A Community Pitch consists of a few sentences that explain what a Community does and why it is important to its potential members or sponsors.
Time is of the essence when creating a Community Pitch. Following the same concept of the “elevator pitch”, it is meant as an opening to a longer conversation and discussion.
To create a Community Pitch, use the WOW, HOW, NOW structure; try it, reiterate and try it again.
A Community Pitch consists of a few sentences that explain what a Community does and why it is important to its potential members - the people you want to convince to join the Community - or sponsors - the people who could provide funding or resources for the Community.
A Community Pitch consists of a few sentences that explain what the Community does and why it is important to the person you are trying to persuade to join your Community or provide funding or resources for it. It is structured in the same way you would structure an “elevator pitch,” that is, a pitch that can be delivered in about 30 to 45 seconds, which is the time you would have to explain your Community if you were sharing an elevator with someone for two or three floors.
Why is a Community Pitch important?
The Community Pitch is important for both the person making the pitch and for the person or persons listening to the pitch: the target audience.
For the person making the pitch, it helps refine the vision for the Community down to its bare essentials. The Community might have concept notes, vision and mission statements, a Community Charter, and a whole host of documents supporting the creation of the Community. Developing a Community Pitch helps reduce all that information to the essential message of the Community in terms of what it is, and why it is important.
For the intended audience, it is important that the message is brief and succinct. The target audience often consists of very busy subject matter experts who do not have time to listen to a 30-minute Powerpoint presentation. An impactful impression must be made, and it must be made quickly.
After grabbing their attention, the conversation can go deeper, and be more specific and detailed. The pitch is not a one-time shot. The pitch is a lead-in to a much longer conversation. The pitch is to get people interested and motivated and talking.
The pitch can also be used to “qualify” people, meaning that the Community must make sure that it is getting the right people on board. The Community needs people who are interested in what the Community is about and what it is trying to achieve. It’s no use trying to dragoon people into the Community who do not share the same passion. They might join and stay but not contribute, or they might quickly leave.
How do you create a Community Pitch?
The perfect Community Pitch cannot be created at first writing. It will take several iterations to get it right. Slightly different pitches might also be needed for different audiences. For example, the pitch to get someone to join the Community might be slightly different from the pitch to persuade somebody to fund the Community.
To create the pitch, follow these steps:
Start the writing process with a broad Community description and Community benefits (one might already exist on the Community’s website, if there is one). For this first iteration, do not worry about length.
Refine this first draft multiple times, iteratively, to condense it into a shorter and punchier version.
Test it with the Core Team, and incorporate their comments.
Finally, try it on somebody whose profile fits that of the target audience, for example a potential member. Note the reactions, see what resonates and what doesn’t, and revise the pitch accordingly.
To guide your writing, use the WOW, HOW, NOW model:
WOW – think of a “WOW” opening that will get the attention of the person you want to persuade. Sometimes stating the problem in stark terms will be the most impactful.
HOW – explain briefly HOW your Community addresses a need or solves a problem, and give on or a few examples
NOW – communicate what action the person should take NOW
Below is a Community Pitch example of how the WOW, HOW, and NOW might be phrased.
WOW
“It is staggering to think that over 60% of the world’s population has no access to clean drinking water, and yet there are so many solutions out there that are replicable and scalable.”
HOW
“Our Clean Water Network Community of Practice brings together like-minded professionals from diverse disciplines, to collaborate and share practical lessons from the field to drastically reduce this terrible number. In fact, at our last quarterly meeting, we connected a Smart Agriculture expert with a Smart Climate expert who collaborated to come up with a whole new way of assessing aquifer impact.”
NOW
“The Community has great networking potential. As one of the leading experts in desalination, I am sure your ideas would be very valuable to the Community and you will surely find value in connecting with peers to discuss challenges, solutions, and potential innovations. Would you like to talk more? If so, I can help you get in the space if you are interested”
Notice that the NOW is specific to the individual you are talking to. You can easily customize the NOW depending on who you are addressing and whether it is one or two people or to a whole room full of people. Also notice the Call-to-Action at the end of the NOW: a non-threatening invitation to simply “talk more.”
As previously stated, the pitch will not be perfect in the first draft. Create it, refine it, try it out, and iterate to create the most impactful pitch.
