Fund Raising

From a recent Fortune magazine that I read that most companies in S&P have been rated as risky. This represents a huge challenge for companies as new emerging economies such as India, China or other countries mean new business models which have to be sustainable and scalable and I do not think that there are in most text books or case studies of today.

For those of us working on Education related projects, this list of available grants will be of interest, not just because of the possibility of accessing funds, but because it may also serve as a meter of what are the areas of interests and priorities of those providing grants.

So here you are, a for-profit / non-profit / social entrepreneur, your business plan is done, your powerpoint is ready and you're meeting with a potential funder. You've got a crisp elevator speech, you present your pitch and then the funder says, "this is a very interesting idea but why don't you come back once you're up and running."  (See http://www.xigi.net/2006/05/28/mamamikes-response.html)

I recently learned about a new initiative from DonorsChoose.org, a non-profit that accepts grant requests from K-12 teachers and makes them available to donors from across the country. DonorsChoose has set up BloggersChoose.org, a way for us bloggers to spread the word. Anyone can create a challenge, and then publicize it.

I've set up one on Economics and the World, though the only proposal I've found to include so far is one that's local: a high school in Richmond, CA. An economics teacher there is looking to buy copies of books that will get students fired up about learning the subject: Freakanomics, Nickeled and Dimed and the like.

If you're not in a position to give, consider putting together your own challenge, and publicizing it to your network!

I think it's an intriguing approach to fundraising, one that empowers individuals to multiply their own impact by involving others. Plus, they provide a tracking page to see how generous your blog readers are compared to others responding to challenges in your area.

A pitch is a performance, an oral presentation. But too often, entrepreneurs think they're doing the audio version of their business plan. (Think Books on Tape) instead of doing the movie version (or better yet - the movie preview) of their book. (Think more action and highlights, less exposition)

Steve Ketchpel (RDVP Fellow 2005) was kind enough to remind me of the fantastic Technology Formation course offered in the school of engineering. MS&E 273 (aka IE273) has a very nice webpage of resources, including a section on venture pitches.

In my roles as executive director of the Women's Technology Cluster, VC and social entrepreneur I have heard ALOT of pitches. Here are my thoughts (not terribly original, by the way) on how to improve your game.

In preparation for next week's Mock Pitch Workshop, I offer a few links on how to give a venture pitch. Read and review!

Guy Kawasaki's 10/20/30 Rule of PowerPoint: http://blog.guykawasaki.com/2005/12/the_102030_rule.html

I'v attached the Powerpoint presentation from the seminar Cheryl Dahle and I did on January 24th.