Nonprofit Fundraising—You Need More than an Elevator Pitch

Nonprofit GrowthDevelopment
Written By Sherry Quam Taylor
Image of an elevator representing that there needs to be clarity of message in nonprofit fundraising, but the elevator pitch is not the end-all-be-all.

Why is everyone obsessed with an elevator pitch? 

I was in a discussion with a client’s vendor and EVERYTHING fundraising related kept coming back to questions about the elevator pitch. 

It’s like they thought if fundraisers just had those 9 simple words down people would throw money at them.

I’m all about clarity of message. But, the elevator pitch is not the end-all-be-all. 

It’s used in meeting #1. Before meeting #1, honestly.

The better questions you should ask? Does your team know…

❔What to say in meetings #2, #4, and #7?

❔How to lead donors through detailed growth & financial conversations?

❔How to solicit donors outside of events, campaigns, or appeals? 

❔How to lead a donor journey for 6-, 12-, or 18-months before they ask for money?


When teams have not been equipped to do this? 

That's where money is left on the table. Sometimes to the tune of 7-figures. 

I see it all the time.

Whenever you’re ready, here are THREE things you can do next:

👣 Follow me onLinkedIn where I share insider info daily — the same lessons I teach my clients about attracting larger gen-ops dollars and diversifying revenue.

🍎 Grab FREE Guides + White Papers — download robust resources you can use to push against the sector’s misconceptions, equip your board, and shift your team into High-ROI fundraising.

📈 Work with me to diversify revenue & secure the gen-ops gifts you need to grow. If you’re a business-minded nonprofit CEO with big growth plans but need to make charitable revenue from investment-level donors a bigger part of your budget, you can apply to work with me here.

Sherry Quam Taylor

Sherry Quam Taylor works with business-minded Nonprofit CEOs whose Strategic Plans require expansive budgets and larger amounts of general-operating revenue for growth. To become investment-level ready, Sherry helps leaders see their revenue potential and helps them see what may be blocking donors from giving in this way. Sherry’s clients know how to attract larger donors by solving the funding challenges at the root of the issue.

As a result of learning her methodology, Sherry’s clients become sustainable, diversify revenue, and know how to add significant amounts gen-ops revenue to their budgets. But mostly, their development departments and board have transformed into high-ROI revenue generators – aligning their hours with relational dollars and set free from the limitations of transactional fundraising.

Sherry attributes the success of her business to her passion for modeling radical confidence to the future CEOs in her house - her two college-aged daughters.

https://www.QuamTaylor.com
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