Sample Elevator Speeches for Making the Pitch
Elevator Speech #1
I’ve always believed that if something concerned me but I didn’t do my part to help, I had no right to complain.
Which is how I found Walk the Walk USA.
I was impressed by its strategy of supporting effective grassroots organizations in swing states, in particular, in black and brown communities. These are the districts that have the biggest impact on the results of the electoral college. And specifically, black and brown communities which reliably lean Democrat, but tend not to vote because the residents believe that the system doesn't work for them.
These grassroots organizations don’t just start up a few months before the elections. They work year-round, building relationships, finding out what the residents need and helping them see how the government can actually work for them – IF THEY VOTE. And then help them register to vote and get them to the polls.
If you’re going to donate money to help sway this election, please consider Walk the Walk USA. Walk the Walk takes no cut out of your donation. 100% of your donation goes to the 13 identified and highly vetted organizations in 11 states that do this work. Again, the community organizing is done specifially in districts that statistically will make the biggest difference – up and down the ballot – in re-electing our Democratic president, holding the Senate, flipping the House – and state elections (We now know how much power the states have in supporting or thwarting democracy.)
I’ve seen the impact that Walk the Walk USA has had in flipping seats in previous elections. The efficacy report is on their website, as is a link to donate directly through ActBlue. The website is www.WalktheWalkUSA.org.
In my opinion, Walk the Walk USA is organized in such a way as to make the best use of your money to help save our democracy. And if you give NOW, those organizations will be able to hire more staff to do the work that we, who don’t live in swing states, can’t do.
Thanks!
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Elevator Speech #2
Dear Friends,
During this time of uncertainty, when many of us fear losing our Democracy, what if there was a path forward - and a way that you personally can help make sure that Donald Trump does not win the electoral college?
There are many organizations working towards that goal. I have researched a number of them and the one I have put my time, energy and money behind is Walk the Walk https://www.walkthewalkusa.org/ which gives 100% of its donations to grassroots organizations in strategic, mostly black and brown communities, in swing states. The grassroots organizations that are there for them year-round, supported by Walk the Walk - that residents know and trust!
The crucial question to winning this election is What will convince citizens to register to vote and electors to get to the polls to vote for Biden (and Democrats, up and down the ticket)?
Research shows that what motivates people to action is having a clear understanding of what is at stake for them personally, a simple plan of action, and the support from others they know and trust.
This is where you come in.
According to Michal Podhorzer, former political director of the A.F.L.-C.I.O, the drive to take action will come from understanding and believing Trump's 2025 agenda. This exposure and clarification needs to come from people we know and trust.
Biden can win the popular vote. But it's still the electoral college that matters for the presidency. The question is: How can we have an influence with swing state voters? The best, most effective strategy I have found is through Walk the Walk - https://www.walkthewalkusa.org/ (Walk the Walk Efficacy review is attached)
Will you join me in helping Walk the Walk - and expand their work?
In support of his argument, Podhorzer wrote:
Since 2016, MAGA has lost nearly every important election in which voters understood this, including 23 of the 27 statewide elections in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, while picking up a dozen House seats in California and New York in the midterms when voters did not.
If you're thinking of putting money and/or effort towards influencing this election, please consider supporting Walk the Walk https://www.walkthewalkusa.org/
And please forward this email to your family and friends to increase your influence - to help us keep the White House, take back Congress, and take state and local governments back from Maga Republicans.
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Elevator Speech #3
Thanks for being here and caring about something larger than yourself!
Please know this event has been created by a group of friends, an informal network, and we are excited to support this. In fact, Walk the Walk was formed by a group of friends who cared about what was happening and got together to do something about it.
The Walk-the-Walk message is compelling and disturbing and hopeful. We are facing a genuine threat to our way of life, our assumptions about how we live, and the democratic framework.
We are frankly and unapologetically asking for your support. People are asking what can we do to deal with the swing to the right – this is really concrete. We need financial support.
In Asia, monks go out with their bowls to ask for money and people feel honored to support it. Not the case here, When I am asked my first thought is, oh no, I’m already giving to a b or c…
I am asking you to rethink how you give and to think first of all – what is it worth to you to live in a democracy? You may think as I have well, we are in a liberal state and we are safe. But we live in a larger place, we live in a nation governed by federal laws including how we get our program support. Think of what it felt like after the trump trial for people to declare it is a travesty to declare a person guilty for breaking the law. The impact of the denigration of people that aren’t white.
What is our democracy worth? I personally don’t want to wake up Nov 6 and think I didn’t do enough.
We are asking you to give a bit more than you think you can, we need it right away to hire people in communities to do the grass roots work of building relationshi-s, building trust, and getting people to engage their power in the political system.. We would encourage you to give repeatedly for something bigger than yourself. For me, that directly affects my mindset, my freedoms, our community, the people of this nation and the world.
That’s the first step. Then, if you want to keep helping, consider spreading the word. The work of Walk the Walk, the work of our partners, is all about building relationships, talking to the people we know and building trust. This is relational organizing. If you want to host a watch party, or do an event like this, Walk the Walk has a Toolkit online (Link here) . It can be as small as inviting a few friends to watch the monthly Walk the Walk one hour Zoom calls, or host a small party to watch a short video about the origins and strategy of Walk the Walk. We can counter the conservative movement with a movement of our own, to secure and strengthen our democracy, our freedoms and our responsibilities to our communities, our country and to the planet.