Nonprofit leaders know that storytelling is paramount to advancing their organization’s mission. The ability to tell potential volunteers, donors, and champions your story in a succinct and cogent manner is as invaluable as it is daunting.

But SVP Arizona Fast Pitch presented by Social Venture Partners Arizona (SVPAZ) helps select Valley nonprofits do just that.

Fast Pitch is a fun-filled evening where local nonprofits give three-minute pitches about their nonprofits.

Organizations, selected for their entrepreneurial approach to creating social change and the ability to powerfully communicate their vision, will compete for cash awards. Now in its fourth year, Fast Pitch has attracted both a diverse group of nonprofits to compete and a steadfast pool of funders eager to help innovative groups working in the Valley.

Through an intensive two-month training on how to hone their pitch, 20 nonprofits work with mentors from the community to get their story down to the length of a pop song with the ultimate goal of “pitching” to the audience at Tempe Center for the Arts on March 26. 

This year our list of semifinalists is composed of organizations of varied budgets, sizes, and missions. They include:

• Arizona Dream Builder Foundation
• Boys Hope Girls Hope of Arizona
• Celebrate Autism
• Civitan Foundation
• Daddy Read a Book
• Diaper Bank of Central Arizona
• Hope’s Crossing
• Live & Give Foundation
• Live the Solution
• Neighbors Who Care
• Newtown Community Development
• Partners for Paiute
• Phoenix Collegiate Academy
• Project Rising
• Ryan House
• Spot 127
• STEP: Student Expedition Program
• St. Joseph the Worker
• The Be Kind People Project
• Tumbleweed Center for Youth Development

These organizations will be whittled down to eight finalist that will be on stage to compete for a number of prizes including the SVPAZ investee award which provides a multi-year grant and inclusion into the SVPAZ portfolio.

For more information, visit: http://www.socialventurepartners.org/arizona/fast-pitch/

Sentari Minor is the Director of Engagement and Education at Social Venture Partners Arizona and is an active member of the Phoenix nonprofit community. He serves on many nonprofit boards and advisory councils including The Welcome to America Project, Phoenix Collegiate Academy, Young Nonprofits Professionals Network, Boys Hope Girls Hope of Arizona, Arizona Curriculum Theatre, and Blueprint Education. A Phoenix native, he enjoys any and all activities that empower and enrich the city, particularly the nonprofit sector.

• Nonprofit Leadership Alliance: AMI 2014 Reflections
• Is your head in the clouds? It should be: Cloud Technology & Data Drive Success for Nonprofits