Presentation Guidelines
If your name is drawn for consideration at a meeting, you will be allotted five minutes to speak about your charity and five minutes to answer questions from the membership. Making your case for support in the five minutes that you are allowed takes some planning. The following includes some guidelines and talking points to help you make the most of your time so each member can make an informed decision on how to vote.
Be prepared to know about the charity you are presenting to the chapter for consideration. It helps to focus on a specific program that needs funding and address who the program will benefit and whit it accomplishes in your community. The more specific you are, the more the members will be able to connect their donation with this charity.
Tug at the hearts of the chapter members as you inform their heads. Try to leave them with a sense of why you are passionate about the charity and share at least one story of a real person that was impacted by the work of the nonprofit and how it made a difference in their life.
- Presentations should be simple and not overly formal.
- No PowerPoints or handouts.
Presentation Talking Points
- State your name and the name and location of the organization.
- State how long they have been operating.
- Share if they are qualified by Candid (formerly Guidestar).
- Describe the service area of the organization and whom they serve.
- State the organization’s mission statement and speak to what they do overall and how their services benefit the community.
- Be prepared to speak to the organization’s finances, including the size of their annual operating budget and how much they spend on administration and fundraising.
- Tell us where their current funding comes from.
- Describe specifically how our funds would be used, providing background on the following:
- Is this a new or existing program?
- Whether the program is essential and what our community will miss if it does not get funded.
- Measurements to be used to ensure success of the program and good use of the donation.
- To whom should the funds be made payable?
- Is this organizaiton a subsidiary of a larger nonprofit?
- Tell a story of a person positively affected by the organization.
If you have questions or need help, please contact Deb at debhood2@comcast.net