03 Aug Instructions for Elevator Pitch excerpt f
Instructions for Elevator Pitch
(excerpt from the YouthBridge Competition Skandalaris Center 2011)
Introduction – Your name and the “Brand Name” of your social enterprise
1. The problem or unmet need is stated accurately.
USE DATA TO SUBSTANTIATE (SUPPORT) YOUR CLAIM – A simple Google search or perhaps found in your peer-reviewed reference annotations.
2. The solution or idea is stated persuasively.
Hint: Answer what, when, where, and how
3. Organizational Capacity: Plans to collaborate with other organizations to address the need. Must name a minimum of 1 local and 1 regional/national organization that demonstrates a potential to assist you in your efforts.
4. The social value clearly stated:
How your enterprise addresses a specific article of the UN Declaration of Human Rights
5. How will you measure success? (example: number of homeless housed, number of households with affordable electricity, etc.)
6. Plan for sustaining the venture that includes earned revenue You can not rely exclusively on volunteers, donations, and fundraising. This is where you must get creative.
Social Enterprise Pitch Overview
The goal of the social enterprise pitch is to increase student’s awareness of the process of becoming a business entrepreneur. Learning how to communicate to potential investors how the social venture addresses a humanitarian issue by providing an innovative service is critical in cooperatively solving pressing social problems.
Winning pitches is vital to the success of any start-up business seeking capital. Yet all too often the process is rushed, the presenters lack impact and the outcome is unsatisfactory. It’s often not the best company or proposal that wins – it’s the ones that are most effectively presented. The difference between winning and losing a pitch can be marginal so it’s essential – with large amounts of money at stake and many days of work involved – that your pitch is presented with maximum impact. The basic elements of a successful social enterprise business pitch are:
• Know how to create a powerful audience experience in pitches and presentations
• Be able to adjust their message and style to suit their audience and the context
• Have received feedback on several occasions • Be able to structure their pitch to communicate a compelling investment story • Have received challenging yet supportive feedback on the business model
Activity Begin by watching the videos below to become familiar with Social Enterprise "Pitches" taking place at various yearly competition venues. This will give you an idea of the brevity but also the specificity of the "pitch". While in this course I am only asking you to write your pitch. Keep in mind if you are an entrepreneur, social or otherwise, a pitch is fundamental in soliciting investment capital. 11 Inspiring Examples of Social Entrepreneurs Pitching their Social Ventures 2016 Great Social Enterprise Pitch (be sure to scroll down for 7 additional Pitch videos). Social Entrepreneur Sessions at SOCAP
Assignment Instructions and save the details to include in your final PowerPoint presentation. Keep in mind a pitch is a brief 2-minute presentation that covers very specific points of your social enterprise.
