STUCK IN AN ELEVATOR
If you work for a non-profit (and I assume you do, because otherwise why would you be reading this?) you have probably been told by someone you work with, or for, that you should have an “elevator pitch.” This is usually a 30-60 second description of what your organization does, and why the person you’re talking to should support it.
Like most current jargon, I don’t think this phrase is either inspiring or particularly descriptive. If you work in any area related to fundraising and development, you probably have one already, or at least you’re pretty sure you do. If you don’t, and your job is more program-specific, you may resent the implication that you should be prepared to speak about fundraising.
Let me share my take on this.
When I think of an elevator pitch, I don’t think about 30 seconds I could spend talking to someone I just introduced myself to in an elevator. Who wants to get chatty in an elevator? Shouldn’t we all be left alone to stare at the floor display and pretend we aren’t surrounded by people we probably wouldn’t even choose to talk to? I think more about a “Stuck in an Elevator” pitch. In other words, in an emergency situation, especially if it might be the last time I spoke to anyone, what would I choose to talk about?
Yes, this sounds dramatic, but I will never forget the 25 hours I spent six years ago in an emergency room, after being asked what the medical team should do if my heart stopped beating. I was near the end of chemotherapy for breast cancer, and a chest scan which no one really thought I needed had found a huge blood clot on the verge of dropping into my heart. The next half hour or so is still a blur to me, but I came to my senses talking to a very sympathetic nurse who assured me I probably wasn’t going to die, but she had to ask the question anyway.
My reply to her was, “Bring me back. I have so much to do.”
My time in the ED covered several shifts, so I spoke to several lovely nurses. They found out a lot about me. But when asked what was the “so much” I still had to do, I talked about my thirty years of working to build awareness about the true incidence of sexual abuse and violence in our culture.
Did I make any converts? Probably not. ED nurses have a lot to do, and they’ve probably heard many life stories, most of which are probably more interesting than mine. I recovered, finished chemo, and am five years cancer-free. I’ve picked up most of the pieces of my life, and have moved ahead in several old and new directions.
What I keep coming back to is this. Those of us who feel compelled to work a mission are not doings it for money. Or prestige. Or awards. Precious few of those exist in our mission area. What we do, we do because it means something to us. Something that would leave a huge hole in our lives if we were to stop doing it. Something that we don’t know how NOT to do.
This is what I think of when people ask me for an elevator pitch. If I were stuck in an elevator, or a blizzard, or any other emergency situation I don’t want to think about, what would I talk about with the person next to me? Especially if he or she might be the last person I ever spoke to?
You have a pitch in you. You know you do. What would you say to that person who asked you why you what you do? It might never happen. But if it does, you’ll be ready.
