Killer Pitches: Passion and People Seal the Deal!

Eek! You have less than a week to perfect a killer pitch to blow that prospective donor away. What do you do?

Jane Loveday has really hit the nail on the head in her piece, Four steps to making the perfect pitch to a potential donor. She sets it out as four P’s: Preparation, Pick your team, Practice and Passion. 

All are equally important, but my personal favourite is her last one – passion. You can have all the facts, figures and whizzy PowerPoint presentations in the world, but if you can’t connect with your donors you are fighting a losing battle.

Someone once asked me what you are really selling as a fundraiser. The answer we both agreed on was that in all honesty – a huge chunk of any approach is selling yourself. People engage with people – and you have the power to make the difference.

In preparing for your pitch remember to have confidence in yourself – you have been invited there and they want to hear what you have to tell them. There is a reason they have chosen this format rather than just a written application – they want to see the real you!

So smile, shine your shoes (as my mother-in-law always tells me) and sell yourself as well as your cause.

And let me know how you get on!!