memory that affected you, that matters:

When I was a student/client/patient I recall

I met a student/client/patient who

I know a teacher/director who

I met someone who

I volunteer at _____ and

I support a scholarship/fund for excellence and

Other ? ? ?



Where might you share your Personal Story?

Phone calls

At events

Individually

TIP: Schedule small receptions hosted by key volunteers

or major donors. Have hosts share their stories with

invited guests.


How to share your Personal Story?

Include an invitation

Look for an opportunity

Seek a next step

Prepare

Proactive

Reactive

TIP: ? ?


ASSIGNMENT: give the template to each person

in your organization you want to draft a Personal

Story. Schedule group/individual discussions to

coach each as needed. Schedule a meeting at

which to share and practice your Personal Stories.

Then identify/create occasions to share your

stories.


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