Blog » Developing a Community Pitch
Developing a Community Pitch
Summary:
Resources:
Template: Community Pitch
What is a Community Pitch?
A Community Pitch consists of a few sentences that explain what a Community does and why it is important to its potential members - the people you want to convince to join the Community - or sponsors - the people who could provide funding or resources for the Community.
A Community Pitch consists of a few sentences that explain what the Community does and why it is important to the person you are trying to persuade to join your Community or provide funding or resources for it. It is structured in the same way you would structure an “elevator pitch,” that is, a pitch that can be delivered in about 30 to 45 seconds, which is the time you would have to explain your Community if you were sharing an elevator with someone for two or three floors.
Why is a Community Pitch important?
The Community Pitch is important for both the person making the pitch and for the person or persons listening to the pitch: the target audience.
For the person making the pitch, it helps refine the vision for the Community down to its bare essentials. The Community might have concept notes, vision and mission statements, a Community Charter, and a whole host of documents supporting the creation of the Community. Developing a Community Pitch helps reduce all that information to the essential message of the Community in terms of what it is, and why it is important.
For the intended audience, it is important that the message is brief and succinct. The target audience often consists of very busy subject matter experts who do not have time to listen to a 30-minute Powerpoint presentation. An impactful impression must be made, and it must be made quickly.
After grabbing their attention, the conversation can go deeper, and be more specific and detailed. The pitch is not a one-time shot. The pitch is a lead-in to a much longer conversation. The pitch is to get people interested and motivated and talking.
The pitch can also be used to “qualify” people, meaning that the Community must make sure that it is getting the right people on board. The Community needs people who are interested in what the Community is about and what it is trying to achieve. It’s no use trying to dragoon people into the Community who do not share the same passion. They might join and stay but not contribute, or they might quickly leave.
How do you create a Community Pitch?
The perfect Community Pitch cannot be created at first writing. It will take several iterations to get it right. Slightly different pitches might also be needed for different audiences. For example, the pitch to get someone to join the Community might be slightly different from the pitch to persuade somebody to fund the Community.
To create the pitch, follow these steps:
Start the writing process with a broad Community description and Community benefits (one might already exist on the Community’s website, if there is one). For this first iteration, do not worry about length.
Refine this first draft multiple times, iteratively, to condense it into a shorter and punchier version.
Test it with the Core Team, and incorporate their comments.
Finally, try it on somebody whose profile fits that of the target audience, for example a potential member. Note the reactions, see what resonates and what doesn’t, and revise the pitch accordingly.
To guide your writing, use the WOW, HOW, NOW model:
WOW – think of a “WOW” opening that will get the attention of the person you want to persuade. Sometimes stating the problem in stark terms will be the most impactful.
HOW – explain briefly HOW your Community addresses a need or solves a problem, and give on or a few examples
NOW – communicate what action the person should take NOW
Below is a Community Pitch example of how the WOW, HOW, and NOW might be phrased.
WOW
“It is staggering to think that over 60% of the world’s population has no access to clean drinking water, and yet there are so many solutions out there that are replicable and scalable.”
HOW
“Our Clean Water Network Community of Practice brings together like-minded professionals from diverse disciplines, to collaborate and share practical lessons from the field to drastically reduce this terrible number. In fact, at our last quarterly meeting, we connected a Smart Agriculture expert with a Smart Climate expert who collaborated to come up with a whole new way of assessing aquifer impact.”
NOW
“The Community has great networking potential. As one of the leading experts in desalination, I am sure your ideas would be very valuable to the Community and you will surely find value in connecting with peers to discuss challenges, solutions, and potential innovations. Would you like to talk more? If so, I can help you get in the space if you are interested”
Notice that the NOW is specific to the individual you are talking to. You can easily customize the NOW depending on who you are addressing and whether it is one or two people or to a whole room full of people. Also notice the Call-to-Action at the end of the NOW: a non-threatening invitation to simply “talk more.”
As previously stated, the pitch will not be perfect in the first draft. Create it, refine it, try it out, and iterate to create the most impactful pitch.
This article is part of the WBG Communities of Practice Toolkit licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. The toolkit features practical resources to help you develop impactful Communities of Practice. 📖 Learn more about the Toolkit. ▶ Access the Toolkit.