On the 18th of June, we had the pleasure of conducting a workshop titled “How to Pitch a Social Entrepreneurship Project in 3 Minutes,” at the invitation of IRIS – Regional Social Innovation Incubator. Following this, we would like to share some reflections on the importance for a social organisation to regularly exercise creating and refining its pitch.
The Pitch Prejudice
Often, the pitch is exclusively associated with start-ups seeking investment. However, the pitch is an essential tool for any organisation, including social organisations.
The goal of developing and perfecting a pitch goes far beyond seeking funding – creating an efficient pitch involves an exercise of self-analysis and a capacity for synthesis that brings immediate benefits to any organisation.
The Importance of the Pitch for Social Organisations
It is common to encounter social organisations whose intervention is so extensive and day-to-day activities so absorbing that the people working there struggle to clearly explain their focus, purpose, and differentiation.
Building and assimilating a pitch requires multidimensional analysis of the organisation and systematic information gathering that allows for a fluent and coherent discourse.
This discourse should be internalised by everyone in the organisation – this will ensure that all are aligned with the purpose and can convey the same message and identity, in both formal and informal interactions with any stakeholders.
A well-crafted pitch is the foundation of an organisation’s communication, and for a social organisation, it can bring benefits on various levels, including:
- Creating a coherent and differentiating image
- Generating reputation and notoriety
- Improving fundraising
- Attracting and retaining talent
- Keeping the team aligned with the purpose and goals
The Structure of the Pitch
Although the pitch structure is flexible and can be adapted to the specific needs of each organisation and audience, it is essential that some key points are always addressed clearly and concisely:
Target Audience: Identify who are the people or organisations the project is aimed at.
Problem: Identify and describe the specific problem the project aims to solve.
Solution: Explain how your solution addresses the identified problem.
Value Proposition: Describe how your solution is innovative compared to others and what its tangible and intangible benefits are.
Business Model: Explain how the project’s sustainability is achieved, the main sources of funding, and the scalability/growth strategy if applicable.
Results/Impact: Mention some results already achieved by the project and what is currently being done to measure its impact.
Call to Action: Identify what you want your audience to do after hearing your pitch, and work on creating a clear, direct, and attractive appeal.
To assist in the pitch creation process, Witty has developed the Impact Pitch Model Canvas (our adaptation of the well-known Business Model Canvas for this purpose of creating a presentation pitch for your social organisation).
In conclusion, the exercise of creating, revisiting, and refining the pitch should be an ongoing practice for all social organisations. It helps attract resources and external support, while also strengthening internal cohesion, mission clarity, and focus on goals and purpose.
The pitch is a story. A good story can make you laugh, cry, smile, or think. The goal is to work so that the pitch does all of this. This story will then become the foundation of all formal and informal discourse of the organisation, and should be present on the institutional website, in a promotional video, in fundraising campaigns, or in any conversation where we present the organisation, be it with a potential donor, a partner, a volunteer, or even that friend we haven’t seen in a long time who asks us: “So, tell me what you’ve been up to!”
If you need support in this process, please contact us.