I have a dear friend who retired from the legal profession as an immigration attorney. Her specialty was working with clients who could fit within the category know as "extraordinary ability." These clients were neurosurgeons, thoracic surgeons, theoretical physicists, big data analysts, and the such. My friend would tell me that one of the challenges working with such a clientele was "getting them in the window" of an ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) examiner. An ICE examiner is a person who reviews documents in support of a person's request to enter and work legally in the United States. An examiner may or may not have a college degree. As my friend would tell me, it is imperative that job descriptions and duties are presented clearly, concisely, and in a structured format that an examiner could easily understand. This was my friend's forte: bridging between the world of extraordinary ability and the world of an ICE examiner. She would, in essence, "get them in the window" of an ICE examiner. If documents were confusing or too technical, a request for entry could be denied. The stakes are high. In essence my friend was very adept at creating an "elevator story" for her clients. What's an elevator story? The elevator story is the stock-in-trade of philanthropy. Let me tell it to you.
You are the development director of a non-profit organization. You're attending a national philanthropy conference designed to bring grant seekers and grant makers together to share ideas and to create a common understanding. You're staying at the conference hotel. After freshening up at your room during a lunch break you enter the elevator down to the main conference hall. You read the name tag of the person standing next to you and immediately you realize that this person represents a large foundation making grants nationwide. You introduce yourself and the clock begins to tick. You have at most thirty seconds to tell the story of your organization in a clear, concise, and persuasive way before the elevator door opens. What would you say? How would you "get in the window?"
Simply, everyone who works at a non-profit, from the Executive Director down to the volunteers, should have an elevator story at the ready. And elevator stories are not just for elevator rides. When a non-profit presents an initial inquiry to a foundation, they are in essence presenting their elevator story. It has to be clear, concise, and in a structured format that a foundation could easily understand. Like with a request for entry into the United States, if an initial inquiry is too confusing or too technical, it could be denied. Let's look at an example of putting together an elevator story. I will use the work our Foundation does in the area of "books for children" as a backdrop.
WHO (is being affected)—Low income families, especially those families for whom English is a second language.
WHAT (is the effect)—Low income families often do not have the resources necessary to buy and have books available for children in the home. As a result, parents are not reading to their children.
WHY (is this a problem)—When parents read to their children, studies show that not only are attachment bonds strengthened but also language and conceptual skills are increased. Overall, school preparedness is increased, in some cases by as much as a full grade.
WHEN (will services be delivered)—We are requesting funds in support of a "books for children" program that will deliver books to households (by mail) on a weekly basis.
WHERE (will services be delivered)—Families will be able to signup for book deliveries at such places as food pantries, schools, doctor's offices, and community centers. They can signup online if they have access to the Internet, say, at a local library.
HOW (will services be tracked)—We will use "books delivered" as our tracking parameter. In addition, we will track the growing research in support of books for children programs.
Put it all together and you have a great elevator story that should "get you in the window":
Low income families, especially those families for whom English is a second language, often do not have the resources necessary to buy and have books available for children in the home. As a result, parents are not reading to their children. When parents read to their children, studies show that not only are attachment bonds strengthened but also language and conceptual skills are increased. Overall, school preparedness is increased, in some cases by as much as a full grade. We are requesting funds in support of a "books for children" program that will deliver books to households (by mail) on a weekly basis. Families will be able to signup for book deliveries at such places as food pantries, schools, doctor's offices, and community centers. They can signup online if they have access to the Internet, say, at a local library. We will use "books delivered" as our tracking parameter. In addition, we will track the growing research in support of books for children programs. Thanks for your time and consideration.
So, please, as you put together your initial inquiry and/or your formal request, keep your elevator story in mind. Elevator stories are the stock-in-trade of scientific publications. Every article in a peer-reviewed scientific journal begins with an abstract that presents the Who, What, Where, When and How of a study. If you need inspiration for your elevator story, consider reading the abstract for a few scientific articles, which can be found by using Google Scholar. Just type in any area of interest and see what you find.
You are the development director of a non-profit organization. You're attending a national philanthropy conference designed to bring grant seekers and grant makers together to share ideas and to create a common understanding. You're staying at the conference hotel. After freshening up at your room during a lunch break you enter the elevator down to the main conference hall. You read the name tag of the person standing next to you and immediately you realize that this person represents a large foundation making grants nationwide. You introduce yourself and the clock begins to tick. You have at most thirty seconds to tell the story of your organization in a clear, concise, and persuasive way before the elevator door opens. What would you say? How would you "get in the window?"
Simply, everyone who works at a non-profit, from the Executive Director down to the volunteers, should have an elevator story at the ready. And elevator stories are not just for elevator rides. When a non-profit presents an initial inquiry to a foundation, they are in essence presenting their elevator story. It has to be clear, concise, and in a structured format that a foundation could easily understand. Like with a request for entry into the United States, if an initial inquiry is too confusing or too technical, it could be denied. Let's look at an example of putting together an elevator story. I will use the work our Foundation does in the area of "books for children" as a backdrop.
WHO (is being affected)—Low income families, especially those families for whom English is a second language.
WHAT (is the effect)—Low income families often do not have the resources necessary to buy and have books available for children in the home. As a result, parents are not reading to their children.
WHY (is this a problem)—When parents read to their children, studies show that not only are attachment bonds strengthened but also language and conceptual skills are increased. Overall, school preparedness is increased, in some cases by as much as a full grade.
WHEN (will services be delivered)—We are requesting funds in support of a "books for children" program that will deliver books to households (by mail) on a weekly basis.
WHERE (will services be delivered)—Families will be able to signup for book deliveries at such places as food pantries, schools, doctor's offices, and community centers. They can signup online if they have access to the Internet, say, at a local library.
HOW (will services be tracked)—We will use "books delivered" as our tracking parameter. In addition, we will track the growing research in support of books for children programs.
Put it all together and you have a great elevator story that should "get you in the window":
Low income families, especially those families for whom English is a second language, often do not have the resources necessary to buy and have books available for children in the home. As a result, parents are not reading to their children. When parents read to their children, studies show that not only are attachment bonds strengthened but also language and conceptual skills are increased. Overall, school preparedness is increased, in some cases by as much as a full grade. We are requesting funds in support of a "books for children" program that will deliver books to households (by mail) on a weekly basis. Families will be able to signup for book deliveries at such places as food pantries, schools, doctor's offices, and community centers. They can signup online if they have access to the Internet, say, at a local library. We will use "books delivered" as our tracking parameter. In addition, we will track the growing research in support of books for children programs. Thanks for your time and consideration.
So, please, as you put together your initial inquiry and/or your formal request, keep your elevator story in mind. Elevator stories are the stock-in-trade of scientific publications. Every article in a peer-reviewed scientific journal begins with an abstract that presents the Who, What, Where, When and How of a study. If you need inspiration for your elevator story, consider reading the abstract for a few scientific articles, which can be found by using Google Scholar. Just type in any area of interest and see what you find.
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