New to the cause and not yet comfortable explaining it? This page is for you! Listen to the clip explaining the cause and check out examples of elevator pitches below.

 

 

The Elevator Pitch 1:

“We fight global poverty. The Borgen Project is a national campaign that is working to make global poverty a focus of U.S. foreign policy. We build support in Congress for bills that improve living conditions for people in poor countries.”

The Elevator Pitch 2:

“The Borgen Project is a nonprofit that was founded in 2003 with the goal of making the elimination of global poverty a main focus of foreign policy. We do this at the very top by communicating with our Members of Congress and their staff and by mobilizing friends, families and fellow constituents. We also try to educate the world about the threat that global poverty presents and how action can help shape policies that benefit those living in poverty abroad. Last year, we saw success with two bills, the Global Malnutrition Prevention and Treatment Act and the Global Food Security Reauthorization Act becoming law and we hope to continue that forward movement this year.”

Verbiage Ideas

Key/Relevant Words to Describe Who We Are and What We do:

  • Advocates, Ambassadors,
  • Movement, Campaign, Nonprofit, Organization
  • Congress, Political, Congressional Leaders, Political Leaders
  • Poverty, International Poverty, Severe Poverty
  • Developing Nations, Poor Countries, Impoverished Nations
  • Innovative, Grassroots, International, Tech Savvy, Nonpartisan, Secular

 

Blurb/Slogans:

  • Lobbyists for the world’s poor.
  • Ambassadors for the world’s poor.
  • Poverty-reduction through political accountability.
  • We get political leaders to do more for the world’s poor, than they otherwise would.

 

What we do Verbiage:

  • Fight global poverty.
  • Downsize global poverty.
  • Hold political leaders accountable.

 

 

The Borgen Project as best described in the dictionary:

Catalyst: An agent that provokes significant change.

Words to Avoid

  • Foreign Aid: Everyone has very different perceptions of what this word means and most of those perceptions are negative… Iraq War spending, writing checks to dictators, etc. None of those negative perceptions are the type of foreign aid The Borgen Project advocates for, so don’t let the F-word cost you a potential ally. Try using “international assistance” or “development programs” instead.
  • Advocacy: Despite this being the coolest word ever, for some people it triggers images of protesters and people causing problems. The term it’s fine for many audiences, but just be selective when you use it. That said, we love it and use it all the time. After all, what are you doing with your short-stint on this beautiful planet if you’re not advocating for something.

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