Refining Your Elevator Pitch
At a fair this size you have seconds, not minutes. A tight pitch in three parts — hook, body, wrap-up — makes them count.
At a fair with half a million people walking by, you rarely get more than a moment. A strong elevator pitch makes that moment work for you. The most effective ones have three sections: a hook, a body, and a wrap-up.
The hook
One sentence that earns the next ten seconds. Lead with the problem you solve or a surprising fact about your cause — not your organization's full legal name. You want them to think, "wait, tell me more."
The body
Two or three sentences on what you do and the change it creates. Keep it concrete and human: who you help, and what's different because you exist. Skip the jargon — clarity is more persuasive than completeness.
The wrap-up
End with a clear, low-friction ask. That might be signing up for your newsletter, taking a flyer, making a small donation, or simply following you online. Make the next step obvious and easy.
Practice the timing
Rehearse until the whole thing lands in under a minute and still feels natural — different people will give you different amounts of time, so know how to deliver the 15-second version and the full version. For more techniques on capturing an audience in a short time frame, Classy's nonprofit blog has a helpful breakdown.
Ready when you are
Put these tips to work at the 2026 fair.