Let’s back up a sec. Before the fall of 2013, the extent of my nonprofit experience was administrative. I had a passion to do good, but didn’t quite know how to do it. I was shy, lacked confidence in my skills, and dreaded conversations with strangers (and even acquaintances!)

I had just enrolled in the course Strategic Marketing for Nonprofits at Seattle University, where I was fortunate enough to meet Erica Mills, the instructor of the course and the brains behind Claxon Marketing. In just a few classes, she turned my passion-without-direction into confidence-with-passion.

How? By stressing the importance of pitches for nonprofits, while at the same time showing that not only are the not scary; with the right amount of preparation they can be downright fun, a bit liberating, and incredibly important to your cause. (And by pushing me out of my comfort zone to make this video 🙂 ) Since then, my path as a nonprofit marketer has been set, and I’ve been perfecting pitches (and other nonprofit marketing materials) ever since.

Caption: Screenshot from my YouTube debut.

Why am I telling you all this? Because you’re about to have the same opportunity I did. On July 26, 2017 at 1 p.m. ET, Erica will take to the web to present a one-hour free webinar all about creating the perfect pithy pitches for your cause.

For a bit more background into why pitches are paramount, let me describe a generic interaction, but one you have probably experienced firsthand:

Say you’re at a networking event (or party, or fundraiser, or wherever you typically meet new people) and someone asks the inevitable question, “What do you do?”

You don’t know this person, or what their interests are. They have the potential to be your nonprofit’s next big donor, small monthly donor, or volunteer. Or even your next boss.

Will your response to their question spark their underlying interest in your cause, inviting them to ask more questions and get involved? Or will it make them pretend they need to refill their drink two minutes after your explanation of your work?

Good pitches are rare. Unless you take the time to fix them up.

In the upcoming, not-to-miss webinar, you’ll:

• Hear more examples of why pitches are so important
• Learn what a pitch really is (it’s not what you think)
• Find out why your pitch(es) are probably bad
• Get to know the five top “pitchfalls”
• Learn how to perfect your pitch, and in turn get people curious about your cause and start raising more money.

Don’t miss your chance to be transformed (like I was!). 

The post How Pitches Transformed My Nonprofit Marketing Career appeared first on Claxon Communication.

The kind folks at WVDO-OR invited me to do a workshop on Perfecting Your Personal Pitch.  I really should’ve called it:  ‘Pitchfalls: Why Bad Pitches Happen to Good People’.

Andy Goodman, storytelling guru and all-around source of messaging goodness, has previously revealed ‘Why Bad Ads Happen to Good Causes‘ and ‘Why Bad Presentations Happen to Good Causes‘. Both are mind-blowing while being uber-practical.

There’s no shortage of info on creating an awesome elevator pitch. So the question is: why do bad (elevator) pitches happen to good people?

Pitches go sideways for many reasons. After hearing thousands of pitches from good people over the years, here are the top three reasons:

1. You’re boring: You technically say what you do, but you say it in such a boring way, the person you’re saying it to wants to nap.
2. You say too much: You’re so excited about what you do that you go on and on and on, regaling the listener with your laundry list of awesomeness.
3. You think people care about you: They don’t. They care about themselves. They want to hear how what you are doing relates to them.

Great pitches also happen good people. (Here’s an example of one.) And they can happen to you.

If you’d like to banish bad pitches, for you and good people, peruse the presentation and/or get in touch.

The post Why Bad Pitches Happen to Good People appeared first on Claxon Communication.