PowerPoints That Raise Funds for NonProfits

I’ve seen lots of presentations that are designed to raise capital and many of them have a huge flaw. They scream “I need money” too early on in the presentation. In some cases this happens long before the viewer is asked to be a donor or contributor. Let’s face it, before anyone is prepared to open their wallets, they’re going to need to be sold, and sold hard in many cases. You, the presenter, may be very excited about your non-profit, but your audience may have reservations about seeing your need to expand. Take for example a museum which has enjoyed tremendous growth. Why support an organization that is already highly successful? Well, how about if this museum needs funds for expansion? That makes sense, but who cares whether or not the museum gets to double the size of their facility? Well, how about if that expansion allows them to open their doors to other communities that are less affluent and under served? Now that’s something we’d all like to see – better learning opportunities for those in need. In this case, metrics can be used in the PowerPoint that illustrate the number of minorities that are presently served, along with projected numbers of minorities that could be served as a result of expansion. Now you’re starting to sell the idea. So toward the end of the PowerPoint, it’s appropriate to “ask for the sale” because you’ve devoted at least two thirds of the presentation convincing your listeners that they should enthusiastically lend their support by opening up their pocketbooks.