Published on Alliance1 (http://alliance1.org)
Can 27 Words Express Your Worth?
When I travel, I enjoy looking for illustrations of good communications expressing mission and impact clearly and succinctly.
I hit the jackpot this summer in Santa Fe, N.M. A fine local restaurant the hotel suggested had just completed a “7 Days, 7 Charities” promotion. Table cards listed the week’s featured agencies with a sentence or fragment describing each one. The longest was 27 words.
They are good enough to share. (Note: If you're like me, you'll have to click the image below to have it open larger in a new window.)
Each one of these examples are a great “elevator speech” conversation starters. If followed by a judicious pause to allow the listener to comment, they invite the listener to make an inquiry based on personal interests.
For example, the listener may ask, “How does that relate to what you do with pre-teens?”
This question allows you, the deliverer, to focus further conversation an aspect of the organization’s work that's relevant to that particular person.
Engaging prospective donors, volunteers, and advocates means starting a conversation. Good conversations allow both parties to speak and listen. When you focus the agency conversation on those aspects the prospect cares about most, you will become an interesting conversationalist—and one whose points will be remembered.
Source URL (retrieved on 12 am GMT): http://alliance1.org/
About the Author
Len Iaquinta is president of Excellence in Communications in Kenosha, Wis. He is a member of the Resource Development Services Advisory Committee and serves as a consultant for the Alliance’s Executive Consultant Select Group.
He is known for the breadth of his skill set and his depth of experience in nonprofit fundraising. Throughout his fund development career, he has raised millions of dollars in major gifts, grants, and annual fund donations. He has created successful fundraising programs at public and private institutions from New York City to Milwaukee and Chicago.
Iaquinta earned his bachelor's and master's degrees in journalism from Northwestern University (Medill School) and Columbia University in the City of New York (Pulitzer School), respectively.